The landscape of marketing is constantly shifting and flowing with the sands of time, discarding new trends and bringing in new ones at the drop of a hat. A deep dive into the 2010s is more than enough to illustrate this point, with marketing trends coming and going with immense swiftness – sometimes surprisingly so. What used to be a perfectly viable marketing initiative just a year or two back suddenly became obsolete in every sense of the word.

As a marketer, keeping up with all these trends can be incredibly challenging and exhausting, mandating you to stay up to date with these developments at all times. A momentary lapse can have severe repercussions for your marketing strategies – an outcome that is avoidable with the right information and tools.

Our work this decade has been enlightening in figuring out the trends that have lasted for a while and the trends that have fizzled out. We’ve noticed various patterns that have fuelled the prominence of these marketing strategies, allowing us to discern certain facets of consumer and industry behaviour that govern marketing as a whole.

Content Marketing Trends

(Video Marketing | OTT Platforms | Public Relations)

1. A shift towards short & long-form video consumption

• Ease of consumption: Video content has reached immensely high levels in India, with the online consumption of this content doubling in the last two years to reach an unprecedented 3.7 billion videos per month.
• A choice between brand-owned and partnered content: Brand-owned videos allow for a more personalised marketing journey. Meanwhile, making content with third-parties allows marketers to disseminate a higher volume of video content, bolstered with a fair bit of advocacy marketing as well.
• Technology becoming an integrated part of marketing: With live videos and AR/VR coming into the foray, it goes without saying that video marketing strategies also need to harness these forms of video content into their plans to maximise results.

2. Engaging content by influencers and 3rd parties

• Massive engagement without outside influences: Engagement on influencer content is multifold and quite high when compared to that of branded content. This is accomplished without any media boost as well, making it all the more impressive.
• Quick creation of content: Influencer marketing is reaching new heights mainly because of the fact that enlisting multiple personalities for marketing purposes results in quick content generation and dissemination, leading to major dividends for brands.
• Consumers are smart: The authenticity of influencers is reflected in their content, making it a stark departure from the usual ads one perceives regularly. This kind of content helps build loyalty and increase goodwill.

3. The prominence of OTT platforms

• The Prevalence Of OTT Platforms: Over-the-top platforms have reached incredibly high levels of popularity and acceptance, achieving a growth rate of 21.8% to reach a valuation of $1.7 billion – a far cry from the relatively low valuation of $638 million in 2018.
• Ads on these platforms perform better: Advertisements on these platforms will inevitably reach a wider audience, making the integration of these platforms a must for a new-age marketing strategy.
• These Platforms Help You Target Customers With Ease: OTT platforms are a great way to practice personalised cross-marketing campaigns, which are able to target – and retarget too, for that matter – customers efficiently.

4. Blurring lines between Content Marketing & Public Relations

• PR is all about right Communication & Content: Most of the prominent PR tools including guest articles, releases, interviews, stories are all subset of content. A lot of organisations have already started merging both for best results.
• With data insights of digital content, now you can easily choose your channels wisely: Without viable channels to disseminate your content pieces, it goes without saying that all your effort will go to waste. With attributed data on website & 3rd party channel brand has started mapping the directional results.
• Narratives Quality is of utmost importance: Conversely, the content that you share with the press needs to be of high quality so that your PR efforts can generate better awareness for your brand.

Social Media Marketing Trends

(Short-Form Content, Permanent Content is Key, Instagram & Micro-Influencers)

1. Short-form content is the way forward

• Content is now consumed in seconds: There’s a reason why Vine experienced unmitigated success during the first half of its run – the platform nailed down the concept of short, fleeting content with their bite-sized 6-second video format.
• Utilising short life content for higher engagement: The rise in popularity of Snapchat and Instagram stories further cement this point – ephemeral content is a powerful social media marketing tool. With attention spans decreasing from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8.75 seconds in 2015, it’s imperative to realise that brands have a very small timeframe to make a resounding impact with their audiences.
• Using FOMO as the core of communication to drive authentic interactions: This form of content feels more authentic, especially with the large majority of ephemeral content being formed off-the-cuff. This, coupled with the fact that this content disappears over time, compels your audience to absorb this content on a regular basis.

2. Smart utilisation of permanent content

• Avoid relying solely on transitory content: However, the fact that Vine tanked further down the line is also something that one should analyse as well. Relying solely on ephemeral content isn’t recommended in the slightest.
• Excellence in permanence: Permanent content on social media was, is, and will be the prime way to absorb content. Just take a look at these successful social media campaigns, all of which utilised permanent social media content for excellent results.
• From ideation to execution: An overarching campaign thought that resonates with your audience is the first thing that must be nailed down. Utilising social media to promote this thought and distributing content on these channels will pay dividends in the long run.

