In order to keep the conversation with your customers alive and thriving, you’ve got to evolve with online marketing trends. Below, we’ve compiled a list of trends that BarkingFrogSEO will implement for you, all designed to maximize marketing effectiveness and gain the most conversions from your maximum exposure.
- Specials and Rewards. It’s all about bargain deals for consumers who are loyal to your brand. With the economy still slogging along, consumers in 2013 are about getting a great deal from a brand that they know, that they’ve befriended– whose services they can trust. So when you’re pushing your products, use marketing to attract shoppers with unbeatable deals. Then seek profits by generating repeat sales and referrals from new clients. Be ready to respond with instant price reductions or other incentives when shoppers use mobile cell phones, apps and tablets to compare your prices to your competitors’. Seek profits later with repeat sales and referrals.
- Niche Markets:Along the lines of targeted content are niche markets. With the ongoing increase of online information on social networks like Facebook, in 2013 we will see more folks opting for niche websites and niche networking sites. For example I spend about 75% of my Facebook time on Facebook group pages (committees, projects or interest groups) instead of my news feed. (Remember the news feed is where you see the stuff of your friends and pages that you have “liked.”) Off of Facebook we will see more and more people go to and hangout at specialty websites.What this means for you… it will be even more important to have your content liked and shared by others. You will need raving fans who can share your stuff on different types of sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Pinterest, etc). You will also need people to refer you to others. Networking online will be more important than ever to break into these niche markets in 2013.
- Mobile Marketing. Mobile commerce is, without a doubt, the new thing — ignore it at your brand’s peril! The most recent comScore numbers say that 38% of people had bought something on their phone in 2012; that’s an opportunity if there ever was one, and if those numbers don’t excite you, well… BarkingFrogSEO can’t help you. Right now, over 80% of websites are based on desktop platforms. While a high percentage of Internet users primarily use tablets and phones, how will that affect your site design, conversions, and payments? Most people in Africa have only seen the Interent on their phones. They’ve never used a computer in their life. Will Africa find a better way to display info on phones than the rest of the world? Kenya has one of the best mobile payment systems in the world– the US lags far behind in mobile payment. Can Google Wallet or ISIS revolutionize credit card usage and mobile payments? We’re going to find out the answer to all of these questions very soon. Mobile pull marketing means giving consumers ways to interact with your advertising over mobile devices– basically, pulling them closer to a purchase decision. To use mobile pull marketing, combine a call-to-action with traditional advertising. For example, ask customers to retrieve a coupon with a keyword to a short code or by taking a picture of the coupon in a print publication.
- Social CRM. Social CRM is based on a simple, crucial concept: paying attention to our clients and giving them what they are asking for. A CRM (customer relationship management) database is usually used to track people’s purchasing behavior. But don’t forget that your customers share other information about their lives that you can monitor on social media sites.Take time each week in 2013 to monitor customers and record any useful information in your database. For example, if you notice customers talking about summer vacation plans on Facebook, then it might be a great time to offer a promotion involving summer vacations.
- Targeted Content: In 2013 ads will continue to refine and get better. Facebook is getting ready to launch it’s ad network which will be a direct competitor to Google’s Adsense program. In addition, ads will be more targeted based on your and your friend’s browsing history. Email will not die.But smart marketers will segment their lists to make messages more targeted (segmented by interests). Your readers get a lot of mail and if it isn’t speaking to them they will unsubscribe. The benefit will be that the readers who stay will be those who resonate with what you have to say. Keep giving them the content they like. Look at your stats and see what kind of stuff gets shared the most… then increase that kind of content.In 2013 we will see the continued demise of “set it and forget it.” No more can you create a website, forget about it and expect to get traffic and business. Customers and fans will demand relevant, engaging activity to create your inbound traffic (aka inbound marketing).
- Local Online Marketing. If you want to reach prospective customers in Denver, for example, would you consider advertising in the Los Angeles Times? You would if you realize that the publisher can display your local advertising to Denver residents who find the article in an Internet search. So try some locally-targeted ads in national publications in 2013 and make sure they contain locally-relevant messages.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is becoming more and more dependent on social media. New social sites such as Pinterest are all about sharing links; so traditional SEO link building tactics will soon become more dependent on viral content. This means marketing teams (i.e. SEO and social media experts) need to be integrated with a holistic understanding of how each department’s efforts affect another’s and how to leverage each other.
- Paid Search (PPC) Pay Per Click. Attribution reporting and bid management tools contribute to the return of the ad budget to display advertising. Wider adoption of real-time bidding allows for better audience targeting capabilities, so marketers can reach relevant audiences– and refine who they are marketing to, which improves ROI.
- Tablets. Tablets are now mainstream. The 2012 holiday shopping season proved that: the iPad & Kindle Fire were the leading gifts. And even more Christmas shopping was done on a tablet than in a store this holiday season. Test the design and usability of your tablet apps or website to ensure it is user friendly.
- Multi-Channel Marketing. The 2013 consumer is connected 24/7. Their attention span will continue to be divided across multiple marketing mediums. Break through the marketing silos and ensure consistency across all devices and channels.
