However, the industry has changed over the years, and it’s time for SEMpdx to evolve with marketing. Now that digital has integrated into traditional marketing disciplines, our member and sponsor needs have changed. COVID and AI have further altered consumer behavior and how they use digital channels. The remote workforce has increased the need to reach beyond Greater Portland. MarTech has evolved as have media and advertising with it. Events have changed as well, creating greater challenges for trade organizations to create financially-viable conferences.

To address the changing industry, the SEMpdx board has unanimously voted to merge with NextNW, a creative industry association with an international footprint across the Pacific Northwest into Canada. Our new mission is to further elevate and integrate digital into all aspects of marketing, including creative and advertising. With a membership of over 500 marketing professionals across five States and two Provinces, our resources are considerably greater.

We’re excited to integrate SEMpdx’s members and sponsors into NextNW, effective immediately. All SEMpdx memberships will automatically transfer over to NextNW through December 2025. We plan to migrate our infamous digital marketing blog to NextNW in the coming months as well. Our key sponsors, Forix and Data Speaks will also carry over to NextNW. And most importantly, we will maintain a focus on developing digital marketers with excellent programming, starting with a February webinar with Rand Fishkin. We will also continue sending our monthly email newsletter, although the frequency may change.

Stay tuned for further communications as we merge the two organizations in 2025. We value your membership and support and look forward to bigger and better programming, events and networking opportunities in 2025.

The post SEMpdx + NextNW = Greater Opportunities Ahead appeared first on SEMpdx.

In February of 2024, Google struck a $60 million partnership with Reddit to train AI models. Since then, Reddit posts are now ranking in Google’s top search results in as little as five minutes, according to recent research. With a significant boost in visibility and associated traffic, Reddit has become a new channel for many digital marketers, especially SEO professionals. While the opportunities are significant, there are dangers for brands rushing into marketing on Reddit.

Reddit is Real
According to Business of Apps, Reddit had 70 million daily active users and approximately 850 million users who use it once a month in Q4 of 2023, generating 199 billion yearly pageviews. That number has significantly increased since the Google partnership, no doubt. Regardless of the exact numbers, the sheer size and scope of the audience is unignorable and should be considered by marketers unfamiliar with the platform.

Reddit’s global popularity translates to immense potential reach for brands. An active, well-executed Reddit strategy enables companies to increase awareness, monitor consumer sentiment, gather insights, and even drive traffic back to their websites for an SEO boost thanks to the Google integration. But there are potential pitfalls worthy of consideration.

The Risks of Getting It Wrong
While the potential upsides are significant, brands that fail to respect Reddit’s unique dynamics open themselves up to intense criticism and backlash from the notoriously anti-marketing community. It is essential for all marketers planning to engage on Reddit to review the User Agreement first. Some common missteps that can anger the Reddit hivemind include:

• Aggressive self-promotion, advertising, or posting links without adding value
• Attempting to covertly market by using fake accounts or “sock puppets”
• Demonstrating a fundamental lack of understanding about specific subreddit cultures
• Heavy-handed moderation or censorship of critical feedback as a brand representative

Reddit’s vigilant community has burned even large, established brands. In 2013, a Reddit ad campaign by IKEA asked users to provide free labor by submitting sample instructions for furniture assembly. The tone-deaf request was widely mocked, with Reddit users defiantly submitting prank instructions involving tools like chainsaws or narwhals. More recently, EA was labeled the “worst company in America” on Reddit over microtransaction policies in their video games.

Engaging on Reddit: Best Practices
Despite challenges, even scorned brands have learned to get it right on Reddit, including IKEA. To tap Reddit’s full potential brands must approach the online community as real members helping each other, rather than marketers. Building a meaningful presence on Reddit takes time, thought and effort to understand the unique cultural norms of specific subreddit communities. The rewards can be significant and are worthy of consideration. Below are four best practices for brands to consider when investing in Reddit.

• Monitoring relevant subreddits to understand the prevalent topics, lingo, and unwritten rules before attempting to participate.
• Focusing on adding value through insightful comments, expert advice, and helpful resources – not overt promotion.
• Embracing transparency about your brand affiliation if posting as an official representative.
• Adopting a respectful, conversational tone and having a sense of humor when appropriate.

Take the trailer and automotive communities like r/CargoTrailers, r/CargoCamper, or r/Hookit as examples. Members are enthusiastic DIYers and professionals who appreciate in-depth discussions and expert knowledge sharing about trailers. A trailer company would find more success providing tips on maintenance or cool camper builds than constantly pushing sales. Sales and marketing team members have a higher probability of getting shut down by Reddit administrators or community moderators.

A better approach for trailer manufacturers and dealerships would be to encourage customers and non-marketing employees to post based on their expert experience. For example, mechanics at dealerships can offer tremendous value to Reddit users with specific questions about repairs. Customer service professionals are well-equipped to answer questions about a specific trailer model or manufacturer. Should employees post on more than 138,000 Subreddits, it is imperative that they are transparent about the affiliation with their employers.

It is all about Karma
A vast majority of platforms reward engagement and Reddit is no exception. Reddit developed karma as a currency to reward active members and allow active brands to build trust within Subreddit communities. At a minimum, karma is required to post on select Subreddits. Karma is earned based on platform participation and is rewarded by Reddit for the following activities: posting, commenting, upvoting, giving and receiving awards, and engaging with users who comment on your posts. This excellent post provides detailed steps on how to build Reddit karma.

There are additional benefits to building karma with Reddit users. Once you have reached a minimum threshold of karma, you can create your own subreddits. This is a powerful way to build community around your specific brand, products and services and is ideal for brands with Reddit-savvy customers. One way to maximize the value of your own Subreddit is to host an “Ask Me Anything” AMA session. This article outlines best practices for hosting a successful AMA session on Reddit.

Ad It Up
For brands more interested in maximizing reach on Reddit with minimal effort, advertising is always an option. Reddit offers targeted ads to engaged community members that generate awareness, drive traffic and other conversions, like other social media platforms. Reddit ad types vary in format and cost, including promoted posts and more expensive takeovers. While free-form, image, video and carousel ads are fairly standard, Reddit recently launched Shopping Ads, which are ideal for ecommerce brands. For examples, check out how brands have successfully utilized advertising to maximize reach and engagement on Reddit.

Conclusion
There is no doubt that Reddit presents an alluring opportunity for brands to increase their visibility, understand customers better, and even drive website traffic. However, the platform’s rabid community of users will mercilessly call out any attempts at clumsy marketing that disrespect Reddit’s principles.

The path forward requires careful strategy and resources dedicated to monitoring subreddit cultures, earning trust as a knowledgeable contributor, and engaging with an authentic, human voice. Get it right, and brands can reap the benefits of an enthusiastic base of loyal Reddit advocates. Get it wrong, and they may become the latest target of the internet’s ridicule.

The post Navigating the Reddit Rabbit Hole: SEO Opportunities and Pitfalls for Brands appeared first on SEMpdx.

Despite peak buzz twenty years ago (per the image above), blogs have continued to demonstrate value to brands, particularly in creating impact in the realm of search engine optimization (SEO). When coupled with strategic keyword research and competent copywriting and optimization, blog posts have tremendous potential as an anchor to a brand’s content marketing strategy. This article outlines best practices that will empower your blog and related content strategies that enhance your brand’s visibility, credibility, and revenue.

