Christopher Earle: 16 Digital Marketing Resolutions to Make & Keep in 2016

Monday, 4 January 2016

16 Digital Marketing Resolutions to Make & Keep in 2016

2016-Digital-Marketing-Resolutions

Ah, the dreaded New Year’s resolutions. Every year, just like clockwork we spend time putting together a list of things that we’ll do better or differently in the coming year. And just like clockwork, that list is soon forgotten.

When it comes to your digital marketing, you can’t afford to fall into the same bad habits that you may have in previous years due to the increasingly competitive landscape. Marketers today are getting increasingly savvy and motivated to beat the competition.

The important part of making digital marketing resolutions is that they are things that you can reasonably accomplish. You could spend time putting together a list of all the of things that you dream to do in 2016, but may not have the time, funds or resources to get them accomplished. That is a surefire way to find your digital marketing resolutions in the wastebasket.

So, let 2016 be the year that you create and keep your digital marketing resolutions that are directly tied to your business goals and objectives that will help you become the best answer for your customer’s problems, wherever they are looking.

Below is a list to get you started.

#1 – Optimize all of your content first for humans, and then for search engines. It’s important to always follow the best practices set forth by search engines while keeping the needs of your customers top of mind.

#2 – Create a stellar user experience. If a customer has a negative experience they will quickly find another source that better meets their needs.

The basics:

Create a mobile optimized website
Understand what types of devices your audience uses most
Develop scannable and easy to read content
Make it easy for visitors to complete calls to action

#3 – Understand that digital marketing is not one dimensional. In order to compete today, you must take an integrated approach to digital marketing that at the very least includes elements of content, SEO, social media and online advertising. This approach will undoubtedly help you better serve your customers.

#4 – Use data to make important digital marketing decisions. Making moves based on a hunch is not a competitive way to do business in today’s world. The amount of data available today is so vast, that it can quickly become overwhelming. For good measure, utilize data found from analytics, social monitoring and of course, your customers.

#5 – Use content marketing to help your customers solve problems. Consumers are becoming increasingly self-directed and rely heavily on quality content to help them solve business problems and make decisions about which vendors or partners to choose.

#6 – Always start with a well developed content strategy. A failure to plan is a plan to fail. Understand that you may need to make adjustments to your digital marketing strategy as you begin to gather more data and see how your online audience reacts to your content.

#7 – Identify where you are and where you want to be. Understanding your content marketing maturity can help you to develop a roadmap to creating even more effective content in the future.

#8 – Create engaging content. Content that is informational, incorporates storytelling, is entertaining, visually appealing and super creative can help you stand out in a sea of content and create an experience for your prospects and customers that they won’t forget.

#9 – Remember that popularity does not equal influence. Spend time identifying and recruiting influencers that make them a best match for your marketing goals.

#10- Provide value for influencers. Many influencers receive dozens (if not more) requests each week to co-create or participate in marketing initiatives. Always highlight the benefit to influencers for participating.

#11 – Make it easy for influencers to participate. If you are going to venture on an influencer marketing initiative, you need to have your ducks in a row before you hit send on your request. Keep your message to influencers simple, enticing and actionable by clearly outlining what you’re looking for and even providing examples if appropriate.

#12 – Test out remarketing. Remarketing campaigns present a great opportunity to create and target a new audience of engaged users. From the data, you’ll be able to invest your online advertising dollars into those that have visited your website and provided signals that they have an intent to purchase.

#13- Use social media advertising to reach your existing audience. Social media platforms have dramatically improved targeting capabilities, begin using this as a means of lead generation and nurturing those that have already chosen to receive information from your company.

#14 – Develop content amplification plans. There is no point in developing great, creative and very shareable content assets if you don’t have a well-developed plan for how that content will be amplified on social channels. Always create a plan for each of your social media platforms.

#15 – Create stunning visuals for social promotion. Data has found that social media posts with an accompanying visual are much more likely to receive engagement. As your customers are scanning their social platforms, catch their eye with some great visuals to accompany your content.

#16 – Take advantage of social tools. Make sure to use social media marketing tools that will help you keep a pulse on your online community to uncover additional opportunities for engagement. You can learn a great deal about your audience, their preferences and what types of content they interact with most.

Go Forth & Develop Your 2016 Digital Marketing Resolutions

Depending on the makeup of your current digital marketing strategy, some of these resolutions may or may not be a fit for you in 2016. That is why, I encourage you to use this list as inspiration and begin developing the resolutions that make the most sense for your business.

I would love to hear what some of your digital marketing resolutions are in the comments below.

Header image via Shutterstock

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