3. Instagram is moving beyond the concept of “likes”

• Engagement, redefined: Mapping engagement on Instagram is mainly about checking views, comments, and – perhaps the most important metric of them all – likes. However, the latter might soon become a thing of the past.
• Likes removed in the US: Instagram is already moving forward with the idea ofremoving likesin the United States, which might become common across regions. Brands need to foresee this development and plan their strategies accordingly.
• Figuring out new ways to map engagement: Marketers will place more emphasis on genuine performance indicators as opposed to superficial metrics. The communication between brands and influencers will also change to an extent, with the former placing more emphasis on research before selecting individuals who can ensure the best and most relevant engagement with their outreach.

4. Using micro-influencers to great effect

• Micro is the new macro: Micro-influencers have taken over the realm of influencer marketing by storm, leading to higher engagement and allowing for specific targeting in a particular demographic.
• Strategic influencer marketing: Enlisting multiple micro-influencers to create content for your brand – as opposed to a few macro-influencers – can lead to excellent returns for your business.
• Targeting marketing outreach: Employing this form of marketing can help you target specific niches that engage regularly with a certain set of content on social media, allowing for excellent reach across the board.

Search Engine Optimisation Trends

(Voice Search, Why Mobile-Friendly Websites, Google Snippets)

1. Voice search is no longer secondary

• Accessibility to voice search is on the rise: More than 7 lakh smart speakers were shipped to India in 2018– a number that is bound to rise over time. Along with this, over 850 million people are expected to use a smartphone in India by 2022.
• Getting the first-mover advantage: With these developments, it goes without saying that people will be asking way more questions in 2020 – a trend that marketers must capitalise on.
• Spoken content is overwritten prose: Content must be framed around these search keywords and provide pinpoint information for a better search ranking. Writing the way people speak is perhaps the first thing that should be kept in mind.
• Localised content for a wide audience: With a significant proportion of Indians using their local language for voice searches, it’s important to create content in different languages that resonate with these audiences and negate the problem of a language barrier.

2. Make your sites more accessible and mobile-friendly

• Avoid static website designs like the plague: The statistic about smartphones mentioned above also makes it important for brands to make their sites more accessible on multiple devices. A static design that functions perfectly on a browser will still not attain significant traffic if their responsiveness is not optimal on other devices.
• Load times need to be minimised: Websites must be optimised at regular intervals to ensure that all elements load with minimum delays. A delay of even one second is enough to compel people that browsing through the page is not worth it.
• AMP is a must for mobile-friendly websites: Google’s AMP framework is a must for developers who are making mobile sites. This technology enables websites to load at a lightning-quick pace on mobile devices, allowing for a streamlined browsing experience.

3. Featured snippets will get the most clicks

• Google, the search engine king: With Google being the biggest and most prominent search engine around, it goes without saying that the majority of clicks will be redirected through this site.
• Address queries with your content: So, content on sites should be crafted in such a manner that it answers clear and common questions, allowing these content pieces to be a part of the upper echelon of Google Search results –a featured snippet.
• How to write a featured piece: To have your content piece features as a snippet, the first thing you need to do is nail down keywords that are ranking on the front page. These keywords can be integrated in an article in two ways – either a paragraph that can incorporate these keywords or a listicle that accomplishes the same.

Media Buying Trends

(Beyond Programmatic, Tribal Advertising, Cross-Device Advertising)

1. Beyond Programmatic Advertising

• AI’s role in media buying: Programmatic advertising is an evolving form of media buying, where AI utilises data in new, innovative ways to generate excellent results across the board.
• Evolution of programmatic: With the manner of data farming and management platforms evolving beyond general parameters, programmatic advertising will be more about behaviours and psychographs that will decide who sees your ad, and on what platform.
• Benefits of this form of advertising: Programmatic advertising is a cost-effective & scalable strategy, allowing for the better targeting of KPIs, improved customer insights, and – ultimately – easier media buying.

2. Advertising to Tribes/Audiences - i.e audience buying

• Demographic targeting is becoming obsolete: Advertising on the basis of demographics is quickly becoming old news. There’s no guarantee that people in a specific age group will share the same likes and interests.
• People with common interests have the strongest groups: This is where tribal advertising comes into play, with marketers finding it in their best interests to advertise to specific tribes that are formed based on common interests.
• The gaming industry is a prime example of tribal advertising: There’s a reason why gaming has managed to generate$138 billion in 2018(a figure higher than the movie and music industry) – the sheer passion that gamers have has transcended demographics, making them prime candidates for tribal advertising.

3. Cross-Device Advertising

• Consumer is king: Audience targeting has always been a key aspect of media buying, making it of prime importance to understand the consumer journey.
• Tracking the user journey is a must: With the majority of consumers utilising multiple media devices, marketers must keep a tab on the user journey across multiple platforms and advertise accordingly.
• From your laptop, to your tablet, to your phone: By implementing cross-device advertising, a person can search for earphones online, get the same ads on his tablet, and use his phone to finalise the purchase. Convenience is how marketing will progress, and cross-device advertising will propel this notion.

