Our Expert Tips in Content, Social Media & Optimization Will Help You Make It Happen
2016 digital marketing plan

Most of us are up to our ears (and elbows) in 2016 marketing planning. We’re pouring over year-to-date business results and brainstorming new tactics for SEO, conversions, social media – the list goes on and on. Will this be the year you finally optimize your company’s online presence to make it work harder for your business? We think it should be your #1 priority and here’s our cheat sheet of what’s got to be included to make it happen:

Content Marketing

  • Develop long form content. Keywords don’t rule the world anymore. With Google’s latest updates and changes, long form, high quality content will help your site rank. A thousand words is good; 2,000 words is better.
  • Blog. If you don’t have a blog on your site, now’s the time. If the content needs of a blog intimidate you, you can still get some SEO boost with a blog that posts only 2x a month or a “news” page with monthly updates and well, company news. The goal here is to have a home on your site for quality, frequent content.
  • Create videos. For SEO and social media, quality videos are a must. Count Facebook’s new video auto-play feature in the newsfeed and Google’s preference for You Tube videos in search results as two reasons you can’t afford to skip video.

Social Media Marketing

  • Convert. Here’s a mistake we see all the time in social – every day companies post news, content and links from other businesses and media. While that content may be interesting to your audience, it isn’t very effective for your bottom line. Don’t just share other people’s content; create attention-grabbing content that drives directly to your web site or landing page with a call to action. Next year, strive for a healthy 60/40 mix of owned content vs. curated content.
  • Advertise. Unfortunately, social media is increasingly a pay-to-play powerhouse. Our clients who are Facebook advertisers see better results overall, from conversions to consumer engagement and fan numbers. The good news is – social media offers an efficient and affordable way to advertise. Determine which social channel performs best for your brand, and include social advertising in your 2016 plans.

Digital Optimization

  • Go Mobile. Make sure your site is optimized for mobile. Most sites see the majority of their traffic coming from mobile this year. If your site isn’t optimized, that traffic is likely to quickly bounce. And after this year’s “Mobilegeddon,” non-mobile sites are also now penalized in search. Here’s a simple test to see if Google considers your site mobile-friendly. Tell the truth – did you fail? If so, this one’s a must in 2016.
  • Analyze. You probably already have web site analytics installed on your site, but you also need to have conversions and goals set up. We know it takes precious time (and a little know-how), but don’t leave out these important metrics and tracking. And mark your calendar to regularly assess your analytics reports and note what’s working and what’s not. Don’t wait until Q4 to figure it out and then frantically try to update and optimize your site in the final hour. Digital performance is something that should be assessed monthly so you can optimize and troubleshoot your digital marketing efforts along the way.

We know planning can be overwhelming, and we’re happy to help. First step, download our expert tips for creating content that drives customer conversions. And if you need a strategic partner who can do the heavy lifting, here’s our checklist to help you find the right match to make sure your 2016 marketing efforts are on point.