In today’s mobile age, reaching potential clients is now easier than ever, but you’re also facing the constant challenge of excess noise with the endless amount of content being served at any given time. The digital landscape is constantly evolving, and brands that don’t evolve with it will no doubt get left behind. So, how will you stand out from the crowd and do it better in 2018?
Here are three trends you should utilize to make this your best year yet:
Scroll through just about any social media feed, news article or website, and you’re sure to see video. From live streaming to how-to clips to promotional content, it’s clear video is taking over the digital landscape.
Video has been an emerging trend for the past couple of years, but it really gained momentum and took off in 2017. We live in a smartphone world, where we’re constantly being feed content, and video has become a way to stand out from the crowd to get (and hopefully keep) potential clients’ attention.
For 2018, try adding a video content strategy to your digital planning. You can share interesting facts about your brand or industry in short, sharable six-second videos. Try showing off your best services and client experiences with a 30-second testimonial. Or, if you’re hosting an event, go live and share the experience with your followers on Facebook Live, Instagram Stories or Snapchat.
Professional networking social media site, LinkedIn, is finally getting its time in the spotlight. With over 500 million users, LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to connect with right-fit referral sources, express your knowledge as a thought leader in your industry through published posts and reach a targeted audience through the site’s advertising platform.
If you’re new to LinkedIn marketing, a great place to start in 2018 is with an audit of your own profile on the network. Is your profile information complete and current, including a professional headshot and captivating summary? Have you connected with colleagues and others within your industry? Have you joined LinkedIn groups where you can share your knowledge?
LinkedIn is no longer just a place for job hunting; it’s positioning itself to be a major contender within the professional community online, as a social media network and a B2B marketing channel. Establishing yourself, and your brand, on LinkedIn will take time and thoughtful effort, but with its fast-growing network, it’s definitely a platform worth having a presence on in 2018 and beyond.
Maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe you haven’t, but either way, geo-fencing is changing how marketers reach their target audiences. Geo-fencing is a form of mobile marketing that uses a location-based technology to provide brands with the opportunity to hyper-localize their target audience. This is done by setting up parameters around locations such as your business, a competitor’s location or any other places you think your ideal client might frequent.
The integration of geo-fencing into your mobile marketing plans can help you achieve a variety of goals. You can present ads, relevant content or promotional coupons to potential clients. These ads are fired off when a potential client enters your virtual parameters with a mobile device with built-in GPS. Once picked up, geo-fencing allows you to serve your ad or promotion to any specific audience(s).
So, why leverage location-based targeting in 2018? You’ll reach potential clients when they’re on the go and when they’re potentially in need of your services, keeping your brand top of mind throughout the decision-making process.