The onset of a new decade also signifies a new chapter in the book of marketing – a book that is constantly unfurling new information at every step of the way. It’s a manuscript that will forever be in a state of flux, which is why marketers have a tough challenge ahead of them. These insights can help these marketers follow a base on which they can develop killer advertising strategies and ensure that their efforts are a cut above the rest.

Staying ahead is crucial to give your work a competitive edge. Here is a weekly digital round-up that will ensure that your vigorous attempts to achieve big are a cut above the rest.

It is important to unfur new and interesting information that paves the way for excellent business strategies. Presenting another round-up for another eventful transformation in the industry.

Digital continues to change and flourish at a rapid pace. Propel through your marketing strategies as you stay updated with the round up of yet another week, perfused with new, exciting and gripping digital marketing trends.

With the launch of the sixth iteration of the Apple iPhone, all the attention once again shifted to the mobile industry and its broad capabilities in giving us that one perfect gadget to use everywhere. Not only has our need and desire to stay in touch increased multifold, but we have come to expect so much more from our modern day smartphones given the raw power punch they pack. Today, you don’t buy a phone just for it’s looks. You select a device for it’s features. Walk into any mobile store and you can hear people’s conversation and their queries, "What’s the RAM capacity? What’s the speed of the processor? Which processor is being used?" and so forth. But alas, our section is not about the world of mobile devices but gaming. So, without further ado , in order celebrate the launch of various flagship mobile devices such as the Android One Series, Galaxy Note 4 in the past week, here’s our list of the best games you need to try to put your beast of a device to a test! We will try and give an assorted choice and keep one game per genre in our listings.

Injustice: Gods Among Us

If you are reading this segment, we're pretty sure you are a gamer just like us. The description of this title says it all. An epic roster of DC heroes and villains get ready for battle. This game was made for awesomeness. Hours and hours spent on selecting your hero (or villain to compliment your dark side) and fighting your way through to a cinematic and well thought out story line. You can also compete with players across the world in a neat multiplayer segment.

GYRO

We have to be honest with this one. We discovered this old school game a few weeks back and just haven’t been able to stay off it! Yes, it’s that addictive. If you are one from the lot who loves flat designs and pleasing aesthetics, this one is for you. A simplistic arcade puzzle game that won’t take much of your storage space but we can’t be certain about the time. One of the team members spent 3 hours on the trot playing it, yes in the office hours. Try to beat the high scorers around the world as you rotate a multi colored wheel whilst making sure that the colored balls flying onto the screen land in the matching part of the wheel.

Threes! & 2048

Perhaps the most engaging, challenging and methodical games around, no we will not mention Swing Copters, cause its just an impossible game. If you own a smartphone, chances are you already have these games installed or have heard about them. The task is to club similar numbers together to get larger sums till you have solved it all. Each swipe moves the entire screen which makes it all the more challenging and fun. (We weren’t able to complete even one round. Not Proud!)

Asphalt (series)

Ready to drive through the town in your sparking new ride and color the town red? This arcade style racing title is just for you. Ever defining the genre of racing games on smart devices, the Asphalt series impressed us once again with its 8^th edition. If you’re looking for an intense driving experience and have a knack for destruction, this title is for you. (And for us!)

Ingress

The one game that encourages you to go out and discover new places as you look for and tap the sources of mysterious energy that threatens to destroy the world as we know it! Acquire objects deploy and aid in your quests, acquire territories and ally with other players. Who knows, you just might bump into an old friend as you take this quest! We know we have missed out on a lot, we’ve tried to cover one game from each genre to give you the best value for your time. Have any games you play that we have missed out on? Leave the names here and we’ll love to check ‘em out! And yes, next week we will be back with a new set of games for you to check out.

Search Engine Optimization has always been the backbone of better ranking websites and ultimately better ROI for the business or the services offered. A study shows that up to 70% and 80% of people surfing the internet ignore paid advertisements. Therefore, optimizing the organic ranking efforts is the foremost requirement. Unfortunately, the number of people running in this rat race makes it more difficult. How so? 60% of the clicks go to the top three websites only. All the SEO practices go in vain if the user is not able to reach the site.  While an in-house SEO professional can do a decent job, it might not help the website reach the position that will start driving in business. Therefore, it is essential to have professional SEO services in place that can comply with the present-day trends. As a website owner, this should not be a matter of surprise that Google, the most used search engine, changes its ranking algorithm about hundreds of times in a year. However, here are a few SEO trends that are definite to fetch you considerable traction for your website.

1. User Intent Optimisation:

Web searches have now become very specific as the reader demands fresh content that can be understood easily. On the other hand, an SEO strategy that promotes the stuffing of popular keywords is now declared a faulty practice and shall not be promoted. It is important to realize that the website visitor is the primary focus, and the link will be shared or upvoted by them only if the viewer finds content that is relevant. The 2022 evaluation matrix measures the acceptance and ultimately the ranking of the webpage by the number of website visitors finding relevance to their search queries.

