Digital marketing is now a business necessity.
Indeed, businesses in the US are expected to spend $146 billion on their digital marketing by 2023.
That’s a significant rise compared to current levels of expenditure. Indeed, according to the same source, it represents a compound annual growth rate of 9%.
Clearly, marketing budgets are only on the rise!
With such huge sums of money being spent, it’s essential to get the best bang for your buck.
Staying on top of trends is the best way to do it. With that in mind, what are the specific marketing tactics driving present-day business success?
We want to help. Keep reading for seven top digital marketing strategies to skyrocket your business.
1. Leverage Artificial Intelligence
Not long ago, AI seemed like nothing more than science fiction.
No longer! Artificial intelligence is here and is set to play an ever-greater role in our lives. Marketers can no longer afford to ignore it.
AI provides a hitherto unparalleled opportunity to leverage data and improve customer experience. Big data finally gets put to work.
Indeed, AI is already being used in marketing circles. Everything from data analysis and push notifications to customer retargeting is being impacted by it. The beauty of AI is its versatility. It can be applied to almost any marketing goal.
Be sure to invest in AI solutions this year, and in the years to come.
2. Personalized Marketing
Remember the good old days of straight-forward, generic marketing?
One email blast to your entire audience could drive sales and revenue with ease. Alas, no more. There’s a reason those days are behind us: they no longer work!
Personalization is becoming more crucial than ever before. Consumers want an experience that’s tailored to their needs, wants, and whims. Emails should be targeted, offers and information should be relevant.
Businesses succeed when they can tailor an experience to a specific customer. It builds trust, improves customer retention, and ultimately, boosts revenue.
3. Virtual and Augmented Reality
Reality is no longer what it seems.
People can test drive a car from the comfort of the showroom. They can stroll along the beach of a holiday destination from their living room. They can see an item of furniture in place before they buy it. And so on.
How? Because of the incredible technological advancements in augmented and virtual reality.
The marketing implications of AR and VR are extreme. Selling someone a product just became easier. It’s the ultimate no-commitment ‘try before you buy’ experience.
Think about releasing a new product to market too. You can test performance and reaction to your product without investing a dime in manufacture. That equates to zero financial risks.
The true potential of AR and VR to marketers is yet to be seen. However, their value and utility are only set to rise.
4. Voice Search Optimization
Voice search is another rapidly growing trend.
Indeed, 39 million Americans already own a smart speaker, such as the Amazon Echo.
People are now asking their questions to search engines, rather than typing them. It makes sense. After all, it can be far quicker and easier.
But think about the way you type versus the way you talk. Inherent differences exist in sentence structure and word choice. The potential marketing ramifications are huge.
For example, it may well affect how content ranks in search engines. A blog post that’s optimized for typed Google searches may not show up for a voice search.
Marketers have to adapt accordingly. The need to optimize for voice search increases with its popularity.
5. Video Content
Video marketing is another key tactic to utilize this year.
Billions of hours of video are watched online every single day. It’s now the most popular means of consuming content on the internet.
Behemoths of the online world have taken notice.
For example, Google ranks YouTube videos on SERPS and Facebook prioritizes video in newsfeeds. These steps are actively encouraging the proliferation of video on the internet.
Videos have enormous marketing potential. A single clip (whether it’s live, or pre-recorded) with compelling content can go viral in an instant. You have the potential to drive traffic, leads, and conversions with minimal expenditure.
6. Optimize for Mobile
Smartphones are the go-to device for consumers these days.
As technology has advanced, we’ve become increasingly reliant on them. People spend more time than ever before using their mobile.
The result? Websites and content simply must be optimized for mobile screens. Of course, it pays to be optimized across all devices. However, mobiles are undoubtedly the most important.
Why? Because Google has enforced a mobile-first rule. Mobile-optimized content is now prioritized on SERPs. They know that’s what their users want. As such, they’re incentivizing webmasters to deliver it.
Marketers now have no choice but to optimize for mobile if they want the content to rank well.
7. Chatbots
Chatbots provide a final, straight-forward marketing tactic to grow your business.
You’ve almost certainly seen them in operation. Most websites you come across these days now seem to utilize them. For good reason, too.
Leveraging the power of AI, they can play a vital customer service role. These helpful automated tools respond to user questions and solve their problems. Chatbots operate 24/7 and reduce the need for an actual employee to do the job.
What’s more, chatbots can directly grow your brand. Their conversational tone and ‘voice’ can be on-brand, and in line with your overall image.
Time to Utilize These Digital Marketing Tactics
There you have it: seven essential digital marketing tactics to utilize for business growth in 2019.
Burgeoning digital marketing budgets reveal how vital it is to business success these days. Hundreds of billions of dollars will be spent on it in years to come.
However, not all marketing strategies are made equal. It’s essential to stay on top of the trends and tactics that work best. Hopefully, this post has highlighted some of the most effective strategies to call upon this year.
Want help with your digital marketing? Contact us today to see how we can be of service.
