A new year means it is time to evaluate which marketing strategies and tactics generated the most ROI in 2015, as well as which new strategies, tactics and channels can bolster your marketing effectiveness in 2016. As you decide what will stay, what will go and what will make its debut in your marketing toolkit during the coming year, keep an eye on these marketing trends:
The continued growth of video
Forrester estimates one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words. Facebook reports video ads are the top performing ads on their platform, with 50 percent of Facebook daily visitors watching at least one video a day, HubSpot reports. Whether you produce a corporate profile video that will live on your website, embed video snippets of your CEO’s thought leadership workshops in your blog or share video footage of team building and community relations initiatives on your social media channels, ensure your content is easy to digest, easy to follow and is aligned with your overall marketing strategy.
While effective video content can run the gamut from grassroots to professionally produced, it is imperative to ensure all video your company produces – or sources from its partners, customers, supports and/or volunteers – enhances your brand’s story and provides a new opportunity to engage and educate target audiences.
From mobile = important, to mobile = imperative
From Facebook advertising reports to email marketing reports and Google Analytics, an increasing amount of content is being consumed from mobile devices. If you’ve yet to transition to a responsive website, and if you’re not using responsive email marketing templates, 2016 is the time to make the leap.
Since responsive designs automatically scale to the device through which users are accessing your content, a positive user experience will be rendered from desktop to iPad and on all devices in between. If a responsive website is on your “to do” list for 2016, be sure to check out our blog post on what a responsive design is and why your website should have one.
(Quality) content is still king
While consistently creating a high volume of compelling and relevant content can be a challenge, content’s reign as king will continue throughout 2016. As in years past, the key to effective marketing content in 2016 will be ensuring all content demonstrates a keen understanding of your audiences’ wants and needs. By answering prospective clients’ common questions, consistently demonstrating value and impact and packaging content to “stand out from the crowd,” businesses and nonprofits alike will continue to see strong marketing ROI from developing audience-centric content and sharing it via the channels through which their audiences are open to being engaged.
As you cull through your existing arsenal of marketing content, focus on three buckets for 2016: (1) what can be repurposed; (2) what can be taken to the next level; and, (3) what is missing. When it comes to addressing content gaps, be sure to consider feedback collected from clients and prospects throughout the sales and engagement processes as starting points for building new content. Further, consider how you may be able to leverage a unique angle to share your content in a new and unexpected way.
While a new year is a great time to unveil new marketing campaigns, it is important to keep the “tried and true” components of your marketing program that have proven to consistently generate ROI at the forefront.
