Finding new ways to incorporate digital marketing trends can help your company find new customers and attract more attention to your products and services. Each new year comes with fresh opportunities for businesses to expand their reach in the marketing world, and you can take advantage of this. Here are five marketing strategies that are becoming increasingly popular in 2019 and how they can be effective in your own advertising campaign.
 
1. Video Marketing
 
Strategic video advertising is a new way of engaging consumers. As the quality of technology increases and the cost of equipment lowers, this type of advertising can be a great asset to any business. Services such as Facebook and Instagram have taken advantage of marketing through video, since most mobile users are more likely to watch a video and share it. Consider using video as your next marketing tool.
 
2. Voice Search
 
Video technology isn’t the only thing that is improving. Exciting technology such as digital assistants create even more ways for companies to promote themselves. Searching for things online through voice activation has become popular among those who own technology such as Google Assistant or Echo. Paying attention to what customers are searching in your industry can help you cater to these types of searches.
 
3. Social Media Marketing
 
Social media has become one of the most powerful ways to increase brand awareness and customer reach. Consumers use these types of platforms every day. If your business has a social media presence, you have a better chance of reaching more people while increasing your own credibility as a company. A few popular media platforms include the following:

• Facebook
• YouTube
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Snapchat
• LinkedIn

 
Posting strategic posts and ads consistently can go a long way.
 
4. Chatbots
 
This growing type of technology can do a lot for your company. Chatbots can answer questions quickly and efficiently, helping visitors on your website within minutes. This can be more cost-effective than a customer support team, but it can also be an engaging way for consumers to interact with your company. Certain bots can also help you find information such as statistics, rankings, or specific research when you don’t have the time to find it on your own.
 
5. Email Marketing
 
Emails can be a powerful way to build trust and spread your message to consumers. This type of marketing reaches out to potential customers by adding a personal touch and call to action. Most online users have email and use it consistently. Use this method of promotion in the upcoming year to engage people and increase the awareness of your brand.
 
Final Thoughts
 
Incorporating digital marketing strategies doesn’t have to be complicated. There are so many different methods and tools that can be used by your company. These five trends are just a few options that can help you take advantage of this new and exciting year.
 
Interested in finding more ways to market your business? River Avenue can help you create professional marketing campaigns that increase sales and encourage growth within your business. Contact us today and find out how we can help you.

If you’re already using Instagram to connect with your followers, it’s time to get familiar with the Instagram Stories feature to level up. Stories bring a bit of Snapchat-esque functionality to Instagram—photos and videos you upload there will disappear after 24 hours. This makes timing very important, and changes the way you would normally structure your posts.
 
To use Stories, just click on “Your Story” at the bottom right of the screen when you go to add a photo or video.

Here are a few tips to get rolling with Instagram Stories to help build your brand and engage with your followers.

1. Use the built-in scarcity of Instagram stories to host special deals and limited-time offers.Because Stories disappear, it’s an ideal medium for special limited-time-only deals for insiders. Of course, be sure that you’re actually offering something of value to your audience. Gimmicky, low-value offers will be filtered out like so much advertising noise. But, if you can offer an exclusive, your followers will feel like insiders and super fans, and find value in continuing to follow you. They may even spread the word.
2. Take advantage of editing options. While you should definitely take advantage of Instagram’s built-in editing options to add interest and more information to your posts, don’t forget that you can upload any pre-edited photo that you want. You can use a tool like Canva to create gorgeous photosets with typographical overlays and all kinds of graphic flair.
3. Create a slideshow or “story” by linking multiple posts. There’s no need to upload stand-alone posts one at a time, you can upload posts in succession to create a slideshow. Try uploading a “process” story that shows how you create your product or deliver your service to make your audience feel like insiders and make your brand more accessible. Or, upload teaser images leading to a big reveal of a new product line or service offering or coupon code. Upload multiple images from an industry or promo event, or create a virtual tour of your office or workspace. Stories are meant to be viewed one after another in succession to create a snapshot of your feed. Take advantage of the format to get creative and come up with something special to keep your followers scrolling through your content.
4. Create a strong call-to-action with clear steps for your followers to act on your content. Instagram offers tagging and linking capabilities for some users—but keep in mind that only verified accounts can add clickable URLs to their posts and Stories. For unverified users, you can always direct followers to your bio for links. As a call to action, you can ask followers to DM you to receive a coupon code or share an experience for a chance to enter a giveaway.

Instagram Stories are a powerful tool for you to form a closer connection with your audience and get your message across in a more intimate, informal way. Build your next Instagram campaign around Stories, and watch your engagement grow organically.
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Reach out today for a free consultation to learn more about how you can amp up your social media marketing.

River Avenue Digital was invited to present the benefits of social media for small businesses at a recent networking event. Leaving your audience with a takeaway is important, so we developed a handout that each small business owner was able to take home as a reference guide.  Now you can download this helpful PDF: Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses

Some of the content from the one-pages is bulleted below. Enjoy!

Why should I invest my time in social media?

Social increases brand loyalty

• 57% of people are more likely to buy from a brand that they follow on social. Sprout Social

Social: Where your prospects are

• Nearly 8 out of 10 Americans use social media. Pew Research Center

Social is the new word of mouth

• Social media is starting to catch up with search engines for discovery. Hootsuite

​Motivating Statistics:

• The average person spends nearly two hours on social media every day (that’s 5 years and 4 months spent over a lifetime). @Mediakix
• 81% of millennials check Twitter at least once per day. Pew Research Center
• Facebook is the most widely used social platform, with 79% of US internet users. Pew Research Center
• LinkedIn boasts more than 450 million user profiles. LinkedIn
• Almost 80% of time spent on social media platforms happens on mobile. Marketingland
• Visual content is more than 40x more likely to get shared on social media than other types. HubSpot
• There are more than 50M small businesses using FB Pages to connect with their customers. Facebook
• More than 500M hours of video are watched on YouTube daily. YouTube

Top 15 Social Media Tips for Small Businesses:

1. Determine which platforms you should be on.
2. Develop a consistent name across all social platforms you manage.
3. Add follow buttons to your website.
4. What are your competitors doing? What are the big brands doing?
5. Use a scheduler like Buffer, Hootsuite, or Zoho to create efficiencies.
6. Post (at least) daily on each platform.
7. Be human and relatable.
8. Let the data direct you.
9. Make your posts look professional. Credibility is important.
10. Interact with followers.
11. Facebook 💕 Facebook.
12. Use the 80/20 rule.
13. Maximize reach by posting at the right time on the right platform.
14. Mix your content. Polls, questions, images, video, etc. (brand images & video)
15. Spend time on your profile and link to your site.

Don't hesitate to reach out for your complimentary digital marketing assessment. Contact us today.