So, what are the marketing trends you need to know this week? There are definitely numerous strategies that we can implement, but don’t get too overwhelmed! For example, let’s look at mobile marketing. Did you know that the number of smartphone users in the United States last year is estimated to reach 275.66 million? Looking at this, we can focus on having our website optimized for mobile. Are the images displayed properly? Will the mobile users have a good experience while navigating your website through their smartphones? Have you included a CTA button that the user can conveniently see and click? Focus on which one to optimize and what works for your brand, and the rest will follow.
WordPress Powers 39.5% of All Websites
WordPress is now powering 39.5% of all websites in 2021, up from powering 35% of sites in 2020.
Counting only sites that use a content management system (CMS), WordPress has a market share of 64.1%. A significant number of websites (38.3%) use no content management system at all.
This data is provided by W3Techs which tracks usage statistics of web technologies, including content management systems (CMS), operating systems, web hosting providers, top level domains, and more.
WordPress has a commmanding lead as the most popular CMS, with Shopify coming in at a distant second with 3.2% market share.
Although Shopify is designed for ecommerce, it’s not the most popular ecommerce CMS on the market. That title also goes to WordPress.
What do you mean? I thought WordPress was for blogging?
Saying WordPress is a blogging platform means disregarding all the plugins site owners can use to turn their website into almost anything they want it to be.
Take the WooCommerce plugin, for example, which is used by 4.9% of all websites. Given WooCommerce is exclusive to WordPress sites, that makes WordPress the most popular CMS for ecommerce. Not Shopify.
WooCommerce powers over 28.19% of all online stores and is the most popular plugin on the entire internet with 68% usage distribution.
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/wordpress-powers-39-5-of-all-websites/391647/
Facebook Ads Trends for 2021 for Better Returns on Ad Spend
#1: Style Facebook Ads to News Feed Posts
While I’m going to share some very specific tactics for Facebook ads, this first trend is more of a big-picture one. When you run Facebook ad campaigns, always consider modeling your ad content to what people typically see in the news feed.
The best ads I’ve come across—and those I’ve run for my business—match the news feed in terms of copy and imagery, making the ads feel more like organic posts. The ads blend in with the other feed content so people are more likely to stop scrolling and read them.
And while you want your ads to match the news feed, they should also stand out. The rest of this article explores some techniques that will help you do that.
#2: Relax Your Grammar
Many advertisers use stuffy language in their ads, so one Facebook ad trend you may want to try is loosening up your grammar. Remember that Facebook is a casual platform so less formal ad copy is okay.
If your target demographic is in their 20s or 30s, for example, think about how they write when they text their friends and try to match that style. It’s a fun experiment and sometimes it works really well. For instance, people in their 20s tend to use sentence fragments in their texts and don’t use a lot of punctuation. If your Facebook ad copy reflects their texting style, you might see your results improve.
Of course, if it would feel too off-brand to defy the basic rules of grammar or drop punctuation, don’t do it. However, if your brand has a more casual vibe, try experimenting with this technique.
https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/facebook-ads-trends-2021-for-better-returns-on-ad-spend/
LinkedIn Shares New Usage Insights for Your 2021 Planning [Infographic]
Like all social platforms, LinkedIn saw increased usage in 2020, with video content, in particular, gaining momentum, and driving more conversations in the app. And while the focus of LinkedIn has long been B2B, it’s also gaining ground in other areas, which could provide more opportunity for brand outreach and connection in the months ahead.
As you map out your 2021 approach, LinkedIn has this week provided some new usage stats, in order to state its case for increased focus and investment.
Among the key points of note:
- Professionals are signing up to join LinkedIn at a rate of nearly 3 new members per second.
- There are 2.9 million groups on LinkedIn, which include industry and interest communities, company and university alumni groups, and professional associations.
- LinkedIn Live streams have increased 89% since March.
When is the Best Time to Send Marketing Emails? (with pre-send checklist)
Email Marketing Trends and the Future of Email Marketing
First, you should check if your email marketing incorporate some of the latest trends and innovations in this field, such as:
- Inclusion of user-generated content – Many marketers are letting customers speak for themselves as part of an influential form of marketing. By containing information contained in recent product reviews or testimonials, the company can provide authentic information from customers that may encourage additional sales from email leads.
- Interactive content – With today’s advances, you can easily add animated buttons, linked calls to actions, product carousels users control, surveys, polls, and other interactive content.
