More and more everyday objects are becoming voice-enabled, meaning the popularity of voice assistants is going to soar and become normalised very soon. Marketers need to think about how they structure their web content if they want to answer voice queries. That’s the trick to being found by Alexa, Siri and the rest.
Where to begin? Matt Duhig from FX Digital recommends:
TIP 1: Make your content discoverable by taking into account voice assistants when structuring your website. Use speakable markup to indicate which sections of your site are best suited to text-to-speech conversion. Also structuring your content in short FAQ format, higher up the page increases the likelihood of being found by voice assistants.
TIP 2: Utilise Alexa Blueprints to get started. Blueprints are templates that customise or create a skill much more simply and easily than starting from scratch. A skill is just like a phone app, but for voice. After creating them you can upload to the Alexa Skills Store for customers to download and use.
There may be more data in the world than ever, but it’s becoming more usable and accessible. The scale can still be overwhelming, though. Marketers today need to be savvy – not just about collecting good data, but about how to manage and best utilise it.
How to tackle a huge subject like this? Luke Grimes from ANS Group recommends:
TIP 1: Don’t be afraid of data tools. There are plenty of platforms to analyse and visualise data. Some of the best include Power BI, Google Data Studio and machine learning within Amazon Web Services. Best of all, they’re easy for a non-data professional to understand and use.
TIP 2: Keep an eye on data integrity, because saving information on a ton of separate platforms or in different formats is far from ideal. Try to keep it in one place for a single customer view. This makes it easier to spot trends and patterns, as well as contact audiences with specific messaging.
Automation is evolving and spreading to almost any tech we use. Phone, social, direct mail and other platforms are all being grouped under single, automated systems, which take the manual work off your hands. Marketers should rejoice: you’ll be doing less of the dull stuff and more of what you love.
Ready to get started? Adam Oldfield from Force24 recommends:
TIP 1: Embrace your role in deliverability. Engagement rates are an indicator of quality and now factored into deliverability of emails. So as well as maintaining clear, up-to-date customer lists, make sure your content is top quality so emails continue to land with your audience.
TIP 2: Set specific goals. Define your objective at the outset and work backwards. Rather than aiming to ‘sell more’, try ‘re-engage lapsed customers by educating them about our latest product range’. By being specific, your content and targeting will naturally be better – and your results.
Display ads play a part in most marketers’ campaigns, but with increasing restrictions on using third party data and increased format possibilities as the UK adopts a 5G network – big changes are coming.
What should you do first though? Tom Bowen from Clickoo recommends:
TIP 1: Build your own quality data lists. Rules and regulations such as GDPR are clamping down on those that source personal data from other companies. Use polls, quizzes and gated content to gather it yourself.
TIP 2: Create more videos and interactive ads. The roll out of 5G will open up a range of new formats, so you’ll be able to create more immersive and interactive ads. And with the faster processing of data you’ll be able to personalise content in real-time.
Social media can deliver some of the most dynamic and authentic content of your campaigns. However, it’s not the Wild West anymore – stricter regulation is coming. The government is deciding how to police ads and organic uploads. It’ll become essential to check the facts around any claim, including potential copyright infringement.
Want to kickstart a better social strategy for 2020? Sam Jones from Tunafish Media recommends:
TIP 1: Evolve the format of your content. Gifs and memes will become increasingly personalised as well as featuring staff and brand imagery. Experiment with formats such as animations and captions, as well as 3D ads. The further you push yourself creatively, the more you’ll stand out and stay ahead.
TIP 2: Reach out to micro influencers, who may already be using your brand and carry more trust than celebrity endorsements. Split your budget over as many as you can, instead of splurging all of your influencer budget for one big name.