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Social Media Marketing: 7 Ways It Has Evolved in the Past Decade

Social media is now at the centre of digital marketing and marketing as a whole. Social media networks are the largest aggregators of activity on the planet right now. An estimated 2.9 billion people were on social media in 2020. That number is projected to grow to 3.02 billion in 2021. Not only are social networks used for entertainment and connection, but for conducting business as well. Businesses have established their entire setups on social networks rather than making their websites. Just a single Instagram profile can do wonders for you as can a Facebook page. Hence, it’s just as well that social media marketing has grown and changed through the last decade. As social media platforms have multiplied, so have the tactics and methods of various companies. Let’s take a look into how social media marketing has changed in the last ten years. How Social Media Has Changed in the Past Decade Social media has changed more than just in terms of the number of platforms. Of course, that has been a huge influence as well. Today, there are possibly hundreds of social media networks around the world. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and Tiktok are the major players. These apps all have either billions or hundreds of millions of active monthly users. Hence, companies can market their products and services to customers on platforms primed for engagement. Evolution of Social Media Marketing 1.    Read the full article

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Is Content Marketing Dead? 6 Reasons Why It has to Evolve

Content marketing has evolved through the decades to become much different than what it was before. You can’t just put up the same kinds of blogs or web pages that you did before. You can’t hope that a simple poster or a sale will do all the work anymore. The two most profitable sales days on Earth are Amazon’s Prime Day in the US and Alibaba’s Single’s Day in China. They bring in billions in sales in 24 hours. The latter goes out of its way to make people think of it as a holiday. Mere blog posts and web pages can’t generate that kind of excitement. Hence, what does content marketing entail today? What will it have to evolve to, to survive? How Has Content Marketing Evolved in the 2010s? In 2011, Google came out with a study called the Zero Moment of Truth. It found that 88% of shoppers use the Zero Moment of Truth. That’s the discovery and awareness stage in a cycle to buy anything from a phone to a blanket. This is where the consumer researchers the product by themselves. Here, word of mouth and personal research plays a huge part in whether the product is bought or not. The study became the basis of content marketing for companies throughout the 2010s. It pushed companies to focus on SEO and to create rich content for their products and services. That was followed by Google’s algorithms' evolution to track genuine content and separate it from the noise out there. Soon keyword stuffing, white fonting, and other tricks to fool algorithms were out. Read the full article

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How to Choose the Right Keywords to Market Your Online Business?

Keywords are said to be the foundation upon which SEO stands. They’re the hooks that search engines bite to deliver the users to the right content. Search engines like Google have used keywords to fish for content since the early days. However, a lot has changed since then. With the migration of nearly all major business to the online space, keywords are now part of digital marketing. Online marketing is now dependent on more than just keywords, of course. However, inserting the right keywords on your web page is still a great way to attract new customers. If you’re a business just starting, here is the 411 on how to choose the right keywords for your online business.  Keywords are a Huge Part of the Buyer’s Journey Keywords are now a huge part of content marketing. Choosing them has to be focused on how you can get someone to buy your product or subscribe to your service. The typical journey a buyer takes is from potential customer to the actual customer. To sell them something, you have to think like them. Hence, to choose the right keywords, you have to think like a customer. The buyer’s journey is usually broken into a few basic steps: Awareness When a potential customer realises that a company or business can satisfy a want or need; that’s called realisation. When they begin to research and browse around a website or look up a company on Google, it could also be just to check out how a competitor stacks up against their current favourite. Read the full article

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Are Social Media Users Exploited? 6 Ways We Can Change All That