Content marketing leverages various digital assets such as texts, images, audios, and videos to captivate and retain a (theoretically) well-defined audience. Rather than intrusive advertising, content marketing focuses on delivering value to consumers through entertaining and/or informative content. The highest life-form of content online is video, which continues to grow in popularity and impact. According to Allied Market Research, the global content marketing market size was valued at $413.2 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $2 trillion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 16.9% from 2023 to 2032. As a growing discipline, content marketing has become an essential component of digital sales and marketing programs.

Content Marketing Best Practices
With the growing adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GAI), it is tempting to lean heavily on platforms like ChatGPT to rapidly create content for your website or blog. Unfortunately, the temptation can be problematic, as Google recently updated their ranking system to penalize low quality (including GAI-based content). The March update aimed to reduce low-quality, unoriginal content in search results by 40 percent and this is likely only one of many steps search engines will take to mitigate abuse of GAI to generate content. The best way to stand out in a post-GAI world is to create unique, compelling content with the help of thought leaders and talented copywriters. Below are ten best practices to maximize the impact of your content strategy, with a focus on your blog.

Understand Your Audience
Clearly define who your target audience is so you can tailor content accordingly. Identify their interests, problems, and needs. Research your target audience, competitors, and related topics to inform your content. Platforms like SparkToro can shed additional light on existing or new audiences on which to focus future content. When it comes to driving brand awareness and preference for your products or services via blog content, I recommend prioritizing products or services with the greatest margin, highest volume, or largest growth potential first.

Define Goals and Set the Proper Tone
Before launching a blog, it is essential to understand your business, sales, and marketing goals, then distilling a content strategy accordingly. Common objectives for blog content strategy include an increase visibility and brand awareness in organic search for desirable phrases, increasing website traffic from blog posts and generating incremental qualified leads and/or new customers. Your brand values, and company culture should determine the voice of your blog and maintain consistency over time, regardless of the number of contributors.

Create an Editorial Calendar
To maximize efficiency and consistency over time, create a content calendar. Key elements to include in the content calendar include blog post topic, title, target audience, core keyword(s), content highlights, call-to-action, author, and deadline. Set a posting schedule, ranging from one to four times a month. To increase impact, expand your calendar to include optimization elements (title tag, meta description, and schema markup) as well as a social promotion schedule to track posts and related traffic.

Conduct Keyword Research
Conduct thorough keyword research using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and GAI platforms like ChatGPT to identify relevant keywords with high search volume and low competition. Incorporate relevant keywords organically into your content naturally, avoiding over-use which can create red flags for search engines (and humans). Utilize keyword research (especially GoogleTrends and BuzzSumo) to identify new or trending topics for forward-looking posts. This is easier if you have one or more thought leaders on your staff to provide insights and context.

Craft a Captivating Headline, Introduction and CTA
Ranking a blog post is only half the battle, the challenge is getting someone to click and read it. Crafting a catchy and intriguing headline helps grab attention and viewers. Use target keywords, coupled with “power words” and make it clear what the post is about and create a sense of intrigue. Begin the blog post with a compelling “hook” to capture readers’ interest and compel them to continue reading. Clearly state the purpose or benefits of reading the post early in the post, then deliver on the promise with actionable insights. Do not forget to include at least one call-to-action (CTA) within the blog post (i.e., contact us for an estimate or visit a product page). Additionally, ask for comments, shares, or subscriptions to boost reader engagement.

Focus on Quality Content (over Quantity)
Focus on creating high-quality content that solves problems, educates, informs, entertains, or inspires your readers. Writing should be clear, concise and include supporting visuals like images and videos (Google appreciates embedded media assets). Provide valuable and well-researched information and cite sources. Break content into digestible sections with subheadings. Use a conversational tone to connect with readers that resonates and demonstrates an understanding of your industry and customers. Do not cut corners with stock footage or silly clip-art. To differentiate from competition, consider using infographics, animated GIFs, and vertical videos.

Incorporate Best-Practice Formatting
Use clear headings, subheadings, and short paragraphs for light reading. Include bullet points and numbered lists to break up the body copy. This format is also favored by Google for use in the knowledge graph as rich snippets. Use an easy-to-read font and size to respect older readers. For additional SEO value and usability, link text in the blog post to relevant pages within your website, as well as external sources (which should open in new tabs), to improve website authority. Cross-link related posts within your blog and product pages, as Google values internal links to understand relationships and humans appreciate the convenience of linking to related content.

Optimize for Organic Search (SEO)
Before publishing the blog post, be sure to optimize the title tag and meta description for rank and click-throughs, respectively. Ensure proper use of headers (H1, H2, H3) for structure. This is made easier with the Yoast plugin for WordPress, for example. When optimizing the post, use compelling images, snippets, and relevant hash tags to improve visibility when shared via social media. Do not forget to leverage schema markup to maximize rankings and inclusion in rich snippets.

Promote Regularly
Actively promote your blog posts on your home page, via email newsletters and online communities. Leverage social media by sharing blog posts and engaging others within your industry niche. Participate actively in discussion forums (i.e., Quora and Reddit) related to your industry to gain visibility by including a link to your blog post, when appropriate. Consider repurposing content into different formats like turning blog posts into videos and related visuals and vice versa. Remind blog readers to subscribe to the blog feed and/or monthly newsletter to build a reader-base. The blog itself should also be promoted throughout the web, particularly to industry websites, forums, and publications to gain bookmarks and subscribers. To gain traction quickly, consider developing an ad campaign on Google and Meta to drive traffic, readers, and subscribers.

Analyze and Optimize
To maximize the impact of your content marketing efforts, measure and optimize current and future assets. Depending on your content marketing objectives, regularly track and act on insights monthly. Utilize Google Search Console to identify top ranking blog posts in search engines and Google Analytics to identify top performing blog pages (including traffic, time-on-site and conversions). Do not forget to analyze GA4’s keyword data to identify trending topics currently driving visitors to inform and refine future content. Also read comments and track shares or subscriber growth, as available.

By following these steps, you can create a compelling and highly visible blog post that resonates with your audience and attracts new readers. Remember, consistency and quality are key to building a successful content marketing strategy, with your blog as the foundation.

The post Content Marketing Strategy: Creating an Effective Plan for Your Blog appeared first on SEMpdx.

The digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving with innovative technologies, platforms, and strategies. As we enter 2024, I have taken the liberty to synthesize and simplify several key trends that will shape digital marketing over the next year and beyond. I do want to give credit to the esteemed marketing experts I had the honor of moderating at a recent SEMpdx future panel event for inspiration regarding a few of the trends. Here are eight notable digital marketing predictions and trends to help marketers prepare for the road ahead:

Thought Leadership Gains Traction with SEOs
With an increasing focus on optimizing for Google’s E-E-A-T, a component of Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (SQEG) recently, 2024 will see an explosion of interest and focus in brands partnering with thought leadership to create high-ranking content. Google’s SQEG focus on Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness is best addressed by brands whom engage with subject matter experts that regularly speak, write and secure press mentions. This is particularly exciting for me, as a digital marketing thought leader for 28 years. For more information, check out the Moz SEO Content Predictions blog post for additional detail and validation.

