The world of digital marketing in 2018

With regular changing technology and cultural forces shaping the market, it is becoming increasingly important to deliver effective and efficient marketing. We tuned into a recent Hootsuite Webinar to find out more about the data, trends and opportunities that are influencing the digital landscape. From the rise of paid social to the increasing need to maintain trust, the webinar inspired us to look in more detail at what 2018 has in store.

Considering that the internet has only been widely available for around 30 years, there are now over 4 billion users each year, accounting for more than half of the world’s population. From health to shopping, finance to love and even sleep, being connected is now a fundamental aspect of everyday life. This explains how social media will account for roughly one-third of all the time we spend online in 2018, with the UK spending on average 1 hour 54 mins per day on social. This creates an incredible amount of opportunities for brands that, if seized correctly, can lead to very successful campaigns.

How can you ensure your brand attracts and engages people online in 2018?

As the way we use social media changes, average organic reach is decreasing, with a 10% decrease seen by Facebook in 2017, and only 1 out of 12 followers actually seeing posts shared by companies. This means that, in order to achieve regular reach, paid social media has become the most practical and reliable option.

The latest changes to newsfeeds and algorithms will cause organic reach to fall further this year, leading to greater competition for placements and an increase in media prices.

Hootsuite’s webinar recommended ‘fewer, bigger, better’ – in other words, refine content output by reducing the volume of posts and enhancing the quality of content, targeting categories and audiences with a more thought-through and considered approach instead of broadcasting as many posts as possible, aiming to reach as much of your audience as you can each time. This provides a strong opportunity for businesses to deliver clearer brand value while reaching relevant segments of their target audience with tailored content that resonates and converts. This is something we have seen great results from with a range of our clients recently.

At the same time, organic content does still play a vital role in a company’s digital strategy. When executed well, it builds trust and brand reputation by understanding what the audience wants, needs and desires. In providing followers with useful and educational content, brands can deliver a promise and create mutual value.

Are you keeping up?

Do you know if your brand is keeping up with the trends? To find out more about how we can help you with your social media needs, contact our team.