Trends in Digital Marketing for 2024
Why do you want to read about trends in digital marketing in 2024?
Because in today’s dynamic digital space, blending in is not an option.
As we journey deeper into 2024, the marketing landscape undergoes a seismic transformation, propelled by technological breakthroughs, shifting consumer preferences, and an ever-intensifying battle for attention. Get ready for an enlightening expedition as we delve into the heart of these changes in our comprehensive guide.
Organic social media
Winning the War of Attention and Retention
Social media platforms have become a battleground, with each one vying for users’ attention and loyalty. In 2024, we anticipate a significant shift in focus from engagement rate to retention rate. Brands will need to create longer more captivating, and creative content to encourage audience retention and ensure their message stands out amidst the noise.
To succeed in this highly competitive landscape, brands must understand the psychology of attention and leverage techniques that foster engagement and loyalty. Consider incorporating gamification elements, interactive storytelling, or immersive experiences to captivate your audience and encourage them to spend more time engaging with your content.
Use platforms such as TikTok Creative Centre, Answer the Public, etc. to assist with your content and trending search ideas.
The New Search Engine for Gen-Z
With approximately 40% of Gen-Z using platforms like TikTok and Instagram for search purposes instead of traditional search engines like Google, optimising your social media content for search engines is becoming increasingly crucial. Incorporating relevant keywords and metadata into your social media posts can significantly boost your brand’s visibility and reach.
Our best point of call would be to conduct thorough keyword research and analysis to identify the terms and phrases your target audience is using to search for information related to your products or services. Integrate these keywords strategically into your social media content, captions, hashtags, and metadata. Additionally, leverage the power of social listening tools to monitor conversations and trends within your industry, allowing you to create timely and relevant content that resonates with your audience.
Securing your brand's online presence
TAKE the PROACTIVE APPROACH
As social media platforms continue to evolve and new ones emerge, it’s crucial for brands to proactively secure their online presence. Even if you’re not actively using a particular platform yet, our recommendation is to claim your brand’s username to safeguard your branding efforts and establish a consistent identity across all channels.
Successful brands like Canva and TED Talks have mastered this strategy, ensuring their brand identity remains consistent and recognizable across all channels. By claiming your brand’s presence early, you can prevent impersonation, protect your intellectual property, and ensure a seamless transition should you decide to leverage a new platform in the future.
Embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI)
A Paradigm Shift in Digital Marketing
AI is rapidly transforming the digital marketing landscape, and for the first time, something doesn’t have to be human made to be successful. As AI algorithms continue to learn and improve, it’s essential to trust the process and allow for a test-and-learn phase. Support AI in the learning process by providing segmented audience lists, creative inspirations, and copy ideas to guide machine learning effectively.
While AI will not replace human marketers, those who understand how to leverage AI tools effectively will gain a significant competitive advantage. Invest in upskilling your team and fostering a culture of continuous learning and experimentation with AI technologies. Explore various applications of AI, such as automating repetitive tasks, generating creative content ideas, optimising ad campaigns, and personalizing customer experiences. By embracing AI strategically, you can streamline processes, accelerate results, and unlock new avenues for innovation and growth.
These include tools like Jasper, Descript, Asana, and SaneBox.
Unleashing the power of employee advocacy
Amplifying Your Brand’s Voice
In 2024, we anticipate a significant rise in the utilization of LinkedIn as a platform for employee advocacy. Professionals will not only update their profiles but also share valuable insights, leadership tips, mental health and work-life balance advice, and industry expertise. This trend presents an opportunity for brands to leverage their employees as influential voices, amplifying their message and reaching new audiences.
Implement an employee advocacy program that empowers and encourages your team members to share their expertise, experiences, and insights on social media platforms like LinkedIn. Provide guidelines, training, and resources to ensure consistent messaging and alignment with your brand’s values. Additionally, consider incentivizing and recognizing employees who actively contribute to your brand’s online presence through their advocacy efforts.
How can you do it all?
By staying informed about these digital marketing trends for 2024 and embracing new technologies like AI while maintaining a strategic and measured approach, your marketing agency can position itself as a true thought leader in the industry.
We’re here to unveil the top digital marketing trends destined to mold the industry in 2024, equipping you with actionable insights and strategies to not just survive, but thrive amidst this wave of change. Let’s navigate these shifts together and emerge as trailblazers, poised to conquer the challenges, and seize the opportunities that lie ahead.
Want to stay on top of digital marketing trends this year? Get in touch with our via [email protected] to see how our team of digital experts can help.
Decoding Social Media Success.
Let’s talk about the Power of Data-Driven Strategies for Unbreakable Audience Connections
Let’s be real, in today’s crowded social media space, it takes more than a few fire emojis to truly make waves with your audience. Simply gaining more than 100 likes is kid’s play – the real MVPs know that genuine engagement is where the magic happens. It’s time to ditch those vanity metrics and start unlocking the hidden power of data to forge epic connections that keep your audience hooked.