Humans and Computers Swap Roles
Historically, humans have used MarTech to augment marketing content, search engine optimization and other disciplines. With AI evolving significantly in the past two years, the roles will reverse, where humans will increasingly augment marketing processes in 2024. AI will now take the lead on identifying topics, then creating and optimizing content while humans will play an essential role in providing uniquely human narrative that is also consistent with the brand message framework and ensuring both consistency with voice and integration with an overall omnichannel strategy. Additionally, humans will need to diligently verify and fact-check AI-generated content, to identify and eliminate any hallucinations that may create legal or ethical liability.

Artificial Intelligence Optimization (AIO) Will Gain Awareness and Credibility as a Marketing Discipline
Playing off the previous prediction of AI driving key marketing activities, humans will evolve into guides, editors, and advisors to AI. Enter AIO, a new and evolving discipline at the intersection of AI prompt engineering and marketing prowess, ranging from copywriting and search engine optimization (SEO) to email marketing, graphic design, advertising and landing page optimization. In a broad sense, successful copywriters, developers, and designers will evolve into AI-savvy editors who create something new, unique, and valuable upon a foundation created by machine learning tools. Marketers that embrace AIO in their digital strategy are blazing a trail in 2024, not just keeping up.

Marketers will Become Developers
With the increasing adoption of low-code platforms like Mendix, Appian, and Microsoft Power Apps, to rapidly develop applications, anyone can be a developer without knowing a line of code. Similarly, workflow automation platforms Zapier, Integrately, IFTTT and HubSpot Operations Hub make automating standardized, repetitive processes easier than ever. When it comes to AI, anyone can now create a custom chatbot using OpenAI’s GPT builder. Combining these robust platforms enables marketers to create a wide variety of tools to automate, streamline and improve marketing. With an ability to rapidly and affordably create tools that enhance the customer experience (CX), marketers will see improved conversion rates.

With Help from AI, Marketers Will Effectively Target User Intent to Increase ROI
While predictive analytics, personalization, localization, and semantic search focusing on user intent have been available to marketers for two decades, the rapid growth and evolution of AI created new opportunities by synthesizing these capabilities into affordable solutions. Since Google incorporated BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) in its search system in October 2019, marketers have seen the benefits of optimizing for context over keywords. AI takes that to a new level by analyzing mounds of data and provides the opportunity to recommend (if not display) personalized content to target audiences throughout the customer journey. AI will help copywriters, SEOs, advertisers, email marketers and web developers create highly curated user experiences based on intent, in real-time, dramatically impacting ROI.

Google Will Shift Focus to Ecommerce as SGE Evolves
As Google continues to roll out and refine its Search Generative Experience (SGE) to the public in 2024, there will be a natural reduction in traffic to high-ranking websites and ads currently displayed in search engine result pages (SERPs). To offset the projected revenue loss, Google will focus heavily on optimizing ecommerce functionality and further personalizing search results to better monetize the customer journey in search and better position against competitors like Amazon, which is the most popular starting point for product searches. Social platforms are also aiming to take away search market share and evolve their own ecommerce capabilities. Brands should look for new opportunities to target searchers with enriched product listings that streamline the shopping experience by integrating with shopping feeds, marketplaces and ecommerce websites.

Social Search Will Continue to Erode Google’s Search Market Share
Although Google will continue to hold a majority market share in terms of consumer search, alternate platforms will continue to erode market share. Amazon overtook Google as the most popular platform for product searches years ago, and the trend will continue. Increasingly, consumers have started informational searches on social media platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest and Reddit. This shift will force SEO professionals to look beyond Google to social media platforms and content optimization. Keep in mind social platform content optimization should include all form factors, from video (vertical and standard), images, audio and of course, text. A deep understanding of each platform’s algorithm will be required in 2024 and beyond.

Marketing Will Return to The Fundamentals
With AI proliferating all aspects of marketing, including lazy marketers’ focus on generating reams of low-quality content, consumers and search engines alike will become jaded and trust will be lost. To combat the deluge of unoriginal content, smart marketers will revisit the most effective (albeit old school) marketing techniques, leading with compelling storytelling via authentic voices. While ChatGPT can create logical stories on-the-fly, a competent marketer can craft a truly memorable and meaningful story that is unique, relevant, and actionable. Forward-thinking brands will focus on conversational content and marketing, leveraging not only remarkable stories but AI to help refine targeting and personalization (rather than the other way around).

Over the past two-plus decades, I have seen and experienced significant shifts in how humans seek information, communicate, and collaborate, thanks to the Internet. However, AI is a far more impactful evolution that will change human behavior in profound ways well beyond streamlining marketing. With tremendous power comes responsibility and I believe myself and my fellow marketers must be diligent in our monitoring and use of AI-generated content. Despite ethical, moral, and legal challenges we must navigate in the years to come, AI is by far the most exciting tool we have at our disposal, and it should be leveraged to create more effective marketing in 2024 and beyond.

The post 2024 Digital Marketing Predictions including SEO, SEM, and Social Media Trends appeared first on SEMpdx.

To maximize visibility in organic search results for industry terms, brands must increase ‘domain authority’ with Google. This is often achieved by securing a meaningful quantity of inbound links from high quality websites trusted by Google. While SEO companies often rely on begging for or buying links for clients, a strategic approach can be far more effective: leveraging public relations best practices. The following article outlines best practices for securing both quantity and quality inbound links from local business directories, publications, and industry websites.