2. Structured Data Markup Is Key:

Artificial Intelligence is backing the search queries in Google. To comply with the changing trends, structured data has become important as well. AI ultimately is a technology and will scan through the content systematically. Therefore, it requires fast processing of content and their relatability to each other. Contextual relationships between search behaviours and topics listed on the website shall be supported by structured markup. In the coming year, one must start testing and implementing this methodology. Using structured markup, the website owner will be able to give search engines signals to understand this supportive content structure.

3. Page speed:

Page speed is one of the significant factors that influence better SEO rankings. This is because a page that is complex will not take a higher loading time. Increased time to deliver information to the reader or the consumer will increase the chances of drop-offs. Therefore, when the search engine crawls for a webpage, the loading speed is also taken into account. Simpler pages with well-structured modules work well in such cases. Core Web Vitals - Core Web Vitals are used to measure the user experience. Google announced three metrics: Loading, Interactivity, and Visual Stability. All three are aligned with one thing which is Page Speed. Read more in details about Core Web Vitals.

4. Increase Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness:

It is important to back the information on the website with credible data and cite the references. It is essential for a business to have subject matter experts writing what they wish to offer – for relatability and clear communication. Search engines like Google and Bing are looking to alter their algorithms so as to power results that can be trusted. This is done to ensure that the information reaching the user is from a trusted source and cannot be proved faulty. The future SEO trends will also focus on how contextual the data is. It is essential that however correct the data might be, it shall be in sync with what the user has demanded.

5. Microformats and Schema:

Microformats are HTML snippets that store information about a website. It works on the idea of relevant and worthy information. The more the information search engine has about the website, the more accurately it can rank it. Typically, the search engines These microformats often make the web content appealing to the consumer. Therefore, a more significant number of audience that comes across this is bound to click. Increased number of clicks will mean improved ROI and enhanced SEO signals to search engines. However, it does not hold relevance to all the websites. Voice search - Users use voice search when they look for specific answers,and these users should be taken more into consideration as they are more likely to convert.  Read More - How Voice Search Will Change The Future Of SEO Featured snippets - Snippets are useful for websites as well as for the users. The content in the snippet can’t be selected, as google algorithm bots do the job.

6. Watch Machine Learning:

Google’s main focus is on the user. All efforts have been dedicated to improving the relevance of content searched for. Google’s algorithm, RankBrain, was introduced to interpret the content and show users pages with not only the words they initially looked for but which contained information related to the query. You need to adopt ML to develop unique content for SEO, beginning with a set of data based on specific variables. Machine learning in addition to analysis and reporting, and its implementation, is imperative. SEO is always evolving. To get more focus on your website, you need to know the right trends for success to get your rank on page one of the SERP. You must also be aware of the trends below to stay ahead of your competitors!

1. Google’s BERT -  Machine Learning and Natural Language is used by Google’s BERT to understand searches and what the users are looking for.
2. Artificial intelligence - Artificial Intelligence is one of the most upcoming trends as google lets AI provide searchers with answers they are looking for. It is also much more efficient in terms of the algorithms.
3. Keyword research - To drive sales and traffic for your website, investing time in keyword research to find keywords is important.
4. Original content - Content plays a major role in ranking and SEO. Having authentic content is much more important than branding.
5. Video marketing - Video marketing is growing day by day, all you need to do is optimize your video and set the right keywords so it reaches the right audience.
6. Influencer SEO - Influencers help in gaining an audience and can play a major role in building your brand. Choose an influencer according to your target audience.
7. EAT & branded SEO - When it comes to ranking, google looks out for unique and quality content. EAT expands to Expertise, Authoritativeness and trustworthiness. Improving your EAT will automatically get you the rankings.

