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INSIGHTS - March 2018

Online Digital Marketing Trends For 2018: The 3 You Need To Know

With digital marketing becoming increasingly lucrative, organisations are continuing to forego traditional marketing methods and increase their budgets for digital marketing strategies.

However, just because you invest in digital marketing will not make it successful – it is about the approach and investing in the right tools and services that will benefit your niche business. To get maximum return for money, it is crucial to spend on targeted, proven methods to get maximum marketing value.

2017 was a great year for digital, and there will continue to be large-scale spending in digital marketing going forward throughout 2018. Here are three key trends to keep an eye on throughout the year, and for consideration in crafting digital marketing strategies.

1) Mobile web presence

It might seem redundant, but it bears repeating: Spend on creating a mobile web experience because that is the primary method through which customers are engaging with brands.

There is increasing research that demonstrates just how much digital marketing has transformed things. A website is now like a virtual business card, and 30% – 40% of your customers find you on mobile devices. Considering that, it is imperative to have a website that will leave users with consistently great experiences – no matter what device they are using to engage with your content.

According to an article published by The Huffington Post, “Research shows that 57 percent of mobile users will abandon your website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load and 30 percent will abandon a purchase transaction if the shopping cart isn’t optimized for mobile devices.”

2) WCAG AA Compliance

What does this mean exactly? WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and your website must be compliant with these standards to increase accessibility. Providing alternatives to content for those who may not be able to see or hear is absolutely imperative, and this comprises of 20% of your audience, so it is critical not to exclude them.

There are guidelines laid out here for what it really truly means to be compliant, as a quick reference. Each one has a testable success criteria, with three levels: A, AA, and AAA. Many factors determine whether a site is AA compliant, which are listed here.

Why is it important to be compliant? Besides the fact mentioned above that this is needed to access at least 20% of current audiences, it is to provide greater access to resources. Conforming to these guidelines not only helps make the internet more accessible to users with disabilities but provides access to resources that may not be possible otherwise. Users have varied needs, and it is important to consider these when crafting digital strategies – content must be optimised as much as possible to have as deep of an impact.

3) Web Security

With the increased focus on web security based on current events, businesses of all sizes need to be as vigilant as possible. Small businesses are often more likely to be hacked than larger organisations, so there must be protocols and steps in place for prevention.

Moreover, there also needs to be a contingency plan in case systems are hacked. How is customer data protected, what cybersecurity measures are in place and what is the response to an attack going to look like?

Many businesses now have emergency plans set in place for if and when security attacks to do occur. Key people to contact, contingency measures and other such components need to fleshed out beforehand so there can be a proper response.

This also means that websites need to be designed with heightened security in mind, and safe from vulnerabilities. It is vital to work with established industry professionals who will be able to recommend best practices for web security and how best to deploy these.

Working with industry professionals well-versed in web designs is imperative to create a digital marketing strategy that will fully incorporate these trends while still keeping true to the core uniqueness of your organisation.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your brand adhere to these new digital marketing trends.