Here are 20 effective ways to build links to a website recommended to achieve higher rankings and organic traffic to your website.
1. Conduct Competitive Analysis: Research competitors’ link profiles and reach out to sites linking to them that may also be relevant for your site. Tools like Semrush and BuzzStream can help identify link opportunities with or without competitive information.
2. Promote Existing Quality Content: Promote your new content across social media, email, and other channels to increase natural shares and links. Make content highly shareable.
3. Leverage Unlinked Brand Mentions: Audit the web for mentions of your brand that don’t include a link and reach out to ask for a link to be added to the mention. This article provides a helpful overview. Brand24 is a helpful brand monitoring tool.
4. Submit to Directories: Submit your website to reputable, niche-specific directories. Be cautious with this approach, as overusing directories, especially low-quality ones, can have a negative impact on your SEO. Here is a list of the top 50 free business directories as a starting point.
5. Explore Sponsorships: Sponsor industry events, publications, or other high-authority sites relevant to your audience in exchange for a link.
6. Monitor Your Backlinks: Regularly monitor your backlink profile to ensure that links are of high quality and that there is no toxic or spammy links. Tools like Google Search Console and Ahrefs can help with this.
7. Reclaim Old/Dead Links: Reach out to sites that used to link to your site but no longer do, and politely ask them to reinstate the link or add a new one. Secondarily, identify broken links on industry websites pointing to 404 pages and offer to replace them with one of your relevant pages. Use tools like Ahrefs to identify broken links.
8. Participate in Online Communities: Engage in relevant online communities, forums, and discussion platforms. Provide helpful answers and insights, and when appropriate, link to your website as a source of additional information.
9. Build out a Resource Page: Identify websites that have resource pages related to your niche. Reach out to the website owners and suggest adding your content or website as a valuable resource.
10. Utilize Giveaways & Contests: Running competitions and giveaways that encourage links as part of the entries.
11. Collaborate with Influencers: Partner with influencers or bloggers in your industry for collaborations or features. Influencers often have a wide reach and can help you gain exposure and backlinks.
12. Create High-Quality Content: The foundation of any successful link-building strategy is creating valuable, informative, and engaging content. When you publish high-quality content, other websites are more likely to link to it naturally.
13. Create Linkable Assets: Develop valuable resources, such as research studies, calculators, ebooks, or tools that are relevant to your niche. Create helpful, resource-style posts with lists of links to other useful sites and resources. Make sure to include a brief description for each link. Promote these assets to gain natural backlinks.
14. Create Infographics and Visual Content: Visual content like infographics can be highly shareable. Create visually appealing and informative infographics and share them on your website. Encourage others to use it and link back to them.
15. Secure Guest Blogging Opportunities: Reach out to other blogs and websites in your industry to contribute guest posts that include links back to your site. Focus on high-quality sites with good domain authority.
16. Secure Links via Email Outreach: Identify websites or influencers in your niche and send them personalized outreach emails. Explain why your content or website would be valuable to their audience and request a link.
17. Leverage Your Network: Build relationships with others in your industry, through social media, events, etc. and swap links where relevant.
18. Create Ego Bait: Mention influential people, websites, or products in your content and then let them know about it. They may share or link to your content to showcase their inclusion.
19. Utilize Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): Create accounts with ChatGPT and Bard for researching links, building databases, outreach scripts and compelling, linkable content.
20. Tap PR: leverage public relations activities, including press release distribution, speaking at industry events, syndicating articles on industry websites and pitching the media as a subject matter expert via free platforms including HARO and Qwoted, although there are additional options available.

Once the above strategies are consistently implemented over time, your company will see an increase in domain authority, resulting in higher rankings, increased traffic and ultimately, sales. The key is to focus on building genuine, editorial-style links from quality sites, not just spamming low-quality directories. Vary your link building strategies over time and monitor success with link tracking tools. Regardless of your level of marketing savvy, development resources or budget, these time-proven strategies will give you an edge over your competitors over time.

The post Build Domain Authority and Search Engine Rankings via These 20 Effective Link Development Strategies appeared first on SEMpdx.

For the past twenty years, websites have provided a critical touch point for prospects and customers. Despite the increased popularity of social media platforms and more recently, ChatGPT, websites are still an important component of an online presence and marketing mix. As such, it’s essential that your website not only provides relevant information but also offers a seamless and engaging user experience. If you’re considering a website redesign, it’s a significant step that requires careful planning and execution. In this article, we’ll explore the key considerations and best practices to ensure a successful website redesign.

Define Your Goals and Objectives
Too many times in the past, I’ve discussed website redesigns with clients that had no clear vision or objective for the new site (other than I don’t like the current site, or it seems dated). Before you embark on a website redesign, it’s crucial to outline your goals and objectives. What do you aim to achieve with the redesign? Are you looking to enhance user experience, boost conversion rates, improve SEO, or align with current design trends? By clearly defining your objectives, you’ll have a solid foundation to guide the entire process. Bonus tip: make sure every page has a relevant call-to-action (CTA) to maximize conversions.

Set a Realistic Timeline
Allow plenty of time for the redesign – at least 2-3 months for a small business site. Building in time for planning, design iterations, development, testing, content migration, and launch is essential. Trying to redesign a site too quickly can result in key steps being skipped. While redesigns often move more quickly than new websites due to existing content and structure, a refresh provides an opportunity to leap ahead of competition, so pad timelines for adequate planning, inevitable delays and surprises.

Audit Your Existing Site and Create a New Sitemap
Thoroughly evaluate your current website before making changes. Look at site architecture, navigation, page load speeds, forms, product/service pages, and more. Identify what’s working well and what needs improvement. Create a new sitemap reflecting how you want users to navigate and find information on the redesigned site. Ensure the information architecture and navigation schemes make sense. Bonus tip: ensure you’ve built in email capture (via a popup window and/or include an email signup in the footer of your website template to build your email list). In the ‘cookieless’ age, this is particularly important.

Know Your Audience
Understanding your target audience is paramount. Conduct user research, gather feedback, and analyze user behavior on your current site. Knowing your audience’s preferences and pain points will help you tailor the new website to their needs, resulting in a more engaging and satisfying experience. I recommend developing customer personas (typically three to five for an optimal balance between accuracy and simplicity).

Revisit or Create a Content Strategy
Content is king, and a website redesign is an ideal time to review and enhance your content strategy. Identify which content is still relevant and which should be updated or removed. Ensure your content aligns with your brand and resonates with your audience. A well-structured content plan will contribute to a successful redesign. The content should be tailored to your goals. Add, revise, or remove copy to enhance SEO, user experience, and conversions. Create new page titles, meta descriptions, alt text, and calls to action. The highest performing SEO-friendly content includes FAQs and a blog. Ensure all new content is truly unique (both across the website and across the Internet). Bonus tip: create ‘linkable’ content (i.e., podcasts, webinars, white papers, calculators) to boost domain authority and credibility with Google.

Select a Content Management System
Depending on your industry, company size, budget and objectives, selecting a platform can be tricky. The more robust the CMS, the more limiting it in terms of customization and site speed. The slower the website is, the less Google favors the site as it creates a lackluster user experience. WordPress is one of the most popular, SEO-friendly and scalable platforms on the web today and is a great starting point for small and mid-sized businesses, although it is also used by global corporations.

Revise Information Architecture
Information architecture (IA) plays a vital role in the user experience. Organize content logically, create user-friendly navigation menus, and ensure that visitors can easily find what they’re looking for. A clear IA simplifies the user journey and minimizes frustration. Hire UX experts, benchmark against competitors and solicit input from heads of key departments to minimize revisions down the road.

Address User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX)
The website’s UI/UX should be a top priority. A well-designed user interface should be aesthetically pleasing, but it should also be intuitive and easy to navigate. UX considerations should focus on making the user’s journey as smooth and enjoyable as possible. A good user experience translates to better rankings in search as well. Bonus tip: consider incorporating a chatbot to streamline sales and customer service.

Enhance Visual Design
A visual refresh can modernize the look and feel of the site. Explore new color schemes, fonts, layouts, and branding elements. Balance aesthetics with usability. Research emerging colors, technology and messaging to ensure the visual language feels fresh, current and relevant.

Address Accessibility
Ensure that your website is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Comply with web accessibility standards like WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). This not only expands your audience but also ensures you meet legal requirements in some jurisdictions. An additional benefit: Google and other search engines are “disabled” because they are blind, so following best practices for compliance benefits organic search visibility.

Optimize for Mobile
In an era where mobile devices dominate web traffic, mobile responsiveness is non-negotiable. Most of the website traffic today originates from mobile devices. Your website must function seamlessly on various screen sizes and devices. A responsive design ensures that your site adapts to the user’s screen, providing a consistent and user-friendly experience. Mobile-optimized sites are also favored in Google rankings.