Social media is evolving constantly and so are the opportunities for brands to grow. How can we make the most of what follows in 2019? These 6 trends will help you understand it better. As a marketer / business leader we all have a strategy for our brands on social media. But, with the continued change in trends it becomes more challenging to stick to our story. Gone are the days when at one point “like” was the only emotion with which we could express and 140 characters didn’t seem enough to explain what’s on our mind, Twitter and Facebook bent their ways and opened a Pandora’s box. With changing times, social media marketers have upgraded themselves to pensive strategies that marry new trends and business growth, it is perhaps why sustenance has been fruitful. As the end of 2018 is in sight, here is how marketers can stay ahead of time and get their marketing tools in place as they prepare for an eventful 2019. 1. Creating contextual empathetic moments The past decade has been big on realizations and deep diving into creating content that enhances user experiences; noticing the trend across social media the user attention span or daily sessions online have gone down tremendously however, active users across platforms have been increasing year by year. The challenge that lies ahead of marketers / content creators is to engage the user within fragmented interactions and instantaneous responses. The micro moments do not limit to the period between consuming and engaging with content but also are big on shift of intent. Each time our users pick up their mobile phones and browse their preferred platform they anticipate quick delivery. It is these intent-rich moments when decisions are made and preferences shaped. The convergence of sales and ORM here will be of key importance and will bridge the gap between expectations and reality. How to use Instagram stories to create micro moments for business: https://youtu.be/Xv-8hDlPfz8 2. Beyond branded content, exploring crowdsource advocacy content I0 years in to the digital shift marketers need to get comfortable and learn to have fun with content. Now is the time where we do not only need content creators but curators too. Keeping an eye out for the best content from our followers is the answer to 19/20 questions raised in every marketing meeting. It not only helps you understand your audience better but, also helps us design the best personalised content marketing strategy. Needless to say, It is through these insights that businesses are able to generate leads and maximise sales. real experiences of the real customers = *effective marketing (more credibility, more authenticity and more sales - The Gold Mine) Best user generated campaigns of 2018: https://www.cmo.com.au/article/605649/7-brands-great-user-generated-content-campaigns/ 3. Real time marketing: Let’s react Brands often find trouble finding the perfect balance between reacting to the ongoing trends and not going overboard with it. It is essential to understand when you can have the say and when you might go out of context. Like any alternative marketing strategy, the real-time marketing has also evolved over the years. It has become a lot of customer-centric instead of simply following the most recent trends or current events. Real time promoting analyses every kind of client knowledge accessible and decide the client's behavior to succeed in bent them. The definition of real-time marketing has evolved over the years with a suite of best practices. Agencies /Brand managers need to adopt sophisticated marketing tools, new story telling tactics, and innovative creative approach followed by quick and polished execution to witness best results, brands like Zomato, Durex are some of the best examples of having the best RTM strategy, through their mass appeal and relevance they are not only open to talk about anything and everything but are also the trailblazers while at it by setting new examples from different genres everyday. The key to a good RTM campaign are the 3 “Be”, The key to a good RTM campaign is through these 3 responses: Be Intuitive, Be Quick, Be Relatable. 4. Influencers and advocates: The better investment 2019 is going to be a big one for the leadership worldwide! Why is it essential for leaders to be present on social media and more than anything, also engage with the audience? The social paradigm shift that requires C-suite to join the digital shift has to do largely with the credibility and responsibility of the business. Gone are the days when the presence over social media meant all about exploring and connecting with peers however, with the new cultural revolution or paradigm shift businesses can be built and destroyed in a very short period of time. Even post 10 years of the digital revolution a shocking 61% of Fortune 500 CEOs are still not effectively active and participating. CEO.com. Despite rigorous trainings and consulting the challenge at hand is still the same – the age old ways of understanding and interpreting tweeting or engaging on LinkedIN. The need of the hour isn’t alone to be able to voice the vision to your audience but, also to actively participate in conversations with the investors, media, business prospects, peers and employees to yield potent business results. In a nutshell - a structured social digital transformation plan that clearly distinct between authentically social and fake social and bridges the gap between the leadership and its audience is the key to taking the bull by the horns. . 5. Micro infleuncers & customers advocacy Being married to the idea of bringing celebrity endorsements isn’t a new concept, brands have loved it, adapted it and also exhausted too, however, the business impact created and its scale of effect is currently limited to impressions and engagement only. It is not only essential to identify a way to quantify it more relatively but, is also necessary to define its relevance. We often tend to confuse audience with influence i.e. having a lot of Twitter/Instagram followers doesn’t give an individual the power to drive action, it only gives them power to drive awareness. The paradox of influencer marketing is such, while merely attempting to influence the audience it results in to endorsements which clearly is a commercially created fiction. The need at large is to fight the feud and contribute towards substantiating the impact for sustenance of the method. In 2019 and the years ahead, the future of influencer marketing will run parallel with brand advocates. Brand advocates can easily be defined as “turning enthusiastic customers/employees into a powerful marketing force.” When employees and customers actively promote your brand, the individuals in their social circles receive first-hand info from real individuals they apprehend and trust.It creates a degree of legitimacy that merely cannot be achieved through alternative "hard sell" or paid promoting ways. 6. Personalization Given the tremendous measure of data being transferred by individuals every day, it's turned out to be anything but difficult to get bits of knowledge into a wide range of data about the general population sitting behind the screen. This has opened the way for upgraded personalization, and that, thus, has expanded customer desire for the equivalent. Content, items, messages - every last bit of it would now be able to be found on the shopper's buy history, clicked joins online life posts and other conduct. Netflix offers shows to watch dependent on your taste, Amazon and eBay demonstrate items like the ones you've purchased previously. What's more, this is before you significantly think about Google and Facebook - they know us all around and utilize this data to make our experience customized. While customized promoting can be agitating it's likewise really helpful for the client, and clients are not prone to surrender the advantages at any point in the near future. As much as 96% of advertisers trust that personalization progresses client relationship. Clients may stress over dubious security dangers, however despite everything they welcome the recommended item they've been searching for, and additionally the warning of the deal in their most loved shop. Regardless of the worries, personalization is obviously the best approach for advertisers to support battle execution. easyJet’s heart warming 20 year celebration marketing campaign, was an ideal example making best use of personal information. Read up about the campaign here: https://bit.ly/2R5I62k Since we are now up to speed with the most recent online networking patterns, let’s get set for some revolutionary marketing battles for the year 2019.