Are you ready to go all-in on cracking the social media? Here’s how we’re helping our clients level up.
Mining the comment section
Likes and shares are nice, but true fans bring the heat in the comments section.
By analysing those juicy conversation threads, you can gauge what really resonates with your crew and build a raving fan base that can’t get enough of your brand. The comments are a goldmine of unfiltered audience feedback – pay close attention to the language, pain points and inside jokes your die-hards are dropping. Then you can serve up more of the content they crave while fostering a tight-knit community.
Take it a step further by leveraging AI to identify your most influential brand advocates through comment sentiment analysis. This vocal minority is invaluable for crowdsourcing ideas and getting an authentic pulse on your audience. Nurture these VIFs (Very Influential Fans) through personal engagement, making them feel like part of your inner circle. When you mobilize your biggest supporters as co-creators, you’ll stay ahead of trends while building an unstoppable force of brand evangelists.
Quality over quantity
Who wants random accounts casually double-tapping?
Smart cookies monitor engaged followers per post to cultivate a devoted squad that’s locked in and ready to binge on your premium content. That’s how you foster a loyal tribe that drives the meaningful interactions money can’t buy.
Define your ideal audience personas down to the most granular interests, in-jokes and online habits. Then, create pillar content and optimised posting schedules tailored specifically for this core tribe. Every caption, visual and video should feel like it was meticulously crafted just for them.
When you nail this hyper-relevant niche affinity, you’ll inspire a rabidly devoted community that organically amplifies your brand across every social platform. They’ll create viral user-generated content, passionately defend you, and even permanently sport your logo on their bodies. That’s the kind of priceless promotion money can’t buy.
The conversion content game
Sure, clicks give that instant gratification, but to really need to optimise those CTAs.
Study your audience’s behaviour flow to craft irresistible calls-to-action that compel them to take the actions that move the needle. But optimisation is an iterative process that requires relentless testing. Deploy variations of CTA copy, visual treatments, formatting and placements. Simultaneously, create tailored CTAs for distinct audience segments and sales funnel stages to maximize contextual relevance.
For in-the-moment mobile usage, trigger impulse clicks with bold, concise CTAs that pack a visual punch. For deep engagement with brand superfans, build curiosity through long-form caption storytelling that provides a scintillating build-up release towards your call-to-action.
With insightful creative applied to granular audience tendencies, you’ll catalyze lucrative micro-conversions while accelerating macro-conversion rates.
Blowing the roof off your reach
While your current following is important, the true opportunity lies in your data.
Your follower count is just the start – While your current following is important, the true opportunity lies in leveraging data to uncover viral growth potential and forge connections with new audiences. By identifying your most shareable content and mapping audience interests, you can strategically expand into relevant communities and exponentially amplify your brand’s sphere of influence.
Don’t simply syndicate the same content across every channel. Instead, design channel-specific content optimised to strike viral cultural chords unique to each platform’s environment. On Twitter, hone in on exploiting the latest meme format craze with your own on-brand spin. On Instagram, earn new followers by hopping on emerging aesthetic video trends early.
Collaborations are also a potent way to facilitate audience crossover. Identify complementary creators and brands, then co-create campaigns that unlock immediate access to their fan ecosystems, while offering your tribe something refreshingly new.
When your co-branded activations spark those coveted “suggested” feed impressions, you’ll unleash an unstoppable viral growth trajectory as new pockets of audiences are organically introduced to your brand.
Shaping brand narrative
Becoming a Mind-Reader Positive/negative sentiment is entry-level stuff.
The pro move is leveraging AI analysis to tap into those delicious nuanced vibes. Understanding your audience’s true feelings lets you adapt messaging and personas to resonate on a mind-blowing level.
By analyzing comments, shares, reactions and other engagements, you can categorize emotion into granular spectrums that reveal your audience’s subliminal dispositions, unconscious biases and intrinsic motivations. Were they feeling excited or let down? Was that laughter born of genuine joy or mere schadenfreude?
With those nuanced insights, you can exquisitely tailor your brand messaging, creative concepts and content strategies to forge deeper psychological hooks that stoke your audience’s core desires and personality traits. You can even simulate potential responses across segments prior to launch, tweaking accordingly to optimize for reception.
When you master the emotional resonance game, your hyper-relevance and preternatural attunement to your audience’s psyche will inspire an unmistakable cult-like brand fervor and loyalty that scales your business to perpetuity.
Opportunity is knocking
it’s time to elevate your social media strategy.
The importance of marketing in tough economic times.
Will Australia enter a recession?
If one thing is for certain, it is that with rising interest rates and
stagnant or decreasing savings, consumers have the unpleasant feeling that their disposable
incomes are quickly diminishing.
And what the market thinks is what matters, so learn about the importance of marketing in tough economic times.
