Given that from year to year, an increasingly larger portion of marketing budgets are allocated to online advertising, it can be presumed that the growth and demand of this market will continue on an upward climb. Last year was focused on mobile trends, big brands, online ads, and Google updates. Those trends will most likely remain constant this year as well, but things are always changing in this online marketing environment.
In order to stay on the map and to maintain a competitive edge, it is imperative that you’re not only up to date on current trends, but can quickly adapt to those that are emerging. Consider the following tid bits of information regarding online advertising.
“Content is King” Becomes “Context is King” – No matter how good the content, without an effort to understand the context, customers may lose interest in it.
Design for Divas – A solid web design is becoming increasingly important because of user demand. Visual content (video, images, custom illustrations, animations, and infographics) will no longer be “nice to have”. It is becoming almost necessary in order to establish and maintain consumer engagement.
Get Local and Mobile – Marketing strategies based on mobile devices will be the primary channel acquisition for customer interaction, especially for small and local businesses.
It’s a Second Screen Scene – By the second screen we are of course referring to mobile devices. Advertising on TV is still traditional, and far from dead. However, thanks to the influx of tablets, more consumers are watching television and other types of media from their mobile devices. Online advertising must switch gears in order to accommodate this shift.
Don’t Lose Face – This social network already took advantage of the huge database that they basically created. Thus, Facebook advertising is jumping to the next level with better audience targeting. They are accomplishing that through a dedicated program of advertising and by using the new search engine named “Graph Search”.
Wear Your White Hat – Due to Google updates and an emphasis on quality versus quantity, it is becoming more and more critical that search engine optimization practices are strictly white hat. Spammers don’t stand a chance at ranking high under current algorithms, so it gives the good guys a chance to make their move. Keep in mind, however, that legitimate link building efforts require valiant efforts and above all, patience.
If your small business or company wishes to reach a target niche, and more importantly, establish a long-lasting relationship with customers, the above-mentioned tips are highly relevant. Do not assume that this is an exhaustive list, but comprehensive knowledge and proper application of it can certainly improve online advertising results.