With 2019 approaching, the Digital Marketing landscape is going to witness a dramatic change. Some of the most common trends and tactics will become outdated while innovations and practices will disrupt the market. There are many new digital marketing trends and strategies that are evolving swiftly in the current high tech, internet dominating era that businesses need to adapt to and start practicing in order to succeed in their efforts and stay ahead of the game. One such crucial and emerging movement in the business landscape is Inbound Marketing. It’s a no hidden fact that buyers have more power today when it comes to making buying decisions as compared to previous times when the internet was not much accessible. Today, people tend to gather all the information around any product or service they want before actually buying it. This is where Inbound Marketing comes in! The inbound methodology, along with technology, helps businesses adapt to fast-changing needs of customers in today's era. What is Inbound Marketing Inbound Marketing is a method of attracting, engaging and delighting prospects/customers to grow a business by providing value and trust. It is a way of marketing your product/services in a personalized manner that provides real value to the customers. Unlike outbound marketing, you don’t reach out to your customers through pushy content or paid ads. Instead, Inbound Marketing methodology helps you create meaningful content that addresses the problems and needs of your ideal customers and hence, attracts quality prospects on your business website by building trust and credibility for your business. How Inbound Marketing Works Every business aims at attracting the potential buyers, converting them into customers and then delighting them to turn them into brand advocates. So, how do you begin? The very first step of Inbound Marketing starts with defining business goals and buyer personas. Your business goals could be spreading brand awareness, lead generation, engaging current customers for retention or upsell, increasing overall business sales, etc. Once, you have defined your business goals, you start building your buyer personas. Buyer Personas are semi-fictional representations of your ideal customers that you want to attract to your website. Obviously! You wouldn’t want junk traffic that won’t help you meet your business goals. Now, you have your business goals and buyer personas in place and you can start forming your Content Marketing strategy to help you in achieving the desired business goals. Inbound content is produced keeping in mind the buyer’s journey. Now, if you’re thinking what a buyer journey is? Have a look at the image below. Basis the prospect’s buying stage, content is created to cater to their needs and problems at the right time in the right form. So, people who are at the awareness stage can be given information through value-driven blogs, ebooks, whitepapers that will help them identify the problem they are facing and how they can solve them. Once, the buyer has identified the problem and starts looking for potential solutions, video, podcasts or comparison-based content can be given in order to help them finalise their ultimate solution. Now, the prospect has identified the solution and has reached the decision stage of buying the solution which could be a product or a service from the brand options available in the market. Here, content forms like vendor comparison or case studies will help the buyer in finally selecting a particular brand over others. Not only this method helps in increasing Marketing qualified and Sales qualified leads but also helps in enhancing the overall customer experience. Now, you know what Inbound Marketing is and how it works, let’s have a look at the crucial Inbound Marketing trends that are going to dominate in 2019. Obviously, what worked for businesses last year might not work this year. Inbound Marketing Trends to follow in the year 2019 1. SEO-driven Content Clusters We all know that with Google coming up with new algorithms now and then, the SEO tactics keep changing with time. The competition to get found in Search Engine results is so intense that SEO practices have now evolved into a new model - Topic Cluster Model. All the content focused websites have already started leveraging this technique to stay ahead in the game. In this method, a single ‘pillar’ page acts as the main content for a particular topic and multiple sub-content pages related to the same pillar content are created and linked back to that pillar page and each other. This inter-linking sends signals to the search engines that the pillar page is an authority on the topic and over a period of time the probability of ranking that page higher on search engines for that particular topic - increases! It’s a way of organizing a website’s content in a structured manner. Search engines have upgraded and evolved their algorithms according to customer’s behavioral changes and hence, it is time for brands to adapt to the new model in order to put up with the changing market. 