Optimize for Organic Search
Maintaining or improving your search engine ranking is essential. Carry out comprehensive keyword research, ensure that your site’s structure is SEO-friendly, and implement search engine optimization (SEO) best practices. This includes optimizing images, creating unique and valuable content, and improving page load times. Additional code-centric elements for improved SEO include robots text, XML sitemap and schema markup. Most importantly, ensure keywords are in each page title tag (to boost visibility in search results) and the meta description tags are compelling (to maximize clicks).

Optimize for Social Media
Due to the proliferation of social media, don’t forget to integrate social elements into the website. The best place to start is to incorporate links (that open in new tabs) to the big seven social platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok and X/Twitter). Ensure all pages of the site are sharable to the two to three most popular social platforms to maximize citations and traffic. Bonus tip: integrate a social media feed (typically Instagram or X/Twitter) into the footer of the website template (or select pages) to send Google a signal that the site is updated regularly.

Focus on Page Speed
A fast-loading website is essential for user satisfaction and SEO ranking. Compress images, utilize browser caching, and employ content delivery networks (CDNs) to optimize page load times. Test regularly and optimize images, scripts, caches, servers, and code to improve load times. Http/2 and a content delivery network can also boost speed. Bonus tip: use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool to maximize site speed.

Develop a URL Migration Strategy
To retain traffic and search ranking, set up 301 redirects from old to new URLs for all top pages. Use a crawler to identify broken links or orphaned pages. Migrate content systematically. To capture any orphaned pages, ensure a custom 404 error page is within a branded template and directs humans (and search engine spiders) back into the new site structure. Bonus tip: develop a link reclamation strategy, to identify orphaned (404 error) links on third-party websites and reach out to suggest an updated link to minimize negative impact on domain authority.

Incorporate Testing and Quality Assurance
Thoroughly test your redesigned website before launch. Check for broken links, functionality issues, and inconsistencies. Perform usability testing with real users to identify any potential roadblocks and gather feedback for improvements.

Validate Security Measures
Website security is a paramount concern. Implement security protocols to protect against cyber threats, including SSL certificates, firewall protection, and regular updates to your content management system (CMS).

Create a Backup and Recovery Process
Regularly back up your website to prevent data loss in case of a mishap. Have a recovery plan in place so that you can quickly restore your website if necessary. Ideally, back up the existing site during development and maintain it for reference for as long as possible, as context is important, even long after launch.

Create a Launch Plan
Promote a redesign launch via social media, email, press releases, and other channels. Announce key features and be clear if there are changes to site navigation. Monitor analytics closely after launch. The most important aspect of a site launch includes thorough QA testing before launch, validating SEO elements are completed and the site can handle traffic spikes if marketing does its job too well.

Conclusion
Redesigning a website is a multifaceted process that involves strategic planning and execution. It’s an opportunity to improve user experience, align with modern design trends, and enhance your online presence. By considering the factors outlined in this article and adhering to best practices, you’ll be well-equipped to achieve a successful website redesign that meets your objectives and exceeds user expectations. If you have any questions about this article or would like help navigating your website design, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or visit my networking group, pdxMindShare.

The post Website Redesign Best Practices: The Ultimate Guide for 2024 appeared first on SEMpdx.

The digital marketing ecosystem has experienced dramatic changes, particularly in the last few years. For example, Web 3’s metaverse provided brand marketers to think in new dimensions during the pandemic. More recently, ChatGPT made artificial intelligence approachable and exponentially more impactful on virtually every aspect of marketing. In this article, we explore digital marketing strategies and tactics that haven’t worn well in the past decade, to ensure your 2024 marketing plan is both timeless and forward-looking.

Building a digital marketing department
Marketing should be agnostic to media type, and so should the strategist be developing and implementing marketing campaigns. As such, companies need to conduct a skills assessment of existing marketing teams to determine who may need training or who may need to be replaced with talent that natively understands both digital and analog worlds. This obsolete strategy is still an issue for most marketing teams that have not focused on integration and will continue to haunt slow adopters.

Designing a website via internal stakeholder committee
The primary reason for the lack of user-centered design is that most websites are built by a host of departmental managers who have far too much say on colors, fonts, images, and copy. The problem with committee-based design is that these representatives make decisions based on their personal tastes and preferences versus those of the site’s intended user. While this approach is increasingly uncommon, it is still a very real issue due to the group thinking inherent in corporations.

Creating content for content’s sake
With rampant adoption of ChatGPT and similar generative AI platforms, content is easier to create than ever before. This trend has exacerbated the desire to focus on quantity of content over quality, which is only hurting brands in the long term. Successful brands will spend the time to research, develop, optimize, and syndicate content that matters to their constituents and works well across device types and screen sizes. At the very least, invest in high quality editors if you plan to cut copywriting staff due to increased ChatGPT reliance.

Doing black-hat SEO
Google has developed a detailed set of guidelines for search-friendly website design. If you follow their rules, you will be much more likely to rank for desired search terms. Even Bing operates on very similar terms: no IP-spoofing, redirects, hidden or duplicate text, etc. To boil it down, do good marketing and Google will reward you with higher rankings. Google’s E-E-A-T updates identified and penalized a significant number of websites for violating best practices, yet companies still feel the pull of the quick wins that black- and grey-hat SEO can supposedly provide. Big mistake. Play for the long game with compelling content, clean code, and the kind of site credibility and authority that can only be earned, not bought.

Avoiding landing page testing
Unfortunately, not much has changed over the past decade, in terms of landing page testing and optimization adoption across the marketing landscape. The companies that “get it” continue to invest and evolve their efforts, resulting in ever-increasing conversion rates. Far too many marketers, however, are too busy, skeptical, or unlearned regarding the benefits of landing page optimization (LPO). I believe a significant percentage of these remaining marketers will finally commit to testing, if not diving full-bore into LPO in 2024, especially with help from ChatGPT and similar AI-powered tools.

Focusing on engagement in social media
In the first wave of social media marketing (1995-2009), marketers focused on gaining followers and fans. The second wave of social media (2010-2014) focused on conversations and engagement efforts. The third wave (2015 and beyond) focused on three primary areas: collaboration, conversions and brand narrative. Smaller companies, business-to-business organizations, and profit-driven corporations should now focus more on conversion-based strategies and tactics that drive revenue. Bigger consumer brands will shift focus towards developing a brand narrative that helps consumers identify with the company and fit it into the picture a person has of themselves (i.e., shared values like environmental or social issues). Brands will focus from being “Liked” to being “Attached” to the consumer.

Paying third-party vendors to represent your brand in social media
The most common excuses for outsourcing social media management include a lack of internal resources and a lack of proficiency with social platforms. The bottom line is that nobody knows your brand better than your employees, partners, and other advocates. Let them oversee spreading the good word, not a low-paid college graduate working from home. I wish this were less common than it is, but many brands still feel the need to outsource their voice in social media, rather than building the resources in-house (with guidance from experts like us, of course).