As you may be aware, WhatsApp announced its new terms of service. They included new conditions which allowed the App to share data with Facebook, its parent company. If users wanted to use the App’s services still, they would have to comply with the change before February 8th, 2021. Users were not happy since the allure of WhatsApp was the end-to-end encryption and the apparent privacy. However, since Facebook had acquired the company in 2014, this was bound to happen at some point. What’s worse is that the App was probably already sharing users’ information with Facebook since 2016. An update in August of that year began sharing metadata and user information with Facebook. You could’ve chosen to opt-out of the feature at the time, but that option is no longer there. While certain users are now migrating to alternatives like Telegram and Signal, WhatsApp has over 1 billion users. A mass exodus of that size isn’t possible in a few days. Users will have to choose between the privacy policy and the fact that most of their social circle is on WhatsApp. Social media networks have grown so big that it’s become impossible to boycott them completely, and this is where the problem lies. How Does Social Media Exploit Its Users? Social media is an indispensable and essential part of life now. Even people that don’t have social media profiles use messaging apps like Messenger, WhatsApp, etc. Read the full article

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What Is the Importance of Cloud Computing for Online Businesses?

Cloud computing has become a staple for online businesses today. It doesn’t just allow businesses to store information and increase processing power but also to scale it. Cloud computing enables businesses to maintain maximum uptime and provide their services to clients across the world. Not only that, but cloud computing also allows businesses to save huge sums of money on infrastructure, maintenance, security, and overall capital costs. By switching to an OpEx structure, cloud computing allows businesses to operate as efficiently as possible. Overall, cloud computing for smallbusinesses allows them to compete with larger businesses by granting access to previously unavailable infrastructure. Let’s take a look at exactly how that all happens. Most Common Applications of Cloud Computing for Small Businesses According to a survey, there has been an 83% increase in cloud computing adoption in the UK since 2010. According to Statista, the UK government spent almost GBP 1.32 billion on cloud computing services in 2019. Here are just some of the services that cloud computing provides to companies to make it so essential. 1.    Infrastructure-as-a-Service/Platform-as-a-Service(IaaS/PaaS) IaaS grants access to storage, compute, and network resources to companies on a pay-as-you-go basis. These third-party vendors use their infrastructure to lend storage space or processing power. Plans can be both monthly, or annual depending on the payments made. Read the full article

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How Will 5G Change Digital Marketing Forever?

5G is the next step in digital connectivity after 4G. While the technology isn’t available in most countries around the world, the roll-out is slowly happening. 5G will ensure faster internet download and upload speeds for sure. However, what will it do beyond that? 3G and 4G have done wonders for marketing opportunities around the world. What will 5G do to improve that further? To understand that, first, let’s see what base advantages the technology brings. What Will 5G Do for Connectivity? 5G runs on a higher frequency than 4G. In essence, it can carry much more information than 4G, yet its short-wavelength ensures that it doesn’t have a lot of range. That is one of its limitations. However, with time, this will get better anyway. As for its advantages, they far outweigh the drawbacks. Faster Speeds This is a no-brainer. Of course, 5G will be faster than 4G. Transmission speeds right now are peaking at 15-20 Gbps in ideal scenarios. That means orders of magnitude faster uploads and downloads. A study by RootMetrics has shown the performance of three UK mobile operators in different cities. EE has speeds of up to 388.4 Mbps in London, while Three, has speeds of up to 478.1 Mbps in Liverpool. Vodafone clocks in at 402.2 Mpbs in London as well. A fourth member, O2, clocks in at 287.2 Mbps in Edinburgh, Scotland. The availability of 5G is sparse at the moment, peaking at 40.2% in Birmingham, with Belfast in second place at 37.4%. Read the full article

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10 Strategies to Make Your Web SEO Compatible with Voice Search

According to Adobe, 48% of web searches were voice-based in 2019. In 2020, that number was poised to grow even greater. Hence, businesses around the world should start optimising their websites for voice-based search.  The Popularity of Voice Search Has Surged The popularity of voice search is undeniable. Ever since the introduction of voice assistants on smartphones, nearly every smartphone, smart wearable, and smart speaker use voice search. In 2020, it estimated that 4.2 billion voice-enabled devices were being used. According to forecasts, 2024 will see the number of voice-enabled devices grow to 8.4 billion. At the moment, there are myriad voice assistants and smart devices that allow you to voice search. However, the dominant voice search devices are still smartphones. Nevertheless, using voice search as a medium and voice as output is on the rise. So here are 10 strategies that businesses can use to optimise their websites for voice search. 10 Strategies to Optimise Your Website for Voice Search 1.    Use Long-Tail Keywords Long-tail keywords are the backbone of SEO. You already know that long keywords tend to be more effective when it comes to attracting new users. However, for voice search SEO, you will need to double down on this. Voice-based queries have a conversational tone. Hence, they tend to be longer than normal, condensed, text-based queries. Incorporating the keywords in these queries would help your SEO tremendously.  2.    Read the full article