Is Australia in recession?
Cutting marketing costs, a shortsighted mistake
Despite enticing marketing, consumer confidence ultimately influences purchasing decisions, with
consumer beliefs outweighing flashy campaigns, shaping economic outlook and spending habits.
In 2023, concerns about the country’s financial state surge, reflected in search queries like “is
Australia in recession” and “cost of living”.
In times of uncertainty, households become cautious, altering spending habits and favoring essential
purchases over indulgences; postponable expenses will be planned for later and treats might
become less frequent. And, in an absolute nightmare for all B2C brands, brand loyalty wavers as
consumers sometimes consider opting for cheaper alternatives.
In response to these market signals, companies often cut costs and postpone investments, too often
making the marketing and communication expenditures their first targets – a shortsighted mistake.
Studies on the rise and fall of companies through financial and economic crises since the 70s have
found patterns in business strategies that have caused the success or failure of businesses. While
cost-cutting is a necessary evil during these times, companies that have maintained their marketing
efforts, emphasised customer experience and adapted their offering, ultimately positioned
themselves for future success.
So, we’re going to share with you our ideas on how to trim your costs in a clever way without jeopardising the success of tomorrow.
Reassess your offering
Start by taking a deep dive into your products and services; how likely are they to be impacted by
the crisis? Which ones have the strongest chance of thriving in this market and which ones should be abandoned for now? Is your core target market strongly hit by the rising cost of living or is it more sheltered than the average population?
Focusing on products or services that have the highest likelihood of resilience and on your core
audience will allow you to concentrate your marketing bucks on them to achieve the best cost-efficiency possible. Other products or services and secondary target markets might have to be tabled until more prosperous times.
Gaining in visibility and market share
As some of your competitors reduce their marketing and advertising efforts, what used to be noisy
markets suddenly become much quieter. This creates opportunities for your business to gain market
share and attract more prospects similar to your existing customers which diversifies your client
base. With fewer active brands, your own advertising costs will ultimately decrease too, providing
more value on your investment. Explore new channels and ad types, reach out to new prospects and
secure yourself the lion’s share to invest in your future growth.
Some digital channels you can test to achieve this are the ones that are designed to yield great reach and awareness at a low cost, such as Google display ads, YouTube ads (if you have video content available), or campaigns on any social platforms that suits your business. Capitalise on competitors reducing their digital marketing efforts, for example by running Google search ads for users looking for their brand names and positioning yourself as an alternative, potentially gaining new customers. You can read more about these different digital channels here.
In the world of PR, companies who continue to invest in an ‘always on’ media relations strategy will
thrive as they have the opportunity to capitalise on a quieter news cycle and speak louder to target
markets which will influencer consumer behaviour.
Branding and core values
Maintaining brand integrity is pivotal amid challenges. Resist the urge to dilute your core values to attract temporary customers to ensure you don’t alienate your loyal ones. Even if the temptation is strong to focus solely on the next day when things get tough, it’s crucial to continue to invest in the long term. If you don’t, you risk losing your loyal customer base by trying to momentarily acquire new customers who won’t serve you long term once there is an up-tick in the market again. Furthermore, you would be running the risk of ruffling some feathers with your competitors, whose markets and positionings you will have entered. Despite limited funds, stabilising your brand and emphasising unique selling points is wise. Learn more about the different ways to support your branding here.
Building new creative assets that go back-to-basics by truly reflecting your brand identity and its elements that people recognise and recall is usually a good idea. These assets, spanning from your website to your marketing collaterals, digital campaigns and social media platforms enhance brand recognition. Balancing adaptability with brand stability ensures sustained customer loyalty and market relevance.
Focus on your customers
While market forces and competitors are beyond your control, maintaining a strong connection with
loyal customers is within your grasp. If you have built and maintained your first-party database over
the years, then utilise this to create a unique dialogue with your core audience, acknowledging their
challenges and expressing gratitude for their support through these tough times. Ensure your
communication adds value, aligns with your brand values and most importantly, is genuine.
Direct channels such as email and SMS marketing, when tailored for VIP customers, can show them
how important they are to you. If you cannot afford offers, simply share meaningful updates about
your company, but always keeping in mind that you have to offer something valuable and not simply
talk about what you want to say. Other ways to care for your clients include improving your website
UX and overall customer experience from the first touch point with your business all the way
through to the after care. Authenticity and value-driven communication form the foundation of
lasting customer relationships, empowering your brand amidst market uncertainties.
Plan for the future
Prepare an implementation plan for post-recovery to outpace your competitors. Embrace innovation, introduce new products or services, messages (but still aligned to your core brand values), campaigns, and brand ambassadors that align with your core values.
By planning for it during the quiet period, you will be the first one ready to implement it when the time is right. By engaging your team in the process and encouraging to envision a bright future, you can boost staff retention and productivity. Companies that have been able to strengthen the bond with their teams during hardships have seen evident signs of increased staff loyalty and advocacy, which allows for a higher quality of work from the existing team and is a fantastic leverage to attracting new talents.