Underestimating the power of video (and audio) marketing
I speak regularly about social media and search marketing and am a huge champion of multimedia content, especially video for marketing. I’m still amazed that the marketers to whom I present so often lack cohesive video (and audio) organic and paid content strategies. YouTube is still the world’s second largest search engine, so what are you doing to get into that conversation with consistently compelling content? Brands of all sizes and shapes also need a coherent TikTok and vertical video marketing strategy to be relevant in 2024.

Renting email lists
With the understanding that building an email database in-house is still a highly effective sales and marketing strategy, companies continue to test new strategies to grow their list. Some of the more effective methods of building a house email list include SEO, PPC, direct (mail) marketing, co-registration (email) with partners, contests (via social media platforms like X/Twitter and Facebook) and most importantly, search marketing. This has not changed, and thankfully, fewer organizations are renting low-quality email lists that typically generate a high percentage of spam complaints.

Sending unsegmented or untargeted emails
Despite the evolution of email marketing platforms, a significant percentage of businesses (particularly smaller ones with limited budget and bandwidth) continue to send out unsegmented or targeted emails. Spending the time to understand your email list by digging deep into the analytics and contact profiles, even with help from AI, can reap huge rewards. From there, create and target content based on indicated preferences, as well as demographic and psychographic information. Leveraging the power of AI now available in many email/CRM/marketing automation platforms, watch the value of each subscriber increase exponentially, with incremental effort.

Gaming online reviews
Most brands understand the power of social proof in the form of customer reviews. Unfortunately, too many brands are quick to “buy” or influence positive reviews. The result is the risk of being penalized by search engines, directories, and other review sites. The greater danger is consumers seeing through the charade and taking their business elsewhere. The short answer: create compelling and memorable customer experiences that will make them want to create and share positive reviews. Many companies are focusing on customer delight in 2015 and will bubble to the top as a result.

For a business to succeed in this increasingly complicated and noisy digital world, marketers must let go of obsolete ideas and embrace the concept of continually testing evolving techniques and technologies. The outdated digital marketing techniques outlined above are best retired in 2023, to free up bandwidth and budget for greater success in the years to come.

The post Retire These Outdated Digital Marketing Strategies Today appeared first on SEMpdx.

Localized Marketing will go Global and Globalized Marketing will go Local
As evolving tools and technologies lower the barriers to remote work in a post-COVID world, businesses will no longer be constrained by geographic barriers, both in terms of recruiting talent and adding new customers. Marketers who understand that the New Normal is a decentralized, global village will have an advantage. That includes both localized targeting for messages to resonate at a community level, as well as global outreach based on interest, expertise, and need. This trend will bode well for Account Based Marketing (ABM) and Account Based Sales (ABS) strategies, where a named account approach drives targeting and messaging by business-to-business (B2B) organizations.

Zoomers will Replace Boomers
Generation Y (Millennials) is maturing, raising families, and buying homes. Meanwhile, Generation Z (Zoomers) is a growing audience for brands. The purchasing behavior for both is remarkably different than any prior generation, especially for Generation Z. In business, as Boomers retire, Millennials are rising in the ranks and are moving from influencers to decision-makers. Messaging will need to be revised to resonate with younger audiences that value aligned purposes, including sustainability, transparency, diversity, and inclusion. Additionally, brands that help simplify the overwhelming choices younger generations have when making decisions, will convert more new customers. In 2023, we expect to see a massive shift in targeting, market messaging, and channel mix.

Google Search Will Expand its Capabilities to Support Online Shopping
Over the past two years, Google has significantly improved its ability to support the needs of online shoppers. Google’s Shopping Graph was the first major update that centralized all of the components of a well-balanced shopping experience such as reviews, pricing, and sellers. As a result of the pandemic, Google also made it entirely free for businesses to sell products on their platform by eliminating their commission fees. Now, the latest update to Google search includes a buying guide that offers additional product details within a drop-down menu, giving users all of the information they’re looking for in one simple step. All of these advancements, combined with the horsepower of Google MUM, validates our expectation that Google will continue its online shopping evolution.

SEO will Expand to Social Media Platforms
As mentioned above, younger generations are becoming the new target audiences for brands. According to the New York Times, Gen Z is not adhering to the traditional method of using Google for research. In fact, about 40% of those who belong to the younger generations will go to TikTok or Instagram to conduct their research. Whether the search is for a new restaurant or a how-to video, Gen Z is leveraging social media platforms to find what they need. Social media algorithms are not only incredibly successful in providing tailored feeds to their users, but real people are providing the information. In order to connect with younger generations, traditional SEO is going to expand outside of standard search engines and into popular social platforms.

Google Ads will become more about Asset Management and less about Detailed Optimizations
Years ago, Google Ads users’ day-to-day work was surrounded by making minor changes to bids, keywords, and a number of other factors to outperform competitors. As time has gone on, Google has taken these tasks off of marketers’ plates and introduced things like smart bidding and performance max campaigns. This has shifted the focus of Google Ads professionals from these minor optimizations to fueling Google’s learning algorithms with information. Moving into 2023, we predict these features will be more critical than ever as Google moves to further promote its new Performance Max campaigns, broad match keywords, and new features to manage assets Google has to work with. This includes a better recording of conversion data, managing product feeds, and adjusting ad assets such as images and text. Google Ads professionals that can make this shift will be able to make the most of Google’s machine learning and optimization opportunities.

TikTok Will Emerge as a Prevalent Music Streaming Platform
In a recent article from TechCrunch, it was revealed that TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is anticipating the release of a music streaming/sharing service. In recent years, TikTok has proven to be one of the most highly-downloaded social media applications and has increasingly closed the gap between itself and other powerhouse platforms like Facebook Messenger and Instagram, in terms of monthly average users. In fact, Millennials and Zoomers are particularly active on the platform. They’re using it to discover new ideas, share entertainment, short-form education, funky dance moves, and more. Trending memes, challenges, and audio clips are already commonplace in the lexicon of the platform. It is within the realm of possibility that this music service, leveraged alongside TikTok’s already-growing popularity, will be used to create everyone’s New Year’s playlists for 2024!

BeReal will Become Real for Marketers
An article from the Business of Apps identifies that BeReal is one of the fastest-growing social media apps today. Data analysis showed that with a staggering 7.67 million users, the app has increased by over 315% since the start of 2022. BeReal focuses on genuine, raw, and unedited content that users crave while using other highly-edited social media platforms. It even gives businesses the opportunity to showcase an authentic side of their company using this platform. Although BeReal does not offer advertising options at this time, companies like Chipotle have embraced the app by offering a free meal to the first 100 customers who used the coupon code posted on their BeReal account (source: Influencer Marketing Hub). BeReal also opens an entirely new market for influencers and user-generated content, so brands targeting younger audiences will jump on the opportunity to reach this fickle demographic in 2023. Yes, we know TikTok has nearly identical functionality, but that platform doesn’t encourage people to “be real,” and we feel that is what people are going to want and need in the years to come.

