TMIM was excited to attend Digital Summit Minneapolis again this year to learn all about the current and upcoming trends in digital marketing! Out of all the sessions at the conference, the top subjects were content marketing, social media, data/analytics, consumer experience, and consumer behavior. Let’s turn that into 5 key takeaways:
Write for people, not computers.
Whether the session was on brand love or writing content for B2B campaigns, a common theme at this year’s Digital Summit was the importance of evoking an emotional response. Instead of writing for algorithms, you want to find a happy balance of engaging content and optimized tactics. The deliverables you put out, from social media to blogs, should be compelling. While fun elements often inspire more positive engagement, that’s not always possible for every brand. You want to know who your audience is, anticipate their questions, and answer them to catch their attention.
Invest in your SEO.
SEO is constantly changing. On the first day of the conference, Google released their new helpful content algorithm update, which essentially outlines how Google will be putting more value on people-first content when ranking websites. Even though it was just released, marketing professionals know their trends. The speakers already saw this coming, as you can see in the takeaway above, which is why it’s so important to have marketing experts on your side. SEO strategists can help your website stay up-to-date on techniques and utilize essential software to help track and analyze the results.
Turn analytics into behavior.
Numbers are important, but they need to be translatable. Look at common indicators like pageviews, bounce rates, and average time on page. What can this say about each unique customer experience? If a customer isn’t sticking around, try to look at it from their perspective. Are you not addressing the point of the page right away or lacking a hook? Does the page not look visually appealing? It takes a balance of analytical and creative insights to truly turn data into an executable action.
Focus on inbound marketing.
In the saturated online market, paid advertisement gives businesses a boost so they can increase visibility. However, simply getting a customer to your account or website doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a valuable conversion. Inbound marketing focuses on creating content that customers can find themselves about your services or products. These include blogs, videos, white pages, and social posts. This contrasts outbound marketing, which sends out a direct message to a large amount of customers, such a direct mail, billboards, and cold calling. According to HubSpot, the ROI is much lower than inbound marketing. That doesn’t mean you should completely eradicate them from your strategy, but it’s more valuable to build your inbound strategies.
Tell stories.
One of the biggest repeat phrases was that we’re all just trying to tell a story. More than anything, customers want to be immersed and inspired when they’re online. Tell a story when you can about your company. Introduce employees, share case studies, film entertaining videos, and show off your brand in unique ways. Customers crave authenticity, and they want to feel like they know your company personally. Write or act like you’re talking directly to one person rather than a collective to achieve that.
Our experts stay up-to-date on industry standards so we can deliver effective digital campaigns to our clients—attending conferences like Digital Summit is just one part of that! Check out our services to see where you might need some extra support. That’s My Idea Marketing is Your Digital Marketing Department for Hire.