Digital Marketing Trends To Embrace This Year
Digital marketing trends are always changing. But which ones should your financial firm invest your time and money into next year? Which ones are going to get you the most leads, conversions, and sales? These three digital marketing trends should be on your radar.
1. Glued to our phones
Mobile devices have made it easy to watch videos at any time and all the time.
The convenience and low cost of smartphones and tablets have made video always within reach. And people are watching a lot of videos.
Video is no longer optional
According to Buffer, more than 500 hours of videos are watched on YouTube each day. And that is just on YouTube. eMarketer reports that adults spend more than 7.5 hours on connected devices per day in the US.
People love videos, and marketers need to learn to love them, too.
More videos, more views, more customers
Why is video marketing so essential to brands? Check out these statistics.
- 89% of consumers say that they want more videos from brands. (Wyzowl)
- 88% of marketers report that video has improved their conversion rate. (Small Business Trends)
- 52% of consumers say that watching product videos makes them more confident in online purchase decisions. (Invodo)
- More than 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. (Statistica)
- People are 52% more likely to share video content than any other type of content. (Wyzowl)
People watch videos to answer their questions, learn how things work, and for advice. Video is the perfect content to connect with your customers and build trust. People are more likely to buy from brands they trust.
2. Voice search is quicker than typing
A.I. (artificial intelligence) technology has improved over the years, and as a result, voice search has become more popular.
How popular is voice search?
Currently, 66.4 million Americans, or over 25% of adults in the U.S., own a smart speaker. And, 31% of smartphone users worldwide use voice-activated search technology at least once a week.
According to Wordstream, here’s what the numbers tell us about voice search:
- One in five consumers (19%) have made a voice purchase through Amazon Echo or another digital home assistant, and another third (33 percent) plan to do so in the next year. (Walker Sands)
- 22% of U.S. smart speaker owners have purchased something using their devices. (Edison Research)
- 72% of people who own voice-activated speakers say that their devices are used as part of their daily routines. (Google)
- 55% of all American homes will own a smart speaker by 2022. (OC&C Strategy Consultants)
As AI technology continues to improve, we should expect smart speaker technology to improve in understanding voice search.
3. Interact with your clients
Companies have embraced content marketing with blogs, how-to guides, and videos. This static content brings value to consumers, but it doesn’t deliver engagement.
What content delivers the most engagement?
Anything that your audience can actively participate in. Calculators, pricing estimators, and interactive infographics are just some examples.
How can engagement help businesses?
Fully engaged customers are 4x more likely to appreciate brand messaging and 7x more likely to claim offers from a brand. Increased customer engagement means more subscribers, clicks, and sales.
Keeping ahead of the competition
So, what does this mean for your firm’s marketing strategy?
The main takeaway is to embrace the new digital marketing trends and technologies and stay ahead of the competition. Be aware of the trends and find ways to try new ones.
Need help with your CPA firm’s content strategy? Let’s chat.