Despite budget constraints, prioritise marketing; it’s vital for survival. Explore cost-effective strategies and leverage your team’s collective creativity.
Ten heads work better than one! If in need of marketing ideas, collaborate with our Sabio team for an obligation-free catch-up or introductory consultation. Stay proactive to ensure your business not only survives, but thrives in the evolving market landscape.
Connect with our Digital Director, Sophie Viallard, via [email protected], to find out how our digital experts can support you.
Social commerce: the future of shopping.
The future of online shopping is here – are you ready for it?
It’s official, the time has come for businesses to meet their customers in their domain. Whether they’re lounging on the couch at home, commuting to work or simply filling in time, consumers are growing hungry for effortless ways to get a hit of those virtual checkout induced endorphins.
And where are your customers hanging out almost every day? Social media.
The context
So, what is social commerce?
A beacon for online businesses, social commerce is the process of selling products through social media outlets – a handy combination of the brilliant elements of ecommerce and social media that we have all come to know and love. Think of it as an extension to your existing storefront, both brick-and-mortar and online, here to help you increase overall brand awareness and revenue.
With COVID-19 turning more customers towards online shopping methods (and forcing new audiences to trust the online world), the use of social commerce has skyrocketed, leaving the ability for customers to have the option of making a purchase within the realm of their social platform more popular than ever. More than a simple sales transaction, social commerce encapsulates the entire customer journey, all the way from product discovery to customer service. The entire buying process is happening right at their fingertips – and we recommend you jump on the bandwagon.
The benefits
Reach new customers daily with an ever-growing audience
If your social journey has already commenced, your brand will likely have begun to foster a community of loyal followers – also known as the perfect target audience to help you achieve those business goals. Not only does implementing social commerce within your marketing strategy offer the opportunity to convert existing audiences into return customers, but it increases the likelihood of garnering new clients. With social platforms currently housing over 4 billion active social media users worldwide, there is an ever-growing market right at your doorstep.
Creating a compelling customer experience that’s unique to social media
Compared to typical ecommerce methods, social commerce offers an interactive experience through a personalised shopping journey that is only possible thanks to the help of social media. Not only can customers get the hit of their social shopping day out by conferring online with friends, but they can show off any new purchase to their personal followings, giving your brand VIP access to your own library of user generated content (USG).
Methods such as USG allow brands to promote their satisfied customers while also showcasing their product range – a win, win that offers you an evergreen content base, while also providing users with a sense of social proof to increase the likelihood of potential customers. There also lies the opportunity for brands to customise their customer experience through engaging with their audiences using community management methods, increasing brand touchpoints and brand trust.
The opportunities
Now, is investing in a social commerce strategy really a necessity for your brand? If you’re looking to drive sales and open up new revenue streams, the short answer is yes.
Social commerce is on track to nearly triple by 2025, boosting it to become a $1.2trillion channel. With the appetite for online shopping growing in popularity across the globe, social media is no longer simply a space for brands to foster a community and build brand awareness. Instead, it’s a powerful avenue available to businesses to directly influence how the average consumer shops (and who they shop with!).
The ability to shop via social media allows customers to readily find new brands to connect with, and new holy-grail products to *add to cart*. You want to make sure your catalogue is ready and waiting to be browsed by the 81% of shoppers that use Instagram and Facebook to window shop during their consideration phase. Offering your online community a no-fuss shopping experience that doesn’t involve a mad dash to their local Westfield also helps to remove barriers or pain points that the everyday customer may face, helping to make the buying process as easy as the tap of a button.
The options
Instagram Shopping
From their discovery feature to collections, Instagram has quickly become a fantastic way for businesses to elevate sales thanks to the platform’s snazzy range of e-commerce features and its visual content focus. With straightforward options that are easy-to-use for both buyer and seller alike, Instagram helps funnel existing followers to your product pages, while also allowing new fans to effortlessly browse your catalogue. To put the playing field that awaits you into context, 130 million people tap on an Instagram shopping post each month, with 44% of users using the platform to shop weekly – all we can say is, wow.
Facebook Shopping
Social media marketing is about making the most of all opportunities that come your way – and we would call Facebook offering businesses the ability to reach over 250 million shoppers through their shop feature a big opportunity. With the mobile-optimised shop also accessible through Instagram, users can have new experiences with your brand and products daily through the likes of custom collections and tags. With one million sellers already taking advantage of the feature, if you don’t jump into the social shopping arena and join them, you’ll be left behind.
Pinterest Shopping
Did you know that 9 out of 10 users visit Pinterest to pin inspiration for their next purchase? Well, you do now!
