Digital Marketing Archives - Webfoot Designs

Internet Marketing in 2018

Written by Webfoot on January 10, 2018. Posted in Blog, Digital Marketing, Websites (General).

Let’s face it, trying to effectively market yourself on the Internet is always difficult especially as the industry continues to grow on what appears to be a daily basis. At times, you may feel as if you are fighting a losing battle which is why it could be useful for you to take advantage of the main future ideas for marketing before anybody else.

For that, it is interesting to look at the expected trends for 2018 so you can begin to implement a plan in advance which should make it easier to then take advantage of these ideas.

Content Marketing is Key.

Content marketing has been important for some time now, but concise and effective content is going to continue to be on trend throughout 2018. The main idea in this area is that you get to the point as quickly as possible as people do not have the time to sit and work through a huge volume of content just for those few pieces of gold.

This becomes even more important when you consider that more people are now using their cellphones to navigate websites. As you would expect, they do not have the space to browse through a book, so keep it neat and your marketing will work out.

Always Remember to Keep it Responsive.

Your website has to include a responsive design and this is based on the sheer number of people that use their phone to check out what you are doing. Having a responsive design that makes it easier for them to navigate your website is also a part of marketing, so if you have not already incorporated this into your design, then you are missing out on a huge part of your potential market.

This is something that you can check yourself by going to your website on your phone. Does it all condense and still look good where you can see everything on the one screen? If that is the case, then good. However, if you have to scroll around like crazy to see everything, then it’s time for a revamp.

Influencer Marketing is Important.

Influencer marketing has been on the rise, but in the past it has been linked to the major players on social media that have a huge following. However, it is now the case that even the smallest of content producers on social media are wanting to get in on the act.

For this, you should look at using individuals that are clearly in your target market, and make sure that their audience is the same, but understand the rates for the industry when it comes to them promoting your products. Of course, those individuals may have an inflated sense of what they are worth, so do not allow yourself to be held to ransom as that is not going to do you any good at all.

Email Marketing is Hanging Around.

If you thought that email marketing would have long been dead, then you are wrong. Instead, it has seen something of a resurgence in recent times, and that is a trend that is going to continue throughout 2018.

One major shift is going to be with the increased use of interactive email. It is something that has been around for some time without being fully implemented by companies, but that is all about to change. An email is now going to have more than just a link for people to click on, so getting some design help in their creation is going to prove to be popular.

Becoming More Intelligent with Social Media.

Social media has to play a major role in marketing throughout 2018, but you need to be more intelligent with your approach. Yes, you have to be on these websites in order to make your presence felt, but there is something about not just putting any old thing on your profiles that is going to become more popular.

Keeping things concise, and making sure that every portal is linked will increase customer awareness of your brand, so using tools that allow you to do this from the one screen will be helpful.

As with any other trends, there is no reason for you to go ahead and adopt the techniques or methods as part of your own approach to marketing. However, when you think about how tough your industry is going to be, then you need to ask yourself the question as to whether or not it will prove to be useful to you to ignore it.

The Direction of Internet Marketing in 2017

Written by wfootD on December 29, 2016. Posted in Business Strategy, Digital Marketing, Uncategorized, Websites (General).

Marketing online is something that is going to change on a regular basis and the methods that are employed at this moment in time may not be in vogue even six months later. However, even though this in itself is rather annoying and makes life difficult, there is no doubt that it does mean that you have to be kept on your toes and aware of what is going on.

So, if we can then look into the future even just slightly and see what is likely to be in store for 2017, we may then be able to give you some kind of advantage over those that are indeed left lagging behind.

1. Video is Growing Stronger.

If you have not so far used video when it comes to your Internet marketing, then it is about time that it changes.

People simply love video and you do not even have to go ahead and make it as spectacular as you think. Instead, our advice is to keep things short as attention spans are generally not that good and always make sure that you get your point across as succinctly as possible. Video marketing campaigns get amazing returns so not taking advantage of this is really going to be an absolute sin.

2. Consider Business Storytelling.

If you were of the opinion that business storytelling was just another way of saying that you have an ‘About Us’ page, then think again. Instead, this approach to marketing is all about trying to really connect with your potential customer by telling them the story about your business and what you do.

With this, you need to really put across the human voice of who you are and stop just trying to sell yourself at every single opportunity. That is just not going to hold water any longer so instead you have to be honest about your aims, company, and anything else that inspires you. Giving this other side to you and what you are about makes it easier for customers to then connect and it has been shown that they are more loyal to those kinds of brands and names than those that they just stumble across.

3. Never Forget the Apps.

We all know that apps are popular and they have been playing a role in marketing for some time. However, with more and more focus being put on mobile usage in general, it makes sense that there has to be some focus on apps as well.

Here is the thing. Google has started to index apps and that does also mean that having your own app for the sake of your business is going to become even more important than ever before. People are used to using them and it is going to be worth your while spending the time and money to develop your own app related to your brand or business as part of your marketing strategy.

4. Think About Virtual Reality.

Now, at this moment in time it is impossible to predict what is going to happen with virtual reality headsets and technology in general. It was initially believed that it could be one of those passing trends, but then Pokemon Go did seem to manage to change the impression that people had of the technology.

This is now believed to be an area that could be developed by people interested in Internet marketing. With this, it is going to be absolutely possible for you to market your services or products in an alternative dimension thanks to virtual reality. It does sound a bit out there and as if it is science fiction, but it is actually science fact.

5. Remember the Internet of Things.

Finally, you will notice that there is a real shift in targeting the Internet of things in the next year. The main focus will be on smartwatches as they have certainly had quite a good impact since they were released. This will allow you as marketers to consider different campaigns aimed at those smartwatches as it is another possible way of accessing your customers even when they are on the move.

It is believed that by accessing this entire Internet of Things that companies will be able to effectively tailor marketing messages to their direct market and potential customers. This is encouraging to say the least although it still has to be determined as to how this entire process is going to actually work.

Basically, what we are saying here is that 2017 is going to see Internet Marketing spreading into various new areas or at least those areas where there is a substantial possibility for growth. However, as we said at the outset, there is no way of guaranteeing that the things we have mentioned are going to really take hold in the way that they are expected to. It may be annoying for some, but it is just a prime example of how you need to be alert to all possibilities with your marketing online.