Want to give your competitors something to worry about? Apply the 5 most effective marketing trends in 2017 and grow your business.
The 5 Best Digital Marketing Trends of 2017
If you can't put all 5 in place this year, don't worry. Knocking 1 or 2 out of the park can be enough to boost sales and improve the bottom line.
1. Data-driven marketing
Many experts consider data-driven marketing to be the powerhouse among marketing trends. Organizations with data-driven marketing report 55% higher revenue and 77% higher customer engagement than those without.
And the news gets better. There are data-gathering and analysis tools available at every price point. So, even the smallest of businesses can gain market and customer insights -- and use that data to make smart marketing decisions.
2. Content marketing
Content marketing has been at the top of digital marketing trends lists for the past few years. Why? Because it works.
To make content marketing effective, remember that it's about adding value, not selling. The goal? Build a positive relationship with people to increase the likelihood of converting a prospect into a paying customer.
Two marketing trends in 2017 within content marketing are using crowd-sourcing and influencers. Crowded-sourced content allows customers to share experiences related to your business. You become facilitator and curator, not a producer. Just make sure that crowd-sourced and influencer content is authentic.
Content marketing is unique on this list. It's less about technology and more about creativity and ongoing commitment. Before starting or expanding content marketing activities, get buy-in from the boss.
3. Automation
Automation is another of those marketing trends that shows up on lists every year. But the scope of the automation keeps expanding.
It's more than a CRM (Customer Relationship Management software). For example, good marketing automation integrates web activity with email marketing. It also automates email marketing to improve the relevance for each customer. It might even connect a CRM to your website to personalize what a customer sees on the site.
Automation can be simple or complex, depending on your business' needs. And, there are options for every budget and technical ability.
4. Mobile marketing
There's no question that mobile devices are popular. Mobile marketing is about reaching people through their phones or tablets. It might be in the form of alerts by text message or an app that make accessing your products and services easy.
A well-designed website has always been important. But with Google's mobile-first indexing, a well-designed and mobile site is critical.
5. Conversion rate optimization
Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is among the best digital marketing trends because it helps secure the right customers. And it's cost-effective. The concept of CRO is simple: turn website visitors into paying customers.
Most of your marketing effort and budget goes to getting people to your website. With CRO, you use customer insights to shape the buying experience. Examples of CRO: improving your online store and email marketing integrated with web traffic.
Done well, CRO is a continuous process. As you gather more data and insights, you can adjust marketing tactics.
Follow these digital marketing trends to kick your marketing up a notch in 2017!