Decades ago, people made sure they were home to catch the newest episode of their favorite TV shows because it would be months before they'd have another chance to see it. Mornings were spent with cups of coffee and sifting through the daily newspapers. Advertisers had a captive audience and thrived on the relative simplicity of reaching a mass audience of consumers while they sat in their homes and cars.
Fast forward to today and the internet has changed everything. No longer can advertisers rely on a mass audience settling in on the couch for a night of entertainment. What TiVO started, the smartphone is finishing. Budgets for traditional media are now being replaced with digital marketing budgets.
Reaching the Modern Consumer
The proliferation of smartphones in the hands of (nearly) every American consumer has changed not only the ways that advertisers can reach consumers, but also the way consumers communicate with each other and prioritize information.
Why is this important? Because marketers must realize this:
Modern consumers spend more time on their smartphones than they do sitting in front of their TVs.
This switch from watching the flat screen on the wall to the flat screen in your hand transforms everything we've understood about marketing.
Traditional marketing efforts, like television commercials, are now less effective (and reach fewer people) than ever. On the flip side, digital marketing, including SEO-driven content, PPC, and social media marketing, is now more important than ever.
Here's the chart from eMarketer.
The Shift From Traditional Marketing to Digital Marketing
The Los Angeles Times reports-
In the United States, adults will spend an average of 3 hours and 43 minutes each day on their smartphones, feature phones and tablets this year, eight more minutes than they’ll spend watching TV, according to a forecast released Wednesday by research firm eMarketer. (Lee, 2019)
This means that the quarter-billion Americans who have spending power in some way, shape, or form, are diverting their attention from the places where traditional advertising once made an impact to a more mobile, digital arena. Wise marketers have taken note of this trend, shifting their advertising budgets from traditional media to digital media.
In fact, 2019's traditional ad spends are expected to be around $109 billion, while digital ad spends are anticipated to top out around at least $130 billion — about 54% of marketing budgets.
Some businesses have found a way to merge traditional marketing with their digital efforts and are doing quite well. However, organizations that are solely focused on the traditional ways of advertising may soon find themselves with less business as millennials and the generations following them take over the consumer pool.
Get The Most From Your Digital Marketing Investment
According to eMarketer, U.S. consumers spend two hours and 55 minutes a day on their smartphones. These consumers are scanning their social media feeds, searching the web, and watching video. These are all places that your business can easily connect with consumers with the right inbound marketing strategy. In reality, nearly three hours a day on a mobile device is a significant amount of time — and it means you could have a significant number of eyes on your messaging with the right content and strategy.
Create Engaging Content That Answers Questions
What is everyone doing online? They're interacting with helpful content created by brands.
- 30% of consumers time is spent on audio-related apps that allow them to listen to radio and podcasts.
- 24% of their smartphone time is being spent on social media and networking apps (Facebook, Instgram, LinkedIn)
- 19% of consumers use their smartphone time consuming video
While it might seem a stretch for your firm to start your own podcast or create a video series, it's exactly the type of helpful content that consumers are looking for. How many times have you gone to YouTube to find an answer to a burning question?
Track Your ROI
Before embarking on a new digital marketing strategy it's important to make ROI Tracking a priority. Maybe you want to see an increase in new customer conversions. Without baseline ROI data it's impossible to know whether an increase is truly happening or if it's a blip on the screen.
It's important to set baselines for your digital marketing strategy so you can create realistic goals, and easily measure your success. Our free ROI calculator is a great resource for marketers to project their inbound marketing ROI.
Be Active on Only The Social Media Platforms Your Buyers Use
You do not have to be on every social media platform. It is tempting to feel that you do, but if your buyers aren't engaged on a platform you shouldn't waste your time. On the flip side, you want to be active on the social media platforms that your buyers are using.
While social media and social media marketing is an essential piece of the digital marketing puzzle, today's marketers need to know who's buying their into their brand, and what those consumers are all about. Your social media presence should be direct reflection of your buyer personas. Businesses with younger buyers absolutely need to be on Snapchat and Instagram. Older buyers will find their consumers on Facebook and LinkedIn. Remember — it is better to have two or three well developed social media accounts rather than trying to be active on every platform.
Are you unfamiliar with the most popular social media platforms? Bring in a social media expert to help. It is better to enlist a trusted marketing consultant to guide you through your social media marketing strategy than to waste time, energy, and marketing spend.
By focusing your efforts on a handful of platforms that your target audience actively engage with, you'll reach your buyer personas in their arena and increase your ROI.
Build Your Website For The Mobile Experience
Google research shows that over half of all online searches are happening on mobile. And these mobile searchers are spending on average three hours a day on their devices interacting with brands. Despite this, we are often faced with the challenge of convincing prospects that their new website shouldn't be created with a 'desktop mindset'. Today's websites should be optimized for mobile use to reflect the modern consumer's behavioral shift from primarily desktop use, to mobile.
How do you build your website for mobile? Focus on the mobile user experience. Examine how mobile users will use your site. Do third party user experience testing to get a fresh look from an unbiased source.
When building websites for mobile, here are a few areas to pay particular attention to:
- Menu Structure: How clear and simple is your menu? Is it easy to navigate to get to your most important pages?
- Forms: On mobile long fill in forms are taboo. Short forms with drop downs and pre-populated answers work best.
- Page Structure: No one wants to click through three or four pages on their phones to find the information they need. Put the most important information right up front so it's easy to access for mobile users.
- Avoid Pop Up Ads: Pop up ads on mobile devices tend to cover the entire screen, destroying the user experience you've worked so hard to create. Save the pop up ads for desktop if you must have them.
If you want to see double-digit growth in your business, connect with The Diamond Group. As a HubSpot Agency Partner, we believe in the inbound methodology. We are a marketing consulting group that offers supercharged website design and inbound marketing solutions that maximizes your businesses potential. Whether you need a custom web design, a full inbound marketing strategy, or just want double-digit growth, The Diamond Group has your back.