2. AI-enabled Marketing Automation Softwares According to Gartner, by 2020, customers will manage 85% of their relationships without talking to a human. Marketing Automation allows brands to reach out to and engage with customers across various digital channels like email, social media, blogs, chatbots, etc. It enables you to prospect and engage with your customer in a more personalized and targeted manner as opposed to bulk targeting. Also, the inbuilt AI-based algorithms help brands with insights that are useful when it comes to executing laser-sharp marketing campaigns. The overall analytics and information shared about leads and customers help in optimizing the marketing efforts to its fullest potential and hence, growing the business in the right direction. Not only that! Imagine how much time it saves by automating the repetitive marketing tasks that can be performed without human intervention. And, time is money! So, an integrated platform that allows you to execute your marketing efforts, manage your campaigns in a centralized manner and strategically integrate your marketing and sales, will certainly be the most sought-after software in 2019. HubSpot is one such platform that enables you to execute closed loop marketing with tools such as CRM, Marketing and Sales among others. 3. Live and Automated Chatbots Chatbots not only help in improving customer experience by answering real-time queries but also help in converting visitors into leads. Automated chatbots can interact with the website visitors by answering their queries in real time and providing them with a solution or connecting them with the sales representatives right away, hence, reducing the sales lifecycle time. Chatbots can be easily integrated with a website, social account or other apps. They also gather information that can be used later for targeted marketing campaigns. According to research, the global chatbot market is reaching $1.2 billion with 24% annual growth rate. It’s time for brands to start strategizing on how they can integrate chatbots in their overall marketing plan and reap the benefits as other market leaders have already been doing. 4. Voice-based SEO According to TheeDesign, approximately one-third of the 3.5 billion searches performed on Google are voice searches. With increasing adoption of Alexa, Apple Siri, Cortana, Google now as a primary source of search, brands are now focusing on Voice SEO as critically as they are on On-page SEO. Imagine this scenario - When people search on Google or any search engine by typing a text query, a lot of options pop up for the user to select. However, when a user asks Siri, or Google Now for a search query, very few options come up. In fact many times, only one result pops up. And, if your brand happens to appear in that one search result, the CTR will potentially be much higher. Hence, brands should pay utmost importance to strategize and implement their Voice-based SEO strategies. Newsflash! By 2020, half of all search queries will be voice-based. - (Source - ComScore). So, you must gear up to include Voice-based SEO as a part of your Inbound Marketing plan right away! 5. Video Marketing will only continue to grow Video Marketing has been a very important part of Inbound Marketing and it’s only going to grow! Of all the Inbound Marketing trends you are going to witness in the future, this one is going to stay for long. By 2019, Videos will account for 85% of the total online traffic (source). Also, 54% of internet users watch video on a social media platform on a monthly basis, and this is expected to grow in the coming years. With so much content available on the internet, the attention span of users has gone down considerably. Hence, people prefer to consume information about products or services through explainer videos, vlogs, etc. Summing it up - Be it the dissemination of information about a product, promotion of new service, online education or increasing sales figures, video marketing has come up in a huge way when it comes to business growth and cannot be ignored at any level while creating a marketing plan for any brand. 6. Social Selling is for Real According to State of Inbound 2017, social selling is rapidly gaining traction, especially in the B2B market segment. Social selling is the process of building long-lasting relationships with potential customers through the use of social media platforms like Quora, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. The idea is to avoid cold calling or direct purchase conversations and instead build relationships with the prospect by answering their questions, making suggestions and helping prospects by providing them with useful information till the time they actually decide to make the purchase. Not only it helps you in generating new leads, but also in nurturing existing prospects and clients by staying connected with them and providing them with meaningful support. Social selling is one Inbound Marketing trend that picked up in the last few years and is going to grow aggressively in the upcoming ones. LinkedIn works best for the B2B market while Facebook and Instagram for the B2C market. 7. Guest Blogging + PR Guest blogging is one of the famous Off-page SEO tactics. However, when done along with PR as part of the Inbound Marketing strategy, it works wonders. How to do that? 1. Write meaningful SEO-friendly content that resonates with your buyer persona. 2. Use Digital PR to get your article published on high authority websites in your domain. This will not only help you in increasing the traffic to your website through quality backlinks but will also help you generate higher authority for your website as Google will pass on the link juice from those high authority PR websites to yours. It’s a great hack to generate quality leads and get high authority from Google. It is one of the Inbound Marketing Trends in 2019 that’s going to be accepted by more brands for the value it delivers - both tangible and immense. So, what are you waiting for? You are now aversed with the Inbound Marketing trends that can exponentially boost your marketing ROI and business growth in 2019. Add them to your Inbound Marketing 2019 plan and see them work for you! Want to grow your business with Inbound marketing and marketing automation? Contact us!

