Did you have high expectations for your company or brand’s digital marketing strategy in the year but still haven’t got a clue on where to begin? Well, no need to fret. We’re here to help!

To get you started on your digital marketing plan, we have scoured the depths of Google to bring you the most comprehensive list of the digital marketing trends that shaped and dominated 2017. Understanding these top trends will help you get some creative ideas to design your strategy and even take your digital marketing to the next level.

We will now briefly introduce the core trends that should be defining your digital marketing strategy in 2017.

1. Mobile

We know that mobile has been the center of attention for a while now. But it needs to be the immediate priority now as Google will be penalizing sites for providing bad mobile search experience by lowering their position within mobile search results.

2. Word-of-Mouth & the like

In the past, word-of-mouth marketing was the best way to promote a product or service. This form of marketing is still as powerful as it was then, but in the online digital scenario, this comes in the form of online reviews and testimonials.

Reviews produce an average of 18% uplift in sales (Via: Vendasta)

3. Content

While making your digital strategy you should use all the different types of content available to keep your audiences engaged with your website. 

(Via: CrazyEngage)

4. Video

Video will always be one of the most entertaining, informative and engaging ways of sharing information or your promoting products and services with your audiences.

(Via: Hubspot)

5. Channel Integration

To succeed in your digital marketing activities, you not only need to integrate various online marketing channels but also ensure that you implement your promotional activities consistently throughout.

6. Search Engine Marketing

As always, search engine marketing needs to be an integral part of your marketing strategy, as it has the potential to draw in a significant amount of visitors to your website, whom you can slowly nurture and convert into customers.

7. Social Media Marketing

Using social media platforms give you valuable insights about your audience, which you can use to understand their needs and wants better.

In fact, 67 percent of consumers now go to social media for customer service. (Via: Hootsuite)

8. Email Marketing

Everyone uses email and checks their inbox on a regular basis via their smartphones or PC. So this marketing channel will be always helpful for your company to send the right message about your brand to your contacts.

9. Paid Advertising

Making use of the various avenues of paid advertising can help spread brand awareness. You should include these avenues in your digital marketing strategy to advertise your brand worldwide.

10. Marketing Automation

If you have an extensive digital marketing strategy and are managing it on various online networks, then using some marketing automation tools can be a real life-saver.

64% of marketers say they saw the benefits of using marketing automation within the first six months of its implementation. (Source: Hubspot)

11. Analytics and Optimization

Analytics and Optimization software will really pick up in this year, as more companies are generating plenty of big data and would need some analytics software to interpret all that.

Conclusion

Need some more information on the all the 11 trends we have touched upon here?

Well, then you might want to DOWNLOAD the ebook now.