Online Marketing Trends that Work

Online marketing is constantly changing. Because people are finding unique ways to connect with one another online, businesses need to adapt. Identifying current online marketing trends and quickly integrating them into a campaign helps businesses grow their presence. Here are a few current trends that are easy to incorporate into any digital marketing campaign.

Understand SEO, but Focus on Content
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, helps people find businesses through sites like Google and Yahoo. In the past few years, marketers have begun to place a stronger emphasis on content, but businesses still need to practice good SEO in order to avoid being buried by their competition.

Rather than cramming as many keywords as you can into a blog post, research your target audience and write about what they want to know. Finding ways to engage the reader can lead to getting more frequent traffic, more interaction, and more backlinks, all of which impact search engine visibility.

If you are struggling with SEO, here are a few tips:

• Don't write around a keyword. Instead, use keywords naturally throughout the content. Find ways to incorporate the keyword without it distracting the reader.
• Identify the target audience and understand why they want to look at your content.
• Always write a meta description for new content.
• Utilize featured images and write in an alt text that uses a keyword.
• Encourage the reader to engage. This can be done by asking a question at the end of the blog post or adding interactive content, such as a poll.

Get Involved in Social Media
It's no secret that social media has a huge impact on modern marketing. Social media is constantly evolving and adding new features. For many business owners, this can be intimidating. Many people are put off by the amount of work it takes to build a strong following and don't utilize the features they have available. Even if you are incredibly busy, there are a few ways you can boost your social media presence.

• Always share your new content to your social media accounts. This can be done automatically or manually. If you choose to share manually, write an engaging short post about why the topic is important to your followers.
• Pages are nice, but Facebook Groups help you connect on an individual level. Try creating a group that encourages participation.
• Don't be afraid to post regular updates about your business and show off some of your personality. While you don't want to be too casual, there is nothing wrong with mentioning a vacation, memory, or professional opinion.
• Identify which networks to focus on based on your target audience. Joining every network can sound like a great way to get exposure, but it can be tedious to maintain. Instead, focus on networks that are bringing you the most traffic.
• Connect with other business owners. If you have a group, invite them to participate in discussions (without allowing them to advertise).
• Use visuals to showcase your products or services. Video, images, and infographics can be a great way to educate potential customers.

Try Finding Influencers to Expand Your Reach
One of the fastest growing online marketing trends is influencer marketing. An influencer is someone with a strong, natural social media following that others like to listen to. This helps businesses tap into their target market. Because they have a natural following, they will know the best ways to engage their audience. If you don't know who the top influencers are for your industry, there are services that can help you.

The Biggest Digital Marketing Trend of the Year: Be Yourself
With the Internet becoming more accessible, transparency is more important than ever. In addition to being genuine, you should add your own personality and flair to your content. Don't be afraid to write a blog post from a first person point of view or share a behind-the-scenes photo of your company on social media.

Many businesses struggle with finding ways to market themselves online. If you are still having trouble with SEO, social media marketing, or finding influencers, don't be afraid to reach out.