Organic Marketing or Search Engine Optimisation has always been an important and integral part of digital marketing efforts for any brand, product, or company. SEO has been the go-to strategy for marketers especially, when it comes to traffic maximisation in the long term, SERP rankings, and understanding user behaviour. But lately, companies and marketers have broadened their expectations regarding lead generation and revenue optimisation. The power of Search Engine Optimisation is not only limited to improvements in organic traffic and rankings. Still, it can prove hugely beneficial in organic revenue and lead generation with strategic planning and long-term branding exercises. Also, with the advent of Local SEO and Mobile (Voice) Search, bold and brilliant SEO strategies have been able to convert traffic into money numbers. But, how does SEO help in garnering organic leads and revenue exactly?

1. SEO efforts increase your website rankings in Google SERPs, which in turn brings traffic to the website when people search for keywords that are related to your product/website and for which your efforts have been aligned.
2. The website traffic can be your potential customers when they interact with your website and engage with your content.
3. If the audience likes what they see, you have the chance to convert those visitors into leads and eventually sales.

Hence, content, be it on the website (on-page SEO) or the internet (off-page SEO) as a means of engaging and converting the audience into leads is very important and should be considered as one of the priorities.

1. Search Engine Optimisation as a funnel

SEO can act as a map or funnel which brings a bunch of leads to the website and through appropriate checks and balances (read: Goal settings and benchmarks), those leads can turn into conversions. This can make your website one of the best lead generation tools for deployment at no extra cost but only quality and strategic content. To make the most of this, quality content needs to be created, which can be valued by search engines and searchers alike.

2. Understanding the valued data from all of the data

Google Analytics can be considered as a data mine in simplest terms. It has so much to offer and in such a processed manner that any and every kind of bucketed funnels can be created to gain insights. From website traffic to visitor behaviour to demographic analysis, most of your analytic needs can be sufficed by Google Analytics. What is needed is a clear understanding of the metrics that you want to consider. Starting with website traffic, a marketer can then move on to building user personas, geo-targeting, and much more.

3. Identifying and setting up your goals

Now that the data analysis with Google Analytics has been understood, it is time to identify your goals. What exactly do you want your visitors to do after coming to your website in terms of interaction and engagement should be discovered and set up under Goal Settings in GA. This will help in reflecting and quantifying the results of user engagement.

4. Maximizing the CTR

CTR plays an important part in maintaining organic rankings as the Google algorithm takes into account the Click Through Rate of every ranked website to determine the level of engagement vs the impressions. To optimize the CTR, the webpage targeted for a keyword should have appropriate Meta tags and engage enough to compel the audience to click on it. source: outbrain.com

Conclusion

Examining existing data and determining what is already working is the key. That's where you'll get the most return on investment from your SEO investment. If you don't have enough current traffic to examine conversion data, you should start by getting some. However, traffic alone is insufficient. The correct kind of traffic is required. Conversion-oriented traffic.

The 4-day INBOUND 2020 came to a close on September 7th, with a whole host of informative and productive sessions that provided attendees with excellent insights into the world of marketing and how it’s evolving with the changing times. With around 21,000 people attending this landmark marketing event, these professionals were witness to some of the monumental marketing developments that would shape this landscape for the years to come. The advent of the “marketing flywheel” The “marketing funnel” is an age-old concept that pretty much any sales and marketing expert would be familiar with, a process meant to tailor business prospects and provide them with a personalised journey to become a customer. However, one of the major drawbacks of this method was that it didn’t place due importance on retaining customers. In a bid to change this, Brian Halligan – the co-founder of HubSpot – proclaimed that the age of the “marketing funnel” was over. In a bid to provide customers with the treatment they want, Halligan introduced the concept of the “marketing flywheel.” It placed customers at the centre of the marketing process to provide them with the importance they deserve, ultimately turning these people into advocates for their brand. The prominence of personalised video content As the attention span of people decreases over time, more and more brands are moving towards video content to capture the attention of their audience and improve engagement. Thus, the focus on professional video content has increased by a considerable margin. However, as marketing continues to evolve, customers prefer a more “personal” touch when it comes to their content. After all, a major aspect of HubSpot’s marketing approach is to adopt a more humanised approach to make customers feel like they’re interacting with actual people, not faceless conglomerates – after all, there’s a reason why livestreams have become so prominent. This raw video content is exactly what brands should focus on. With the announcement of HubSpot Video, brands can create videos on-the-fly from a laptop or phone with ease. From follow-ups to prospect engagement – everything can be carried out with engaging video content that will help build a personal relationship with your customers. New developments in the HubSpot Growth Suite One of the most significant talking points of INBOUND 2018 was the announcement of several improvements in the HubSpot Growth Suite, providing its customers with a vast suite of features to augment their overall experience. The new product offerings by HubSpot meant that its customers could stay on the platform from start to end, without having to go through the additional headache of having to switch over to different marketing platforms. It allows its customers to create an extensive database by incorporating and uploading all their optimum marketing offerings with little to no problems. An increasing focus on conversational marketing By this point, almost everyone must’ve already had some experience with chatbots. More and more brands are increasingly utilising chatbots and various other forms of conversational marketing to drive engagement with prospects and develop meaningful relations with customers. Now, INBOUND 2018 revealed another product by the HubSpot in the form of an innovative chatbot that provides users with endless functionality. Brands can map out their leads, customise responses, and offer a tailor-made experience that encompasses everything involved in conversational marketing to a T, and then some. INBOUND 2020 was an enlightening event for marketing professionals that provided many valuable insights regarding the marketing landscape of the near future. After this event ended, most marketing professionals only had one thing on their mind – what innovative measures will INBOUND 2021 bring to the table?