UGC will Evolve from Content to Commerce Channel
User-generated content (UGC) has been around since the advent of dictionaries and early 1990’s Internet user groups. In more recent years, UGC has grown in popularity with the explosive growth of social media usage. 2023 will be the year UGC pivots to mission-critical status with established brands. No longer a marketing gimmick or experiment, UGC will become an essential component of digital (and increasingly analog) content marketing programs. Marketers will formalize programs dedicated to identifying, harvesting, and curating quality content created by customers, employees, fans, and influencers. Beyond social media posts, look for content creators to co-create content for websites, email, traditional print, broadcast, and even product packaging. Nike’s new Swoosh web 3 experience is an early example of what is possible co-creating with fans. With advanced measurement, Web 3, and AI, brands will be more easily able to organize and measure the impact of UGC content, with the ideal outcome being a compensation program. Whether leveraging standard affiliate or loyalty programs or exploring a web 3 solution involving crypto or NFTs, content creators will evolve into a critical content marketing source.

Marketing will get Very Personal
It has been stated that efficiency, convenience, knowledgeable and friendly service, and easy payment options are what people value most in their customer experience, and we predict that a more personalized customer-based experience that is tailored to customer needs will become even more important. In 2023, platforms will automatically generate ads and highly curated content for each individual user, giving everyone a unique browsing experience. Google ads will be replaced by AI’s machine learning, transforming the concept of behavioristics and how people search by replacing active human involvement with their AI companion equivalent, directly feeding users the content that the AI brain created.

AR/VR Will Evolve into a Standardized Component of Remote Meetings
With the introduction of Meta Quest Pro, we expect a significant increase in conference calls utilizing virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). VR will allow attendees to interact as if everyone is in the same physical space, and using VR headsets will provide an opportunity to collaborate in the virtual realm without the cost and inconvenience of travel. Using VR will help you feel as if you are established in the environment; it allows for the ability to move and interact with people that you couldn’t with a web or phone conference call. For example, new VR meetings can have realistic faces of attendees and where you sit affects what you can hear or see, while the additional functionality of having a virtual computer at your fingertips provides additional interactivity and functionality that is not available in a traditional conference room.

AI Will Become One with Us
2023 will prove to be a breakout year for artificial intelligence (AI), for marketers and consumers alike. We’ve all seen what AI can do to improve searches on Google in the past few years, but the technology is now providing compelling learning, collaboration, and marketing experiences. For example, as consumers use the Google Lens app and phone camera to understand objects in their environment, Google’s technology will automatically create customer ads relating to the object and offer in-app purchase options for advertisers. AI is also beginning to show significant promise in areas we once designated as being uniquely human. For instance, AI-powered art has won awards, and AI writing tools like Jasper AI are regularly providing significant assistance to copywriters in both content creation and editing. Even if you’re not employing a designated tool, you can already see this technology moving into mainstream platforms like Gmail via writing suggestions. As organizations like OpenAI and others continue to invest in this space, we’re likely to see adoption increase substantially in 2023.

So there you have it… 11 predictions from across the marketing ecosystem that we believe will impact your business and customers in 2023. For more updates on digital marketing trends, visit our blog. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below, both about our predictions as well as yours! Market safely!

The post 2023 Marketing Predictions: Global Zoomers Get Personal with AI, AR & UGC via Deksia appeared first on SEMpdx.

On January 11th, I was honored to participate in a panel of esteemed digital marketing colleagues, hosted by SEMpdx. The title and theme of our panel was “The Future of Digital Marketing” (2022 Edition). My fellow panelists included: Tricia Davis-Payne with Webfor, Anna Madill with Avenue, Mike Rosenberg with Veracity and Shuree Jones with Rain the Growth Agency. The conversation was lively and insightful to the degree I felt obligated to share highlights and supporting articles. I hope you find these resources helpful in planning your 2022 digital marketing initiatives.

2021: What did we see and learn as search engine marketers?
• Influencer marketing is here to stay. All panelists agreed. If you don’t have a program in place, check out this article: Influencer Marketing Strategy Best Practices, Tips and Trends
• Voice search has yet to gain the traction we all expected, but it still has tremendous potential for knowledge-based industries. Learn more here: Best Practices for Voice Search and Position Zero Optimization Strategies
• Virtual and hybrid events are the new normal. If you haven’t built these events into your marketing, or haven’t marketed them effectively yet, check out this article: Leveraging Virtual Events to Engage Customers & Prospects
• NFTs, blockchain and cryptocurrency generated significant buzz last year, but how can brands and digital marketers take advantage of the emerging technology? This article sheds light: How Brands Can Use NFTs to Engage Consumers and Generate Revenue
• One theme that has only increased in intensity is the needs for brands to be socially and ethically responsible, or they risk losing customers. If you haven’t invested the time to understand this powerful buying behavior, this article may offer insights: How to market to the ethical consumer: 6 effective marketing strategies
• One of the more contemporary trends that impacts marketers and employers is The Great Resignation. It’s not a question IF you’ll be personally impacted, but WHEN. To learn more about what The Great Resignation means and how to mitigate employee exodus, check out this article: How to manage during The Great Resignation
• Another trend we’ve seen and will continue to see in 2022 is a renewed focus on the creation and optimization of multimedia content, including images and video. To learn more about video marketing optimization fundamentals, this timeless article is a good starting point: The Ultimate Guide to Video Marketing on YouTube

2022: How can we help businesses be more successful in the year(s) to come?
• While SEMpdx is rooted in search engine optimization (SEO), a majority of the topics we covered in our session fell outside of that core discipline. The one exception, however, was the prediction that Google’s Multitask Unified Model (MUM) will be a major factor in search rankings in 2022 and beyond. To read more about Anvil’s thoughts on MUM and other digital marketing trends, check out this SEMpdx blog post: 2022 Digital Marketing Predictions
• The moderator asked me to kick off the conversation about 2022 predictions, so I opened with my favorite prediction about ‘metaverse’ being the buzzword of 2022. Virtual reality (VR) worlds may not be ready for prime time, but marketers need to have a POV and start planning today. For more insights, check out this post: Marketing in the Metaverse
• Another hot button of mine and that of the Anvil team in 2022 is a deeper integration between paid and organic keywords and supporting search marketing strategies. While I’ve extolled the virtues of SEO & PPC integration for over a decade in my PSU SEM Workshop, it was refreshing validation to hear it directly from an SEO guru in a recent Anvil Brown Bag with Wil Reynolds of Seer Interactive. This article sheds additional light on the peanut butter and chocolate of organic and paid search – Search incrementality: How paid and organic work together for better performance
• Due to the loss of third-party cookies thanks to Apple’s new OS, brands and advertisers are scrambling to produce alternative targeting options. One trend that has blossomed in late 2021 and will continue to bloom in the years to come is the idea of leveraging first-party data and reselling access to third parties. Big box retailers outside of Amazon, Target and Walmart are adding retail ad networks to their revenue streams. Learn what brands like Lowe’s, Macy’s and Kroger’s are doing from this article before you take the leap yourself: We Can Have Retail Media Networks And Privacy: 4 Principles
• One hot topic with the panelists is the growth of short-form video as a marketing tool in 2022 and beyond. TikTok is now a more popular domain than Google. Instagram and other short form video options on platforms like Facebook and YouTube validate that the format is here to stay (or return, if you remember Vine). To learn more about emerging short form video trends, read this article: 6 Short-Form Video Trends Online Marketers Should Watch in 2022
• On the other side of short-form video is live-streaming and its sister, live shopping. What began as a buzzword in 2021, live shopping has evolved into a viable ecommerce platform play in 2022. One part influencer, one part unboxing and one part ecommerce, live shopping provides brands new ways to reach consumers in a post-pandemic remote-shopping world. Evaluate your options by reading this article: Live Shopping Is Making A Comeback: Here’s What Your Business Needs To Know Now
• Due to the relative short panel duration, we weren’t able to cover all digital marketing trends or get too deep in any one prediction. As a result, I felt it would be prudent to share additional concepts and supporting articles for more context. These are just a sampling of the most topical trends to consider in 2022 that we didn’t get a chance to cover during the panel session:
o Five marketing experts share their 2022 trends
o Explore the top trends of 2021 according to Google Search
o Looking ahead: nine trends that will steer marketing in 2022
o Google’s Guide to User-Generated Content
o Ecommerce Trends: Social, BNPL & BOPIS
o Five Proven Ways to Pandemic-Proof Your Business