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6 Benefits of Agile Marketing

According to Consultancy.org, half of the companies around the world apply agile methodologies in their marketing. While it has its roots in the world of software, it’s being applied in many fields around the world. Businesses have taken advantage of this methodology and beefed up its marketing stats and strategies to great returns. A study by Organize Agile showed 19 companies worldwide had been using Agile for three years or more. The agile method involves having scrum sessions, and HR teams work in agile fashions, and project managers employ agile practices. So, should you apply the agile methodology to marketing in your business? The answer is in the details of the methodology itself. Let’s examine what the core components of the agile methodology are first. What are the Values of Agile Marketing? Responding to Change Agile marketing doesn’t require you to write 30-40 page long documents and plans. However, every quarter, a single, overarching plan is specified. This includes goals and aspirations that brings everyone on the same page. Then, every two to four weeks, priorities are reset depending on the progress made. Breaking this process down into smaller time frames is what the agile methodology is all about. Rapid Iterations Traditional marketing goes for a campaign to be run 3-6 months a year. With agile marketing, there is a different approach. It’s called the iterative approach. Read the full article

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How Will 5G Change Digital Marketing Forever?

5G is the next step in digital connectivity after 4G. While the technology isn’t available in most countries around the world, the rollout is slowly happening. 5G will ensure faster internet download and upload speeds for sure. However, what will it do beyond that? 3G and 4G have done wonders for marketing opportunities around the world. What will 5G do to improve that further? To understand that, first, let’s see what base advantages the technology brings. What Will 5G Do for Connectivity? 5G runs on a higher frequency than 4G. In essence, it can carry much more information than 4G, yet its short-wavelength ensures that it doesn’t have a lot of range. That is one of its limitations. However, with time, this will get better anyway. As for its advantages, they far outweigh the drawbacks. Faster Speeds This is a no-brainer. Of course, 5G will be faster than 4G. Transmission speeds right now are peaking at 15-20 Gbps in ideal scenarios. That means orders of magnitude faster uploads and downloads. Low Latency At the moment, 4G has a latency of about 5-20ms. That corresponds to the delay in receiving information. 5G will get that latency down to 1ms. This means the near-instant transmission of information resulting in remote software activation with virtually no lag. 5G will allow controlling sophisticated equipment like surgical tools and robotic arms, etc. virtually. Read the full article

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What Can AR and VR Do for Digital Marketing?

AR and VR are two technologies that are intrinsically linked today. They are being used for niche applications like mapping and gaming. However, they’re also being used in the advertising space as well. AR digital marketing is being used to sell things like furniture or clothes or even tourism. With the COVID-19 pandemic still forcing people to stay at home, there are great opportunities for AR and VR devices to target their customers. Social distancing, quarantine and fear of catching the virus have shut a lot of people away from the outside world. With more people relying on digital purchases and contactless payments, it’s time for AR and VR to play their part. So here are 7 ways in which AR and VR will transform digital marketing. 1.    Try Before You Buy The two things that people are most terrified of buying without trying are clothes and furniture. The former includes shows or any item that you have to wear. For electronics and games and other items that don’t require wearing, it doesn’t matter as much. However, the in-store experience has yet to be replicated. For older shoppers and consumers, and even for younger consumers, this is imperative. Hence, AR and VR will play a huge part in try before you buy digital marketing. Augmented reality advertisements have already become real. They allow you to use the AR capabilities of your phones to measure yourself for clothes. Read the full article

