We just returned from an invigorating Dallas Digital Summit where approximately 1,500 digital marketing experts from around the world convened to discuss trends and the future of how we, as marketers, can be more effective. Hat’s off to the organizers of this event for packing an incredible amount of information coming from knowledgeable, prepared speakers into a 2-day event, complete with great accommodations and hospitality. We’re already looking forward to next year.
Above all the buzzwords, a common theme seemed to resonate loudly.
Digital Marketing must simplify, clear the clutter and focus on providing value to the end user (ie – the Human).
It’s not about IoT, Big Data, Omnichannel or other buzzwords and it’s not about the latest software. It’s not about how to trick Google or how to get a bazillion social followers. It’s about the humans we’re trying to connect with and help. It’s about delivering the right message at the right time, and in a way that helps the end user (ie – prospective residents) understand how you can help them. It’s about creating a website, mobile app or other product that’s built based on an understanding of how the end user is going to gain value from it.
Highlights From DDS:
Email Marketing Is Not Dead
We’ve said this for years, and were excited to see two sessions devoted to email marketing. In our marketing efforts, we continue to see outstanding results for our clients through email marketing. So what were our take-aways from DDS? You guessed it – treat your subscribers as individuals, not as one big list. Personalize and deliver more relevant and useful content by using their name, understanding their location, their birthday, their purchase history and more. Further, keep your emails simple, brief and make sure your CTA’s (Call To Action’s) are finger-ready because more than 50% of all emails, on average, are opened on mobile devices.
Mobile Usage
Mobile usage continues to go up and up, and will probably reach 50% of all traffic at some point in the next year or two. Any marketing campaign or digital property must absolutely consider the mobile experience.
The new SEO… It’s Real and Local
The most recent change by Google, “Penguin 3.0” and “Pigeon”, have continued their trend toward rewarding websites that are genuinely trying to provide a good user experience and relevant content to its users. True to it’s origins, Penguin continues to push SEO marketers to focus on expanding websites with content that is relative to the brand/company, and useful toward helping their customers (or potential residents) do things better.
The Pigeon update, which went live earlier this year, has changed the local search game drastically. An outstanding presentation by renowned SEO expert Greg Gifford taught us a lot about how to prepare a website for optimal local search results.