It’s no surprise to see the changes outlined below in the digital marketing space. Most digital marketers have learned to be flexibile in a constantly morphing channel. After just one video by Neil Patel, and a lengthy article by Search Engine Journal that outlined some of the biggest changes to date for online marketing; it occurred to me how big of a pivot this will be for many. This could be a bumpy ride. Most likely the biggest shift you’ve made to date in your strategies and methods. As long as you adapt to change well, you’ll do fine. Those of you who fight change like a stubborn warrior, may have a rough go of it.
Blog No More Go Video
Blogging has been at the center of our strategy for as long as I can remember. While some of you are able to capture a large following with your content, the truth is, unless it’s near award winning and introduces new material someone else hasn’t already covered in a similar article; it probably hasn’t done much of anything, except take up space on your server. In 2019, things aren’t much different and may be even worse for you if you’ve previously had trouble getting traction with your content. According to Neil Patel, you should replace content with videos. Further, turning out content like a machine, unless it’s exceptional, is going to be a futile effort. Your time and energy is better spent creating videos, so start warming up to that camera. Practice now and work through your unease of being on film. For the record, this doesn’t mean stop creating fresh content. Instead what it means is don’t make it the centerpiece of your strategy.
A Video? Of What?
Podcasts should also be at the top of the digital strategy list. For eCommerce, products videos work perfectly, for example, how to use them, or to just give your audience up close views is a worthwhile strategy. Focus on creating a video for products that need a boost, or that aren’t selling well then move on to other products you feel need more air time. If your product is somewhat technical, “how to” videos are where it’s at. If you just can’t think of anything then simply talk to your audience. Explain something about your product or service that most people don’t know, or is misconceived. There are 1001 opportunities for video creation. Find one that suits you and get to it. For inspiration, scour youtube on your topic and find out what others have done. Put your own spin on it and you are on your way.
Be a Prepared Videographer
Everyday life presents thousands of marketing worthy moments for video footage that most of us fail to capture. Get in the habit of having a fully charged phone on you and start capturing daily events that you think might be fun to share with people. This will help you start building your video library. Just like with content, you will need to keep it fresh. In order to do so, you will be doing a lot of impromptu recording, but only if you’re prepared. If your phone is rarely charged then you will be missing out.
Voice Search
And as I mentioned over 6 months ago on a small blurb I did for FitSmallBusiness, you can find here: https://fitsmallbusiness.com/seo-strategies-tips/; voice search is taking over. What does this mean for you as a website owner? It means you need to be optimized for voice search. Period. But how? The answer is to create more content.
Create More Content? Wait … What?
Yeah yeah, I know what I said, and that still holds true. Need verification? Neil Patel’s 7 Trends to Embrace for Successful Digital Marketing in 2019. One way to optimize for voice search is to answer the questions used in searches, or that a potential customer would ask about your business. But be sure to keep it brief. Try to answer in one sentence. According to Neil, shorter responses will have better opportunities of ranking? Be sure that you answer the question first and then go into a lengthy explanation if you must. However, when creating content in general; long is better than short. So you’re probably confused but it truly does make sense. Make your content meaty, and rich with information. Don’t bother with fluffy, or thin content production. Fully explore the topics in your articles and make them as good as you possibly can. This will mean less content overall but a higher quality output for sure.
Channel Your Marketing
And while the next trend Neil mentions is not any real change as far as I’m concerned, it is worth mentioning. The desired approach to Digital marketing has and always should be an “Omni-Channel” approach. Though using one channel hasn’t worked for quite some time it is important to understand that if you are a one man show trying to use all the different channels to market a handful of sites by yourself, it’s simply not possible. If you are wondering what the channels are, here are a few: Growth hacking, SEO, SEM, Content Marketing, Social Media, Video Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Link Building etc. For digital marketers, there is no better time than right now, to specialize. Drop everything else and just focus on one aspect of internet marketing. You can’t do it all, and why kill yourself trying? Save your energy to become an expert at one aspect of internet marketing and you will fair much better.
Keywords Aren’t the “KEY”
If you think the previous changes were crazy, you may find what Search Engine Journal is saying even crazier. According to these experts another “key” element of digital marketing as we know it is losing it’s seat at the head of the table. The truth is keywords are overused, and have just lost their luster. Randy the robot, is way too smart to need keywords in order to understand who or what you are. Keywords will lose their worth quite quickly as new methods of adaptation are discovered.
What is Driving these Changes?
In case you are wondering, and because I think it will help you understand the changes, it’s advancements into AI or artificial intelligence that are dramatically changing this landscape. So next time you are wondering why keywords aren’t necessary in order to convey your topics and your business type, think “Robot” By the way, and for the record, when I say “robot” I don’t mean the tin man. The kind of Robot I’m referring to are of the software type sometimes called “bots” with artificial intelligence.