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The Internet of Things and Its Impact on Digital Marketing

IoT is making a massive impact on marketing around the world. While the technology hasn’t been completely rolled out yet, the pieces are coming together. 5G is being rolled out, and smart technology is being used in everything from cars to light switches. However, the impact of IoT digital marketing will differ from anything that has come before. Since IoT provides constant streams of data to marketers, it will allow for real-time marketing and greater opportunities. How is IoT Making an Impact? The impact that IoT digital marketing will have on the marketing world, in general, is unheard of. Already, IoT is helping businesses gather more data about their clients and customers. This makes it easier to design products and services that are more in tune with customer needs and demands. Savvy business owners, managers and marketers will be using this technology for years to come to make their jobs easier. IoT is also helping companies to market their product and services better. Since they’re able to collect more data from their customers, they’re able to market in certain ways that weren’t obvious before. This makes it easier to market products and services with success. Certain industry insiders do argue that IoT will revolutionise marketing within a year. Read the full article

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How Will Smart Wearables Impact Social Media Marketing?

For a smartwatch, social media doesn’t exist the way it does on a smartphone or tablet. The smaller size and fewer options to access a wearable make it a challenge to market something to a user. Sure, the health and fitness niche has been captured by the smartwatch and the smart wearable market. Yet, no other industry has managed to influence the smart wearable market. In the future, as smart wearables become more universal, a new marketing culture will begin to take root. This will allow for smart wearables to form their own niche in SEO and social media marketing. It will be similar to a smartphone being showed different results when it searches for a solution compared to a laptop. What Does Wearable Technology Entail? Wearable technology will change the way that we interact with the internet and with social media. The change is already happening. With millions of Apple Watches, Fitbits and Android Wear devices being sold every year, the shift is coming. First, the way we receive notifications is changing. We only need to raise our hands now to receive any notable message or update from social media. Since the screens of wearables are smaller than those of phones, only the most important information can be displayed there. This may lead social media notifications and marketing to re-size notifications and edit them down to essentials. Pay-per-click ads and banners may become obsolete, at least for the wearables industry. Read the full article

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Social Media Marketing: 7 Ways It has Evolved in the Past Decade

10 years doesn’t sound like that far back in time. However, we have seen technology advance considerably since. In 2010, Orkut and Friendster still existed. There was no such thing as Snapchat or Twitch. Services like Uber, Bitcoin, and Airbnb were still in their infancy, the first iPad had just been launched, driverless cars only existed in fiction, and quite a few people still read newspapers. As you can see, a lot has changed over the decade. And this is especially so in the realm of social media marketing. Here are 7 ways how social media has evolved in the past 10 years. 1.  The Centricity of Data A decade ago, most brands approached social media marketing in the same way as traditional marketing. Getting a higher reach was a bigger focus than reaching the right audience. Data Science has now become a buzz word within the industry. Marketing relied more on intuitions rather than data-generated insights. However, as competition on the channel increased, so did individual reach and engagement decrease. It forced companies to focus more on audience targeting to keep their marketing costs low. The utilisation of data was key in this regard. It helped marketers better reach out to the right people and monitor performance more easily. Social media companies also realised the shifting trend and rolled out free analytics features to better aid marketers on their platforms. 2. Read the full article

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7 Surprisingly Positive Effects of Social Media on Your Mental Health

For many today, it is hard to imagine a life without social media. Be it to remain connected with friends and family, to better reach out to one’s customers, or to share with others whatever it is on one’s mind. Today, over half of humanity is actively using social media. With that said, while it has greatly enhanced the ways we communicate with one another, it has also given rise to several negative mental health effects – including, loneliness, feeling of low self-esteem, and chronic depression. However, recent studies are showing that social media usage isn’t as one-sided as we once believed it to be; in fact, it has its own set of positive influences on one’s life as well. Curious to know? Here are 7 surprisingly positive effects of social media on your mental health. 1. Normalises Help-Seeking Behaviour Not all of us are comfortable with sharing our feelings with our real-life friends and family. Or, it could well be that while we are open, those close to us find it difficult to understand our ordeal. Social media can serve as a safe space to connect. A place where you can seek support from people who understand or have shared your experience. It can be done completely anonymously too! One of the biggest reasons for the reluctance to share our feelings is the fear of being judged and straining one’s relationship with another. You can create an alt-identity on social media and connect with complete strangers. Read the full article

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Keep Selling and Providing Value – How Do I Serve My Community?