- Voice assistant-enabled content – Because there will be more voice assistants in households and businesses, smart businesses will tailor their content so that these assistants can easily read them.
- Scheduled emails – Even if you prepare your marketing messages ahead of time, you do not have to send them out right away. You can use data to ensure that you send out your message at the best time to send marketing emails.
- Analysis of emails – Email marketing software providers have access to more data that shows critical information, such as, which email campaigns lead to the most success and open rates. This trend allows you to customize your message so that it is tailored to different market segments.
When is the Best Time to Send Marketing Emails?
Before you send your marketing email, be sure that you schedule it to be sent at an optimal time. The best time to send marketing emails is the time when your prospective or existing customers will be more likely to open the email, click on your links, and ultimately make a purchase.
- 12 a.m. to capture people who open their emails as soon as they wake up
- 1 p.m. for people to check after they finish their lunch
- 4 p.m. for people who are looking for distractions at the end of the work day
Tuesday was found to be the most popular day for people to open their emails.
However, you should carefully consider the habits of your potential customers and the optimal times to reach them.
https://nealschaffer.com/best-time-to-send-marketing-emails/
Time-Saving Tips, Checklists, and Templates to Conquer Content Marketing Goals in 2021
Turn strategy development into a group activity
Rather than thinking of strategy development as a solo effort and later opening it up for debate and deconstruction throughout the enterprise, why not try making it a collaborative affair from the start?
Illustrate your intentions to secure executive support
Developing your strategy is an important first step; but the key is communicating with the decision makers using terms that business leaders understand and relate to.
Set the stage for easier editorial management
A well-detailed creative brief can help you minimize content conundrums with external contributors (and even your internal content creators). It also can help you maintain a consistent voice and value proposition across all your brand’s content offerings.
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2020/12/tips-checklists-templates-conquer-goals/
Paid Media Marketing in 2021: 8 Changes Marketers Should Make
Paid media has one job: to lift your brand.
And as digital marketing evolves, so too will your strategy.
So how should you change your paid media strategy in 2021?
Here are eight changes you can incorporate without a second thought.
1. Getting Passing Ads to Convert
Passing ads are a growing sector of the paid media world.
This is evidenced by the recent evolution of Instagram Reels as well as the widespread popularity of sources like TikTok, Instagram stories, and Facebook stories.
Basically, if it passes through the user’s streaming or browsing session, you can consider it a passing ad (or passive ). Up to you! =)
So how do you get these types of ads to pay off, both in the short and long term?
These types of advertisements have their own playing field.
They must be quick, relevant, and (ultimately) conversion-oriented.
A few specific types of ads work best here:
- Organic-seeming ads are best. You want your audience to presume you’re someone they follow, even if they don’t. You want them to think this is a regular product or service offering update, even if it’s not.
- Include post links or swipe-up links whenever possible. The easier you make it for folks to find you, the better.
- The first second matters most. Include audio when relevant and make your offering known right away. Your personality should be obvious at first glance.
- Cross-promote. If you share a product video on Instagram Reels, upload it to your story and your feed. If you have a TikTok, share the video there, too.
- Use them to build a remarketing audience of “viewers” and “engagers” and “clicks.”
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/paid-media-marketing-changes/389319/
The Best Reason to Start a Blog in 2021
The world needs YOU.
And you need a blog to provide you the platform and home-base for your content and your community – to make the world a better place.
Why Should You Start a Blog?
1. Improve Other People’s Lives
One of the big benefits of blogging is the potential to make the world we live in a better place. And while not all blogs do this, many do in their own small way.
My blogs are about photography and blogging. They’re not topics that will make a major difference on a global scale. But I know that after publishing content every day for 15 years my blogs have made a difference to the lives of many.
A few years ago I shared a post here on ProBlogger about how a person came up to me recently at a conference and credited ProBlogger with saving their marriage. And others shared how they’d build significant businesses through coming across things we’d published.
Blogging can change your life as a blogger in many ways. But the experience is even more meaningful and rewarding when you realise it can be also used to inspire, educate, and give others a sense of belonging.
It also provides lots of opportunities to shine the light and lend your voice to other worthwhile causes. One of my own highlights from blogging came when I had the opportunity to travel to Tanzania and see the work of an amazing organisation working with people with disabilities in that country.
2. Build Community
Isolation has really brought home to me the fact that we humans are social creatures. We need community to sustain us, just as a blog needs a community to sustain it. By building a community around your blog you are not only creating something beneficial for others, but for yourself too.
Marketing Predictions for 2021
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