Users are logging on to save the items that they love as part of the consideration phase of their buying process, and with 64% of pinners visiting the platform just to shop – it’s safe to say purchasing is on their mind. We can all acknowledge that the platform is not the simple hub of DIY ideas and recipes that it was once upon a time, and with options available such as product pins and shopping lists there are countless opportunities for your brand to boost sales.
Opportunity is knocking – it’s time to elevate your social media strategy
Now, we aren’t saying that your product pages and online storefronts will see an influx of customers from near and far without effort on your part. From getting more eyes on your products to driving sale numbers, it’s important to ensure your pages are implementing a strong strategy with clear goals to ensure the success of your social commerce outlets.
If you want to learn more about how you can elevate your social commerce strategy, connect with our Digital Director, Sophie Viallard, via [email protected] to find out how our digital experts can support you.
Use these three Instagram video tools to achieve maximum engagement
Power to content creators as short-form video captivates the world!
As our media-dominated society continues to evolve, so do the platforms we use. Instagram, like all others, is no stranger to an update. Over the years, the app has evolved from a photo sharing tool to a platform that encompasses the most used features of all your go-to social media apps.
Short-form video currently takes the cake, dominating the social media game on platforms such as Instagram (reels) and Tik Tok. Packed with features to create hard-hitting content, short-form video gives content creators the tools needed to get on the trend… and do it right!
According to a survey from HubSpot that interviewed 500 marketing gurus, 85% of marketers say short-form is the most effective video style they leverage. Videos are a unique and effective tool for marketers, opening the door to the limitless potential to influence their audience in a way that sits beyond your average text or image.
Video content is paramount to ensuring engagement on your social profile. But you can’t just post any video.
So how exactly should you use video? Platforms like Instagram host different short-form video options and In-feed, Reels and Instagram Stories are our favourites.
In-feed Videos
In-feed Instagram videos allow for planning and are usually specifically curated as these videos are displayed directly on your grid. In-feed Instagram videos can be up to 60 seconds long and are perfect for interviews, product launches or behind-the-scenes footage.
Instagram Stories
Instagram stories are the playful sister. Perfect for on-a-whim content, Instagram stories are the shortest video format. Truly capturing a moment in time, stories disappear within 24 hours, however you can pin them on a story highlight if you want to make that moment last just a little bit longer. Stories are versatile and can be used to engage with your audience through a conversational informal tone. Whether you are filming yourself talking to your followers or capturing a pretty sunset, stories include a beautiful array of stickers and gifs to help elevate your content to the next level.
From an interaction perspective, Instagram stories include features that allow viewers to engage, quite literally, with your content. From polls and Q&As, to links and hashtags, your audience can tell you exactly what is on their mind. Users can even participate alongside you via Instagram’s new ‘add yours’ sticker, allowing them to join a chain of responses and share their own take on the creators prompt – often these explode worldwide.
Reels
The reel showstopper when it comes to Instagram video tools is Instagram Reels. Instagram’s most recent video tool, reels, allow users to create 30-second multi-clip videos with text, stickers, AR filters and audio. Reels can be used to share highlights from your feed or totally new content. Through Instagram reels, trends are born. Users can collaborate, discover, and challenge other creators – sending shareable moments right across the world.
Warning: Instagram reels are addicting. You will find yourself mindlessly scrolling.
Now that you know what kind of videos you could make, here are our top tips for optimising engagement, no matter the video tool you choose!
- Keep your short-form videos…Short. The same HubSpot research discovered that the Instagram videos that got the most comments averaged just 26 seconds.
- Add an enticing thumbnail. It doesn’t have to be complicated – just choose a slide that matches your brand’s aesthetic. Then just add some text to create a title so the viewer knows what the video is about. This brief title will increase curiosity and persuade people to click to watch
- Simplify the language. If your video includes speech, use simplified language as to not overpower the audience with too much information. Generally speaking, people tend to have a short attention span, so keep all information direct and to the point.
- Play around with the array of video editing tools out there! Instagram itself offers great simplified editing tools on their platform already. You can easily trim videos and add filters or text and not require a third-party application or software.
- Hit them from the first second. Make those first few moments of the video count with a compelling hook right off the bat that encourages people to watch instead of scroll – cut out fillers and waffle and get straight to the good stuff.
- Incorporate engagement features like stickers and polls when creating Stories to really drive up your audience interaction.
Instagram Videos can create multiple opportunities for your online brand. Here are some of our favourites:
- Assists in diversifying your marketing strategy
- Gives you the opportunity for real-time marketing
- Increases sale opportunities
- Great reach and engagement levels
- Can add personality to your brand and is great for brand story telling
So, get creative and play around with the variety of video features that Instagram has to offer. You never know when you might go viral!
Looking to create engaging video content? Get in touch with our Creative Director, Bec Kowald, via [email protected] to see how our team of creatives can help.
Our best practice email marketing trends for 2022
In the ever-changing digital landscape, email marketing remains one of the oldest, yet most effective digital channels of today, with no signs of slowing down in 2022.
