Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is an impulsive, erratic, and volatile industry. The moment you catch the tiger by the tail, there’s a new tiger whose fugacious tail requires catching.

Keeping up with a changeable industry seems like a fool’s errand. Where is the balance between chasing capricious trends, on the one hand, and ossifying into a Luddite on the other?

Thankfully, there is an in-between — a balance. If you can identify current trends, settle on an actionable strategy, and take the measurable movement forward, you’re bound to succeed. I’ve identified X such strategies that you should keep in mind over the next few months, if not the next few years of digital marketing.

1.  Stop relying on Google.

Don’t misinterpret this point. I’m not saying that Google is not on its way out. After more than a decade of domination, however, it may be on the decline. Up-and-comers like Duck Go aren’t anywhere near dethroning Google by +0.68%. What their rise indicates is that consumers want alternatives — a choice not to depend on Google if they don’t have to.

Marketers should take heed. Google is one basket, but it doesn’t deserve all your marketing eggs. Search engine optimization is important, but a searcher can accomplish her goal through more means than just Google.

I advise digital marketers to rely less on Google and engage more direct forms of interacting with their target market.

2.  Mobile. Just mobile.

I wanted to say that “mobile dominates,” but that line is so utterly cliché, that I had to state it differently.

The importance of mobile search, mobile optimization, mobile conversions, and mobile ubiquity cannot be overstated. Mobile devices and our collective addiction to them are fixtures of the modern marketing era.

This article is not the place to wax verbose on the importance of mobile. Instead, my intent is to remind you that mobile is the method of the masses, and should, therefore, be a priority of the marketers.

3. Social conversion is coming.

Enough has been said about the power of social networks. Not quite enough has been said about the importance of social conversions. For e-commerce and lead generation sites, social provides a growing opportunity to improve conversion rates and gain new conversion channels.

4. New payment methods are on the rise.

With the advent of EVM credit cards (October 2015), the public is in for a new experience when it comes to payment methods. These changes will have a ripple effect on online payment and e-commerce sites.

Privacy issues are a mainstream concern and it’s up to digital marketers to lead the way in reassuring, educating, and coaching customers through the transition.

5. Paid advertising is here to stay.

Whether you like it or not, you’re going to need to pay for advertising spots. I agree with marketers who claim, “PPC is dying,” but I also see the advent of alternative forms of paid advertising taking its place.

Consider BizTalk for instance. Although they provide “organic video ads,” they are still ads. And they still cost money. Rising methods of organic/paid advertising are entering into the marketing methods of some brands, signaling a growing trend.

6. Marketing automation becomes de rigueur.

Marketing automation is nothing new. It is, however, bigger than ever. Marketing automation is now easy and affordable enough for any marketer with a budget to do it. Once upon a not-so-far-away time, the only organizations doing automation were big companies with world-recognized brand names.

Now, marketing automation is nearly a requirement for any business that wants to stay on top

7. Content creators are more necessary than ever.

Ever since Web 2.0, the writing profession has had a heyday. Anyone and everyone could become a publisher. Anyone who had a voice could also have a platform on the web.

Now? Some content experts moan that there is too much content out there. Or is there? Content, often referred to as “king” is so essential to digital marketing that it can’t be dismissed as a “trend.” While individual publishers may be overextending themselves by publishing too much, there will always be content. It will always be important.

Therefore, there will always be a need for great content creators, including writers, developers, video producers, podcasters, and speakers. Loretta Staple's foot said it well in her Visual.ly article:  “The need for quality content will spotlight the importance of professional writers.”

I know from experience that great writers are hard to find.  But it’s no longer enough simply to find a “great writer.” You need to find a writer who knows your niche. The world’s greatest writing skills don’t count for much unless the writer possesses the knowledge, ideally experiential knowledge, of his or her subject matter.

8. The algorithm will change. And change again.

The search algorithm will change. It will infuriate you, delight you, confuse you, and disappoint you. But it will change.

I’m referring, of course, to Google’s search algorithm, the almighty search machine that decides which content ranks highest on the search engine results page (SERPs). Today, however, we need to consider Facebook’s algorithm, Bing’s algorithm, and even the mashup of Twitter and Google’s algorithm.

9. Conversion optimization has a high ROI.

If CRO, or conversion rate optimization, is not in your 2015 budget, I suggest you take a look at the possibility of introducing it. Conversion rate optimization is the process of maximizing the number of site visitors who convert or make a purchase.

By thoroughly understanding users and split testing changes on a website, marketers can determine what elements of a website or the landing page will produce the highest number of conversions.

The process pays off. Instead of paying big bucks for ad placements and organic traffic, marketers can instead funnel more of their existing traffic into sales.

10. Growth hacking will continue to evolve.

In my opinion, one of the most fascinating trends in 2015 is the continued evolution of growth hacking. Growth hacking will continue to demonstrate its indomitable power in the face of unlikely odds.

Conclusion

This list of online trends might sound intimidating. In spite of your fears, go boldly forward. Wrapped up in success is always the risk of failure. I would never advise closing your eyes and jumping headfirst into a trend. The digital marketing space is too fickle for that.

Digital Marketing Strategy

Digital marketing is one of the few exciting industries where the demand for skilled professionals is higher than the supply. A key aspect of digital marketing is the creation and implementation of your digital marketing strategies.

The Diploma in Digital Strategy and Planning introduces you to digital communications and helps you to develop a measured and well-considered strategy and coherent plan for your organization, that will stand up to the rigor and scrutiny of board-level decision-making.

The Digital Marketing Institute's ethos is to take digital knowledge direct from industry leaders; they design and teach our formalized, accredited syllabus so you learn real skills that will drive your career forward in digital marketing.

The Professional Diploma in Strategy and Planning is aimed at anyone involved with planning a digital strategy for their organization, or who is likely to be involved in this area in the future and would like a comprehensive understanding of the field.

As the digital marketing landscape continues to grow at a rapid pace, marketers are faced with new challenges and opportunities within this digital age.

The Digital Marketing Course is an initiative designed to educate students in the area of  Digital Marketing.

Students that plan to undertake the Google Online Marketing Challenge are encouraged to complete the Digital Marketing Course, as the skills learned in this course will help shape your advertising goals and strategy for the Google Online Marketing Challenge.

Over the last few years, customers have been spending an increasing amount of time on digital platforms. The smartphone revolution in recent years has meant that customers are in a digital mode 24*7 and in touch with all the happenings of the outside world through social media channels and numerous other digital applications. Given this scenario, it is only natural for brands to allocate a bigger chunk of their marketing budgets to digital marketing. Brands can now reach their customers on digital marketing channels at a fraction of the cost that they spend on traditional marketing channels. A digital marketing channel also gives a brand the ability to measure the effectiveness of a marketing campaign and thus optimize its marketing spending. This is not always possible in traditional media channels.

With brands always on the lookout for innovative ways to design their Digital marketing platform, there are now many digital agencies looking to offer their services in Display Advertising, Search Engine Marketing, Social media marketing, and Analytics. Both the brands and the agencies need employees who understand digital as a medium and can come up with new ideas to provide value to their clients. This is where a course on Digital marketing is essential. Designed by the MICA faculty, this course aims to provide a holistic understanding of various Digital marketing channels that will help the participants design effective Digital marketing campaigns for their brands.