While we as panelists had less than an hour to share our thoughts and answer questions, the event was packed with insights. I recommend attending future SEMpdx events and joining as a member, if you agree with me that the ROI of membership is outrageous. Feel free to share your thoughts on 2022 marketing trends or react to our predictions in the comments section below.

The post SEMpdx Panel Event Recap: 2022 Digital Trends and Marketing Predictions appeared first on SEMpdx.

The Metaverse will evolve from distraction to (virtual) reality for brands
While many believe Facebook’s rebrand as Meta and focus on the metaverse is a strategic distraction from bad press fueled by the Facebook Papers, we believe at Anvil that its horsepower, deep investment in the metaverse, along with additional investment by other major players like Microsoft, will inspire many brands to dabble in the virtual world in 2022. While consumers maybe a few years from caring about the metaverse, early adopters will embrace the novelty and utility. We’re hoping that the 2022 iteration of the metaverse is more than just a glorified Second Life.

Web 3.0 will become ubiquitous
Consumers’ concern over data security and creating a safer online environment to share personal data will be driving forces that fuel the growth of Web 3.0 technology in 2022. The evolution of blockchain technology in particular will provide a safer user experience (UX) for consumers, where they will feel safe sharing first-party data and know exactly how third-party platforms are using personal data. Combined with improved AI functionality, semantic metadata and 3D graphics – Web 3.0 will deliver an improved and better UX for all users. As full data transparency is on the horizon, this will accelerate the transition and put control of data back to where it belongs – the user.

Video marketing will become a vital part of any online marketing strategy
Consumers rely increasingly on the video to make decisions about the products they are buying. Video platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok feature live streams, unboxing, and testimonial product videos, which are going to gain popularity in 2022. As a result, video optimization and advertising on TikTok and YouTube will be increasingly necessary. Google has also rolled out structured markup features like clip markup which help users find important individual parts of videos, increasing the need and value of optimization for commerce. Using new and emerging markups on a brand’s most popular videos will help to improve user experience and Google’s ability to digest and index the video content.

MUM will strengthen Google’s ability to understand more complex searches
Google is always working to get users quicker, more seamless access to information. MUM, or Multitask Unified Model, uses AI to formulate an understanding of the context behind searches and will have a greater influence on search results in 2022 and beyond. Google recently demonstrated how MUM works, showing that search results would attempt to fully answer a search query with text, imagery, maps, and more. With MUM, content strategies will need to provide unprecedented depth, in order to provide searchers with all the information in a single result. The days of providing only topical information on a given webs page in order to gain organic visibility in target searches are numbered.

OTT will gain traction as ad targeting options decrease
Security and privacy demands are creating problematic limitations with third-party cookies and data tracking. Facebook, Apple, and Google Chrome are limiting data collection capabilities. Social media and search engine platforms will become much more generalized, with decreased targeting capabilities. Ad platforms will eliminate audience targeting, limiting advertisers to first-party data collection. These changes will encourage more brands to explore connected TV, podcasts, and platforms like Spotify that have their own internal marketing platform where the user controls what content they want to see. Products like Google’s smart TV and the new Roku TV are allowing viewers to stream content and enjoy gaming, utilizing click-to-buy on-screen ad placements. Smart TVs will be getting smarter with shopping from your own home with enhanced OTT streaming advertising options.

More businesses will move to DTC eCommerce
Due to the pandemic, businesses ranging from psychiatrists to car dealerships have begun marketing and selling products and services direct-to-consumers (DTC) on their websites. Companies are tired of losing profit by selling wholesale to distributors and evolving technologies have made eCommerce approachable to even the smallest business. Even larger retail chains are starting to focus more on DTC eCommerce, limiting physical store locations, retail footprints, and headcount. Brands like Nike are limiting distribution of its footwear and apparel so they can sell more direct and other brands will follow suit in 2022. The additional margins gained by DTC eCommerce sales can be reinvested in digital marketing to further increase profitable revenue. We predict brands will sell on select marketplaces (like Amazon, Walmart.com, and Target.com) to augment reach and revenues, but will still rely primarily on DTC.

More companies will offer retail media networks leveraging first-party data
With the impending loss of third-party tracking cookies in 2023, companies and marketers alike will be exploring new opportunities to reach prospective customers. Companies such as Target, Walmart. Recently, Lowe’s launched its own media network, allowing advertisers to utilize its company’s first-party data and reach customers as they shop online. As the pandemic accelerated the adoption of online shopping, we expect retailers will offer additional advertising opportunities on digital storefronts in the coming year.

Third-party cookie data will begin to sunset itself
With the anticipation of platforms eliminating third-party cookie data, marketers are forced to produce workarounds. Even though Google has pushed out its third-party data sunset date to the end of 2023, users and businesses have been preparing for the loss of critical targeting data with various workarounds, including the increasing use of first-party data. With Google failing to find a viable solution that meets everyone’s needs thus far, we predict there will be some sort of industry compromise by mid-2022, resulting in third-party data naturally sunsetting by year’s end on most popular platforms.

Influencer marketing will fuel sCommerce
Influencer marketing has gained notoriety within the digital marketing ecosystem as an essential strategy in the past few years. At Anvil, we believe the next evolution for influencers is to become the foundation for successful social media eCommerce (aka sCommerce) in 2022. In addition to important metrics such as engagement rates, influencers will be commonly compensated based on a commission structure related to conversion rates (leads or sales). With a greater focus on performance metrics, influencers will achieve a higher level of credibility with brands. Micro-influencers will rise significantly in popularity due to their accessibility to small businesses and the appeal of being able to target nuanced audiences. Retail eCommerce brands invest in direct shopping formats on popular social platforms, including TikTok.

Multicultural representation in marketing will continue to increase in importance
The digital age, accelerated by COVID-19, has created a world that is more interconnected than ever before. The term “global village” carries increased weight as even extremely remote areas see mobile device use continuing to reach saturation point. The success of international content breaking into the US mainstream has also led to an acceleration in engagement and demand for global representation. South Korea’s Squid Game on Netflix is the latest example, following the Spanish global hit Casa de Papel (Money Heist). With content publishers leading the way, brand advertisers will follow suit, developing new strategies to maximize the relevance of multicultural inclusion within marketing messaging, including messaging from the US’s own backyard.

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