Email marketing is often described as “the glue that sticks digital marketing channels together” and is a key platform that can be used to directly communicate with and inform your audiences. With 4 billion email users daily, email marketing continues to stand as one of the most powerful communication tools used to connect and engage online audiences (HubSpot, 2022).
This year presents new opportunities, growth, and innovation for email marketing – so if you aren’t currently harnessing the power of your email marketing strategy, you are ignoring a key channel that otherwise could be utilised to connect with your audience and drive ROI.
To help your brand stand out in a cluttered inbox, stay ahead of competitors and drive conversions this year, we’ve put together our best practice email trends for 2022.
Clean your mailing list regularly
Many people assume that the more subscribers in your database, the better. However, while having a larger audience may be tempting, it can be detrimental to your email campaign – effecting your open rate, click-through rate and ultimately limiting your campaign from driving valuable results.
Removing unengaged contacts is vital to keeping your email database clean, improving your overall deliverability, trusted sender status and ensuring that you are getting an accurate open and click-through rate. Not only will this allow you to remove inactive subscribers but it will also save you money and cut down unnecessary costs – the more subscribers you have, the more expensive it is to run your account.
If you are seeing a high number of bounces, spam complaints, or declining open or click-through rates, that is an indicator it’s time to start cleaning your email lists in 2022. Think quality over quantity!
Utilise sleek email designs
Research shows the average humans attention span is now officially shorter than a goldfish, which means to drive conversions, the design of your email campaign is king. Emails must be visually friendly with eye-catching aesthetics, meaningful copy and a consistent, on-brand look and feel that will be easy for readers to navigate.
The forecasted trends for 2022 highlight a key shift towards efficient, simple, clean graphics – getting rid of unwanted and unnecessary content that may deter viewers. The main rule of thumb? Stick to fewer than three type-faces to avoid clutter and create a seamless visual experience for your audiences and keep your email around 500 to 650 pixels wide for functionality. Remember, it’s all about the aesthetics!
Optimise subject lines and preview text
Hundreds of emails flood your audiences inbox each day – so your email marketing campaign needs to stand out with a killer subject line and compelling preview text to capture the attention of your readers.
Draw in your audiences with a short and snappy subject line that offers a strong call to action and a sense of urgency – then use the preview text that sits underneath to briefly expand on the content of the email and excite your audiences.
Audiences don’t want to read the same message twice, so be sure to differentiate your preview text from your subject line to further engage and entice your readers. As best practice, a subject line should only contain between 30 and 50 characters (including spaces), as email providers will often cut off any text that exceeds this length. Subject lines and preview text could mean the difference between your reader deciding to open or ignore your message – so make it count!
Personalisation
Generic email sends are officially a thing of the past. There, we said it!
In 2022, we’ll see a strong shift towards personalised content that is relevant and tailored to the behaviours of your subscribers. An email campaign that packs personality and personalisation is more likely to appeal to your audiences and drive strong engagement and return on investment (ROI).
Utilise your subscribers data and incorporate custom fields to offer your audiences personalised email greetings, subject lines, and promotions to gain trust and build a relationship with your readers. To connect and resonate with audiences, personalise your “to” and “from fields” in your emails, this assists in ensuring they recognisee your email came from an actual human, rather than just a business. Personalisation will be key in allowing your readers to feel heard and seen, all whilst standing out in their inbox and driving conversions.
Desktop vs mobile
This year mobile phone usage is expected to increase and will continue to overtake desktop. With 60% of emails now being viewed on mobile, ensuring your email is mobile-friendly should be a top priority, rather than an afterthought (Truelist, 2021).
Ensure your call-to-action (CTA) buttons stand out front and centre with contrasting colours and enough padding to ensure that your readers can easily tap their finger through to where you want them to go. “Padding” refers to the spacing that surrounds your button, and if it is structured correctly with enough spacing, it will make it easier for readers to click through to the correct button, rather than using intext links.
Ensuring your email is optimised for dark mode will be key this year, with 91.8% of people now choosing to switch to the dark mode theme since its launch in 2019 (Uplers, 2020). Essentially, dark mode is a user interface theme that displays light text on a dark background, and its use is intended to reduce light exposure and reduce eyestrain. While the popularity of the dark mode continues to grow, you’ll need to pay special attention to your email’s design – and use transparent images wherever possible.
Lastly, test, test, and test again! Be sure to send preview tests and view your emails on multiple devices to ensure your email functions and is formatted correctly across different screens.
Digital marketing is constantly changing and evolving, but email marketing is here to stay. Make certain to keep email marketing at the forefront of your digital strategy to remain competitive, connect with your audiences and drive engagement in 2022.
Want to stay on top of email marketing trends this year? Get in touch with our Digital Director, Sophie Viallard, via [email protected] to see how our team of digital experts can help.
