Digital Marketing Predictions for 2017

We are one month into this beautiful new year and it is time to stop and assess our marketing tactics going forward. Using data from 2016 and some hints from the experts, we have compiled a list of marketing trends to help you reach your marketing goals over the next 11 months.

1. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is defined as, “A nonpromotional approach to marketing in which brands focus their efforts on opinion leaders, as opposed to direct target market touchpoints.” What are opinion leaders you might ask? Opinion leaders are people whose opinions on a certain topic are highly respected and have large amount of sway in their community. For a tech product, this might be a tech blogger. His followers trust him to tell them what new products are cool and which ones aren’t.

The key to mastering this marketing tactic is to identify the correct opinion leaders. Show them the real value of your product or service rather than trying to bribe them. True opinion leaders will not risk losing the trust of their followers, and as a result will not promote something they do not believe in. This is not to say that no influencers are paid, quite the opposite is true. However, the one this influencers like more than money is more influence. Give them recognition and a platform to reach a larger audience and both parties will reap the benefits.

2. Email Marketing

Email marketing is a great way to establish customer loyalty, but with great power comes great responsibility. When customers give you their email, they are trusting you to add value to their lives through this channel. If you betray their trust by spamming them incessantly, the unfollow button is just one click away. So how do you make the most of email marketing?

• Tell your customers what to expect

If your customers know upfront they are subscribing in order to receive special promotions via email, it is more likely those that sign up will be interested in these offers. Also make sure the subscribe button is easy to find. Chances are if they have to go looking for it, they won’t.

• Play with it

Whether your style is newsletters or sales, make your wording catchy and creative. Additionally play with the time of day, time of week, subject lines, and visual elements. Only by experimentation will you be able to understand what works best for your specific audience.

• Optimize for mobile

Lots of people check their email on their phones, so make sure your emails are mobile-friendly, using CSS or smaller pixel width (smaller than 600px).

• Personalize

People enjoy seeing the humanity behind their favorite brands. Don’t be afraid to get on their level.

3.  Engaging Content

Creating content that your followers will want to engage with is part one. This means understanding the demographic and what they are interested in while remaining relevant to your brand and image. Part two is your response to their engagement. Its great that someone commented on your post, but if you don’t respond you are missing a valuable opportunity to build a relationship. Part three is the most important part: listening. Customers are practically handing you a guide to running your business more efficiently and providing a better customer experience. Taking full advantage of your social channels means collecting social-media-based data.

4. Live and vicarious experiences 

Facebook introduced their live video feature in 2016, and for those who have not being paying attention, or are living under a rock - it has skyrocketed in popularity. The tool is proving to be a valuable one for marketers as it allows businesses to connect directly to their followers in real time. For a small business owner it is a great way to create personal advertising at minimal cost - all you need is your smart phone! Check out these businesses who used Facebook live to their advantage in 2016. This trend is expected to rise in 2017 including a cross over into other immersive experience types of content like 360 degree video and augmented reality. 

For small businesses, marketing yourself online is what can really set you apart from your competition. Taking that one step further, understanding and adopting new trends in digital marketing with make you truly stand out online. With a little research, 2017 can be your year to shine. For more great content, check out Solomoto’s blog!

 ***Update: Make sure you check out our "Small Business Trends in 2018"***