Digital marketing is constantly changing and evolving. Marketing practices that you found effective a couple of years ago may not work so well for your business today. That’s why you need to keep a close watch on the latest digital marketing trends and see how you can apply them to your business.

And speaking of the latest digital marketing trends, here are seven that you may find helpful in growing your enterprise.

1. Mobile-first web design

Thanks to the proliferation of smartphones, mobile search has already overtaken desktop search. So you can reach and engage your customers more readily, you need to make your website’s design more mobile-friendly.

Having a mobile-first website design has many other advantages. One such benefit is they load more quickly. Faster loading times can boost search engine rankings. Another is they’re cheaper to develop than apps. Plus, you can readily integrate smartphone features like camera and voice detection with a mobile-optimized website.

2. Hyper-local optimization

While it’s nice to have customers from other states or even other countries, you’re likely to find your most reliable clients locally. People always search for the best services nearest them. So, you don’t need to cast your net far and wide to catch new customers – just hyper-localize.

Optimizing your website for hyper-local search means making sure your potential clients within your area can find you. The easiest way to do this is by creating a Google My Business profile. Or you can come up with a marketing campaign targeting your own neighborhood.

3. Automation tools

Who has the time to manually send personalized newsletters, chase after abandoned shopping carts, answer DMs, or post on social media? Not you, if you’re a business owner. The time you allot for these marketing tasks is best spent elsewhere.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to set aside these tasks. They’re still vital to your business, after all. Instead of attending to them yourself, you can use automation tools, such as social media schedulers, chatbots, and email services. These tools can save you a lot of time and give you more space for other tasks that require your attention.

4. Interactive content

User engagement is a vital digital marketing metric you need to pay attention to. The more engaged your visitors are, the more likely you’ll excite them and get them to buy your product. Interactive content is one way to boost your user engagement.

Examples of interactive content are surveys and quizzes. Mini-games are another. These are great for educating your potential clients on your products, reducing your website’s bounce rate, and leading your customers to the next step in the buying process. They also provide your visitors with a reason to return to your website. You can also use them to learn more about your visitors.

5. Voice search

Have you ever used Siri, Alexa, Cortana, or Google Assistant to search for things online? You’re not alone. Voice search is becoming one of the more powerful digital marketing trends out there. And it won’t go away any time soon.

Highly optimized web copy with the right keywords is essential to voice search. Imagine your content as a response to questions people throw at their voice assistants – for example, “Hey Siri, where’s the nearest hardware store?”

6. Video marketing

Showing is always more effective than telling. And when it comes to showing what your products and services are all about, video marketing is highly effective. Videos are more engaging visually and emotionally, thus leading to more conversions.

There are many ways you can use video marketing. You can do a live video on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube. You can produce stylized videos for social media. Or you can integrate personalized videos with your emails.

7. Authentic brand ambassadors

The idea of using influencers to promote products has been around for ages. And it’s still an effective marketing tactic. But you don’t need to hire a big-name influencer to talk about you anymore. That’s because people want authenticity these days, and they’re more likely to listen to brand ambassadors who are actual users of your product and whom they can relate with.

Where do you find these authentic brand ambassadors? You don’t have to look far – you can simply tap your existing loyal clients and employees. Ask them for testimonials that you both can share on social media.

Adopting these digital marketing trends can help you move your business more quickly and give it an edge over your competitors. Try these tactics today and see where they take you.

Sacred Fire Creative helps entrepreneurs grow their business and become a force for good using customized digital marketing strategies. Work with us today.