Five common data privacy mistakes businesses make in their digital marketing
January 28 marks World Data Privacy Day. The day aims to bring awareness to privacy and data protection best practices.
Data privacy has become a hot topic within our industry over the last few years, with the emergence of new data privacy laws, large organisations such as Meta getting into deep waters around their data privacy practices, and power being given back to the individuals to have more say in what organisations do with their data.
Data privacy can often be overlooked by businesses – whether it be classed as the ‘too hard basket’, or simply not being thought of. Data privacy should always be top of mind for digital marketers, and we’ve put together five common mistakes we see businesses make when it comes to data privacy and digital marketing. Perhaps you’ve thought of these already or you haven’t yet. We trust that these will either bring some new considerations to your organisation or reiterate your current strategy!
Ignoring different targeting methods to adapt to the new 'cookieless' world
As an integrated marketing agency, we always make sure we are looking at all of our projects through a highly integrated lens, ensuring that we have identified every targeting method that may yield business impact for our clients. As we head toward a ‘cookieless world’, this has become even more important. You might have heard of this term or seen it floating around industry articles recently. ‘Cookies’ are bits of data that contain online consumers personal identifiers. Cookies track information such as how you use a website, what pages you visit, if you download any content from the website, or links that you click. This is obviously vital information to marketing professionals to better understand their audience. We are anticipating a ‘cookieless’ digital marketing landscape as major players such as Apple and Google have stated they will no longer be supporting third-party cookies in aims to provide greater privacy for web browsers. As marketers, a ‘cookieless world’ means we need to rely on alternative targeting methods. This does not mean all cookies are gone, however, access to your customer’s personal data is becoming increasingly difficult. Organisations and marketers need to begin prioritising their first party and zero-party data to identify new targeting methods.
Not focusing on your first-party data
With online users increasingly being more conscious of the ‘who, what, when, where and why’ of sharing their data to businesses, if you’re concerned about adhering to data privacy laws, then utilising your first-party data is always the safest way to go. Building your own database ensures your data is adhering to data privacy regulations. You know exactly where this audience came from and what they agreed to have their data used for. With third-party data, you can never be 100% sure that the data has been ethically sourced, that the data is of high quality, or that your competitors haven’t bought the same data set. Along with having peace of mind that the data isn’t going to get you into any legal trouble, first party data is a necessity for businesses who still want to have a handle on their relationships with their customers. First-party data gives you unique insights into your audience, access to behavioural trends, and the opportunity to predict future trends. These insights allow you to create tailored marketing content that can has a very high chance of resonating with each audience segment.
Ignoring different success metrics for your email marketing strategy in the light of IOS15
The Apple IOS15 update flipped email marketers’ worlds upside down. The update gave the ability for Apple users to turn off opening tracking and hide their email and IP addresses – essentially making ‘open rates’, a key campaign metric, dormant. Head to our blog on “What the IOS 15 update means for email marketers” to explore some of our tips for new performance benchmarks and how to pivot your email marketing strategy to align with this change.
Misunderstanding that this is more a customer relationship matter than an 'IT' matter
When you hear the word ‘data’, your mind might automatically go to thoughts of IT. While yes, there is a ‘tech’ element to managing the data you are retrieving from your customers, this data plays a much larger part in your relationship with the customer. If you are not respecting your customer’s wishes with what you do with their personal data, then you are tarnishing that relationship and losing their trust. Examples of doing wrong by your customer in the data privacy space could include passing on your database to affiliate businesses without your customer’s prior consent or adding customers to your database when they have not explicitly consented.
Not segmenting your database with different consent levels
Segmentation of your database is key to making sure the content you are delivering to your customers and potential customers is as tailored as possible. Nobody likes getting an email that is not relevant to them. The same goes for receiving an email you did not consent for in the first place. A common mistake businesses make is thinking that just because you have emailed someone from your individual business email, you have the right to add them to your business email marketing database. This is a grey area on whether this is ‘inferred’ consent, however, it is considered best practice that unless they have ticked a box, given their signature or clicked a button explicitly outlining their consent to receive marketing emails from you – then they should remain a no-go zone until they do so. Adding in consent segmentation to your CRM system can help you alleviate the worry of accidentally sending an email to someone that they may not have consented to.
Navigating the data privacy landscape can be daunting, but ensuring you are respecting your customer’s data will result in a long-standing, trustworthy relationship with your audience.
Not sure where to start? Get in touch with our Digital Director, Sophie Viallard, via [email protected] to see how our team of digital experts can help.
Marketing powerhouse P4 Group and Ruby Communications rebrand as 'Sabio'
Renowned Integrated Communications Agencies Celebrate Growth
by Hitting Refresh
Today, integrated marketing and communications powerhouse, P4 Group and sister agency, Ruby Communications announce an agency rebrand, now officially debuting as ‘Sabio’.