COVID-19 is making its mark on all types of industries, from global supply chains to government institutions. You can expect a sudden turn of events as a new wave of volatility sweeps the stock market. Numerous international events have gotten postponed and cancelled, and cross-border travel restrictions are making a dent in the plans of people from all spheres. However, not all is lost for certain industries – marketing and sales is one of them. Salespersons are one of those professionals that can still power your business in these dark times. 1.     Expand Your “Stock” As the world has been caught in a frenzy of stocking up on supplies, you can also increase your stock of sales leads. Instead of waiting for the pandemic to end, now is a good time to dedicate your time to lead generation and research extensively to obtain valuable customer insights. Even if you are confident COVID-19 is not affecting your business, the future holds no guarantee. The overall damage done by the outbreak can make its way to your business. Therefore, you can make the most out of this time by growing a deeper pool of prospective clients. 2.     Rebuild Your Solutions At this time, your prospects might have several concerns and pain points related to COVID-19. Try to find an angle on how your products and services can address their COVID-19 concerns. For instance, a large number of organisations have enforced the work-from-home policy. Read the full article

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How Can We All Get Through this together? Using Facebook Groups to Help Each Other

Last month, Facebook announced a $100 million program, which is aimed to assist small businesses that have been hit by the COVID-19. The use of Facebook is increasing quickly during the pandemic. The company revealed that healthcare professionals and community leaders are utilising the platform to raise awareness about coronavirus. In the UK, one million users have joined 1,000 coronavirus local support groups. As a business owner, this is an ideal time for you to use Facebook Groups for engaging and connecting with your customers. After all, research says that over 10% of people, who have joined Facebook Groups, refer to them as “very meaningful”. Modern consumers expect a higher level of interaction with their favourite brands on social media. While businesses can communicate with customers via Facebook Pages, Facebook Groups allow them to deliver a more personalised experience. It is easier for companies to inspire and build a community through Facebook Groups than any other social media platform. As a business owner, here is how you can make the most of Facebook Groups during the coronavirus period. 1.     Make Your Customers Feel Valued Customer satisfaction is the key to business success. While product and service quality has an impact on customer satisfaction, do not underestimate the power of customer engagement. During these testing times, many businesses are operating from home. Read the full article

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Be a Boss and Take the Lead – What Action We Can All Take?

The COVID-19 threat does not seem to end any sooner. As countries around the globe take a battering due to the pandemic situation, it is a tricky period for leaders belonging to businesses of all scales. Managing change is one of the most important leadership skills. Here is what leaders need to do during this crisis and come out stronger than before. Consider the Reality Now is an ideal time to embrace the Stockdale Paradox. A few decades ago, Admiral Stockdale from the U.S. managed to survive for over 8 years as a prisoner of war. He succeeded because he stayed positive without adopting blind optimism – a mindset that devoured many of his fellow prisoners. Similarly, you can’t deny the harsh reality known as COVID-19. Keep track of the brutal facts and quick changes within your business. Communicate the bitter truth directly with your team members. Adopt Flexible Work Policies If your organisation has not yet mandated work from home for employees, then do bear in mind that many under your command would want to work from home, even if some employees have no issues in coming to the office. Instead of enforcing a specific course of action, give your employees the flexibility to choose what is ideal for them. If your employees begin working from home, then you need to equip them with suitable tools, so their productivity is not affected. Empower Managers with Support Managers are the frontline employees that are tasked to supervise teams during an outbreak. Read the full article