Digital Marketing Insights

We’re here to help you have a little fun winter cleaning your marketing strategies. To make it easy for you, we’ve highlighted all of the top trends that are dominating the digital landscape this year and provided a breakdown of the key topics that are crucial to your marketing success in 2017.

Adapting to Adaptive Design

This year, digital marketing is (or should be!) focused on optimizing the user experience for mobile. You know, the basic stuff: being a great hostess/host to your guests, providing a welcoming, informative, and engaging experience (because who would want to return to a boring party!), and maybe offering up some free refreshments or snacks to them. Whatever it is your guest wants, you best give them it (that is, if you want them to return!)

I was going to insert some cool statistic here to prove to you how widespread and universal mobile use is. But honestly, we don’t need to be convinced. We are living the mobile life. So let’s look at this another way. Realistically speaking (that means, excluding babies and other silly comments), when was the last time you came across someone without a cell phone?  

“Probably, like, never.”

via GIPHY

Since we are obsessed with always connected and being in-the-know, search engines need to emphasize the results that provide a tailored and great user experience. Otherwise, why would people bother to just Google it?

One of the trendy new ways of achieving this is through adaptive design. Adaptive design presents a specific layout depending on the screen size, guaranteeing the guest has a good time! Whether you choose an adaptive or responsive design, be sure to accentuate the user experience.

Live Video Streaming

85% of the total Canadian population have an active internet connection and over 77% of people watch videos online (Canadian Media Fund).

Video consumption on mobile devices continues to increase, with no signs of slowing down. Despite the fact that the demand for interesting and captivating video content is currently exploding, many brands are lagging behind in this channel. 

If you want to increase engagement with your brand, then including a live video stream or recap of a stream will not only inform them, but also engage them, and make them return to your brand for more cool stuff. 

Dynamic Search Algorithm

As a site owner, you need to be on top of your digital marketing game as search engine changes are constantly happening. Every new algorithm update will affect the way your website ranks. It is important for you to monitor, or at least be aware of, these changes and to follow them if you do not want to miss out on rankings.

In addition to regularly checking in on the search algorithm changes, webmasters need to provide a stellar user experience through great service, and contagious content offers. Search engines will identify that visitors are sticking around on your site after a searching a certain phrase and will remember that for next time someone searches a similar (or the same thing) because they want to provide you with the most relevant and accurate sources of information.

Focus on Unique and High-Quality Content

The reality is that there is already a lot of noise out there, with every website providing more clutter disguised in the form of information and content. However you shouldn’t be discouraged to contribute because no one says it quite like you do, with the combination of experience and expertise that YOU have. You may as well say something.

There are over 2.5 exabytes of data produced daily (530,000,000 million songs, 5 million laptops, or 90 years of HD video!) (EMC)

In order to find the BEST results, search engines concentrate on providing results that offer an amazing and personalized experience to their users, topped off with unique, compelling, and high-quality content.

fb-animal-gif

Voice Search

Do you use this feature or know anyone who does already? Honestly, the cat-got-my-tongue and I haven’t really tried to use it yet. But my husband uses it all of the time (and we often spontaneously race to see who can turn results the quickest… and he always wins because I am still busy typing the individual letters in while he already has the answers dictated to him.) Soon, though, I too shall jump on the bandwagon. Apparently many others will be as well as ComScore predicts that:

50 percent of all internet searches will be voice-based by the year 2020.

This is just the beginning. If your website isn’t optimized to respond to conversational and natural language searches (using superlatives, dates, the 6 W’s–who, what, where, when, why, how, etc.) you should start working on that ASAP. Or you are sure to be stuck in a mud puddle in a few short years.

Voice search option is available on smartphones and web-based searches, but is not limited to that! You’ve heard of the Google Home and Amazon Echo that can engage in 2-way conversations with you. Many queries can be easily recognized and answered by a voice search. 

For example, a user can ask questions like, where is the nearest seafood restaurant? or what is the fastest route to the mall? and voice search will promptly respond to these voice commands.

What Have You Noticed as Innovative and Trail-blazing?

Keep these trends in mind while deep cleaning your online presence and digital marketing strategies this year. Apply a few, some, or all of these trends to make your marketing soar!

Please share your thoughts and comments below if you’ve noticed any innovative trends we’ve missed.

If you’re looking for more inspiration, click below to download out our new ebook Top Digital Trends for 2017.

ebook

admin
Mouneeb is an experienced digital marketing strategist with a passion for helping clients achieve their goals online. With over 15 years of experience in designing, developing, and managing a team that develops top-notch web projects, he brings a wealth of information to the teams that he leads and the leaders that he follows.
0%

Get the latest digital insights in your inbox