What are the 5 most important digital marketing strategies for the future? As we all know, the digital marketing landscape changes at regular intervals. However, in recent years the trends towards certain directions are more noticeable.
This year has not been without significant changes – I mention only the Core Web Vitals update released by Google in May 2021 and Apple’s move to iOS14. I’ve written extensively about how iOs14 affects Google campaigns as well as its impact on Facebook campaigns.
It’s natural for each of us to try to keep up with the latest trends in SEO, Facebook and Google Ads as there are always new issues to consider. Of course, these are not necessarily beneficial for our digital marketing strategies.
Google Core Web Vitals and SEO
On the SEO side, Google’s latest algorithm changes have brought to the forefront ranking factors based on “Core Web Vitals”. Since the May 2021 launch, these are updated every month.
I can still remember when GTMetrix made the switch to these metrics and overnight, all the sites we care about dropped from A to D in performance. Of course, panic set in instantly. What are FCP (First Contentful Paint) and LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)?
It was clear, however, that it would take a period of time to align with these new requirements, and this has happened, 6 months later (see the latest Litespeed 4 update, for example).
Also, these new ranking factors Google places a high value on content that is aligned with users’ search intent as well as the “user experience” (UX) metric. I’ll be writing an article about what you need to consider to ensure the best possible user experience.
5 digital marketing strategies for the future
Let’s take a look at some of the most important trends for the coming years. They will shape your approach to digital marketing and help you make informed decisions when it comes to using technology, both for business and personal purposes.
1.) Marketing strategy primarily targeted at mobile
More and more people are using smartphones and tablets instead of desktops. This should be the main reason for creating content suitable for mobile devices.
Basically the main issue that needs to be addressed is the “responsiveness” part of the website. It should automatically adapt for any type of screen. You can also opt to create an app that users can download to mobile devices and tablets.
It is vitally important to use a ‘responsive’ design for both the website and the app, allowing customers with any type of device to easily access the content you offer.
AMP (accelerated mobile pages) is another option that allows content to load much faster on smartphones and tablets.
Mobile-focused marketing should already be the most important facet of your digital marketing strategy for years to come. So it’s essential to get started as soon as possible.
2.) Multichannel marketing
Connecting with users means exploiting multiple channels of interaction in parallel.
This type of marketing, referred to as multichannel marketing, may involve the following elements:
- creating a website
- blog
- Facebook, Instagram or TikTok accounts
- YouTube channel
- Webinars
WhatsApp business - online or in-person conferences
As you can see there’s a whole arsenal of communication that can span up to 8 simultaneous channels.
It is no longer enough to have a focus on one channel. The integrated approach will allow you to create content for each platform. As you’ve noticed, we’re back to the content side. Content is the energy that powers your marketing strategy. Start with a minimum of two channels and expand your strategy over time.
Study the details that make a difference – for example, what is the optimal length of a blog post.
From what I’ve tested over time, a starter mix for an online strategy should have the following in its minimum components:
- 2 monthly blog posts
- 2 weekly Facebook posts
- 1 YouTube post every 6-8 weeks
3.) Automation of digital marketing processes
As technology continues to advance, tools for automating digital marketing processes are becoming increasingly accessible.
This trend makes it possible to automate repetitive tasks in real time using a variety of marketing channels.
Some tasks that can be automated are:
- keyword research
- campaign data analysis
- competitive analysis
- managing social media posts by scheduling them in advance
Automation also comes with benefits as it will allow you to spend more time on strategic tasks.
4.) Involving AI in digital marketing
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already widely used in many industries (retail, banking, healthcare, casino etc). AI is also used as an effective tool for marketing purposes.
Not only does AI automate basic tasks (e.g. website traffic reporting) but it can also recommend keywords to optimise organic positioning. Furthermore, algorithms can indicate the user base that could generate conversions in the future by considering their previous purchases and browsing history.
This means it’s important to start using small scripts that add direct value in terms of organic positioning. In the future I intend to provide small automations that may prove interesting. These are written in Python but the vast majority need debugging, as in the forms proposed by their developers they don’t work. In conclusion, for really good organic positioning, it will be necessary to:
- automate as much of the tasks as possible
- use AI where possible to generate predictive models
I know, it’s extremely complicated but maybe together we can set the tone. It is certain that AI is revolutionising the way we approach digital marketing. That’s why we should consider implementing these technologies.
(V) Chatbots and voice assistants
Established digital assistants (Google and Alexa) are becoming more popular every day.
According to industry projections, the market value of shopping done exclusively by voice commands will reach $40 billion by 2022, and spending assisted by voice assistants is projected to reach 18% of total spending.
Many companies have already started using chatbots to help automate customer service and information needs.
Dialogue with a bot is usually guided by artificial intelligence (AI). This gives the chatbot a real personality, which makes it much more engaging to interact with. The interaction rate, at least in the West, is higher when customers interact with a bot, as opposed to simple communication via social networks.
Chatbots are a great way to give customers a personalized experience. In the years to come, companies of all sizes should have integrated chatbots deployed to serve their digital marketing strategy and increase interactions with their users.
Conclusion
As I said in the beginning, automation can bring great benefits to both specialists and their clients, as some are still lost along the way – such as the rating of a lead in Google Ads if the client does not have an integrated feedback system through a CRM. And this is on my to-do list. One thing is certain – the future of marketing relies heavily on AI. So the sooner you align yourself with this trend, the better. If you’d still like to expand the list with other digital marketing strategies for the future please contact me.
