If you run a small business, then it’s easy to get lost in the world of digital marketing. To find new leads you have to become fluent in mobile trends, social media, search marketing, and whatever-they-think-of-next marketing. If you want to boost traffic and revamp your digital marketing plan for 2016, then you need to arm yourself with information. So as 2015 draws to a close, what exactly does the playing field look like?
Because we provide the full-service internet marketing Las Vegas businesses rely on to stay relevant, we’re always hunting for the latest data we can use. What lessons have we learned about the state of digital marketing in 2015?
Companies are Following Customers to Social Media
The top social media sites and most popular blogs reach eight out of 10 internet users. Not only that, but combined they account for 23% of time spent online. And in addition to the ongoing dominance of social media, U.S. consumers increasingly access the web using their mobile devices. This year, mobile users will click on 52% of Pay Per Click ads. One of the keys to successful marketing is going where your customers already are. In 2015, that often means social media.
Instagram Rising
Among companies with 100 employees or more, 32% used Instagram this year. At this growth rate, that percentage will hit 71% in 2017, when Instagram will finally eclipse Twitter. So does that mean you should join Instagram? Not necessarily. The key isn’t to pick the most popular social media app, but the one your customers use the most. According to a survey of brand marketers, 72% saw an increase in traffic after spending just six hours per week using social media.
Snapchat is Experimenting With Video Ads
This year, Snapchat came to the same conclusion as other publishers — users don’t watch video ads if you give them a choice. But the company managed to boost their completion rate for Coca-Cola ads to 54% by keeping the videos only 10 seconds long. Of course, it helps to have Coke’s ad budget, too. For now, PPC search ads remain a smarter investment for small businesses.
And the 2016 Presidential Winner Is…
According to Ad Week, Hillary Clinton bested Bernie Sanders in the war for Twitter. During the first Democratic debate, Clinton’s Twitter handle received 293,696 mentions to Sander’s 278,405. What about the Republican debate? Trump, obviously.
LOCAL Search Engine Optimization is More Important Than Ever
There’s a reason our digital marketing agency invests so much time into local SEO — it works. At a recent search marketing conference, one digital marketing agency reported findings that match our own: about one in four consumers who performed a local search visited a storefront within five miles. Basically, local SEO is the modern day equivalent of the phonebook. If you aren’t ranking on Google, you might as well not exist. Overall, SEO based leads have a 14.1% close rate. Combined with targeted PPC ads, our digital marketing agency has found that search marketing often has the highest ROI of all types of advertising.
The internet changes fast, and for anyone running a small business, it can feel impossible to keep up with the constantly changing technology. However, a lot of this data shows that basic, time-tested approaches to internet marketing still work in 2015.
