If one thing is true about inbound marketing, it is that it is constantly growing and adapting to the world around it. Naturally, people have quite a bit to do with the changes made to inbound marketing tactics. As our interests and attention span changes, so must inbound marketing.
With 2016 on our doorstep, we've begun thinking about 2016 and how our inbound marketing strategies and tactics may change. With that in mind, we've come up with 5 inbound marketing predictions for 2016.
1. Inbound Marketing Content
One of the first predictions that we have for the coming year is the type of content that will be most relied upon. Research shows video is currently one of the most valuable forms of content. Those visiting web pages have little time to devote to reading. Instead, they are more likely to watch videos that give them the same information. Not only are these videos easier to digest, but they require a shorter amount of time to view compared to reading content.
2. Personalization Will Be Key
Target markets have been all the rage for quite some time. However, in 2016, we expect for things to become even more personal. Target markets will be fine-tuned and narrowed even more than ever before. Businesses will begin looking at targeting a few smaller groups of individuals rather than having one large target market. The benefit is it will be easier to personalize offers around the people they are targeting in order to gain more traction with their ads.
3. Mobile Is Still On The Rise
Mobile usage has been steadily rising, and we see no reason why this should change in the near future. In fact, mobile usage has already taken over desktop internet usage and over half of all local searches are completed on mobile devices. This means marketers will continue to have the need to focus on inbound marketing via mobile devices and ensuring their content is easily viewable and shareable from mobile platforms.
4. Search Engines
For ages, Google has pretty much been the only search engine anyone has been concerned about. However, in recent times, search engine competition has grown dramatically. This is finally expected to make a difference in 2016, and marketers will need to focus on more than just Google from here on out. Not only are search engines like Bing and Yahoo quickly becoming more popular, but the Facebook creators are also in the process of creating their own search engine. This will definitely put some pressure on Google’s reign atop the search engine tower.
5. Paid Advertising
Finally, we can also continue to see a shift away from paid advertising and toward inbound marketing. Inbound marketing is continually showing its worth when it comes to return on investment, and it also performs better than traditional methods of advertising. As marketers continue to become more familiar with inbound marketing, you can bet that there will be a continued increase in the amount of inbound marketing strategies being put into place.
Inbound marketing is certain to only become more popular over the coming year. If you haven’t already educated yourself about the process, now is the time to do so. More and more companies are taking this huge step and you will find it is extremely beneficial. These are just a few of the items expected to change in 2016. However, only time will tell how many changes will really appear or what new advancements we will begin to see.
Contact us to learn more about incorporating inbound marketing into your business marketing strategy today.