Today, integrated marketing and communications powerhouse, P4 Group and sister agency, Ruby Communications announce an agency rebrand, now officially debuting as ‘Sabio’.
Under the new brand, the group will design business solutions that funnel close to three decades of experience into cleverly crafted campaigns and creative solutions for their expansive client list. With a fleet of creatives and way of thinking that doesn’t sit on the side of the majority, Sabio brings a re-energised approach to marketing, stakeholder and communications and a promise to elevate the everyday, into the unexpected.
In August of 2020, Brisbane powerhouse agency, P4 Group, joined forces with Ruby Communications uniting their extensive media relations capabilities with P4’s existing communications, stakeholder management, digital marketing and creative services for clients across government, tourism, non-for-profit, hospitality, lifestyle and corporate sectors.
Managing Director, Naomi Spies states that it’s an exciting time to be in the industry, particularly with such a huge focus on collaboration and creativity―a space that Sabio knows all too well.
“Sabio will always be a fluid agency that is ever-changing and ever-evolving to adapt to the fast-moving industries we work within, bringing a clever, highly integrated lens to our client’s needs across communications, creative, digital, marketing and engagement,” says Spies.
“The last three decades has allowed us to work with so many brands, corporations and Government projects and it’s been an amazing ride, but I can genuinely tell you, the best is yet to come.”
Echoing Spies’ remarks is Sabio Founder and CEO, Adrian Basile, who says the rebrand was a necessary change to highlight the talent of the team and its ability to bring the absolute best to the table.
“From what started as a traditional communications agency almost three decades ago with a sole focus on media relations, we are now a campaign-driven agency that delivers exceptional integrated work across a multitude of sectors—we really needed a brand that spoke to this innovative shift,” says Basile.
“We want people to know that we’ll be carrying all of our experience and incredible team into Sabio – our team are the lifeblood of our company so it’s important to us that we bring our highly skilled mix of individuals and our vibrant culture into this next chapter.
“Through Sabio, we’ll deliver work that meshes our ability as powerful storytellers with campaigns that are inherently and cleverly, you. What we’ll bring to the table are ideas that not only bring out the best in our partnering brands and companies, but the unexpected and the surprising.”
Sabio is defined as clever, learned and Spanish for ‘wise,’ and encapsulates the agency’s history as an experienced, trusted advisor while also enabling it to continue its trajectory as an exciting company designing work for clients that is ‘cleverly, you.’
Sabio holds offices across Brisbane, Sydney and the Gold Coast, and specialises in an extensive mix of services spanning marketing, PR and communications, digital, marketing, engagement and creative.
Recent agency work includes campaigns and projects with Brisbane City Council, Brisbane Economic Development Agency, Gallagher Bassett, Tourism and Events Queensland, Major Events Gold Coast, Bicycle Queensland, Multicultural Australia, Ghanem Group, Hallmark Group, Home of the Arts (HOTA), Lung Foundation Australia, Outback Queensland, Youly and Nobby’s Beach Village.
For more information, contact Sabio Communications Director Laura Carlin via laura@sabio.com.au
Internship Experience
I am in my final semester of a Master of Digital Communications degree at QUT and over the past six weeks I have completed an internship with Sabio.
I wanted to do an internship to cement the things I’ve learned over the course of my degree and to gain some practical knowledge and experience. No class or assignment at Uni can compare to the experience of being amongst communication professionals in the office and being assigned tasks from real-life clients to work on!
What I’ve learned
The main thing I’ve learned through my experience at Sabio is how a professional communications agency operates and what a typical day at work looks and feels like. The team at Sabio were super supportive in tailoring my internship to my personal interests and goals, and I got to work on lots of exciting digital communications projects. I learned what it’s like to create social media content for a variety of different clients and it was so rewarding to see my work posted to high-profile pages with thousands of followers.
What surprised me
The thing that surprised me most was how professionally the internship was run and the way I was always busy and being given different tasks to complete. Each day I had my own structured workload assigned to me which meant I was always focused on one task, allowing me to really become immersed in what I was doing.
The best part of being an intern
The best part of being an intern at Sabio was being able to network and gain advice from professionals in the industry. The feedback and guidance I received was so helpful and I’m sure I will take it with me throughout my professional career. I was also able to narrow down my perception of what I’d like to do when I graduate, and I now have a clearer idea of what kind of positions I’d like to apply for next year.
The hardest part of being an intern
The hardest part of being an intern for me was being confident enough to believe my work was up to standard for a professional communications agency.
Submitting an assignment at Uni is one thing, but it can be even more daunting when there are real clients at stake. The team at Sabio were really encouraging and supportive, and I was able to improve my quality of work and general skills through the feedback I was given.
I would highly recommend an internship at Sabio for any student who wants to gain some practical experience and build their confidence. I feel more excited and ready to finish my degree and enter the workforce because of my internship at Sabio Group.
Written by Katie Fotheringham
Tips for the Transition: From Inhouse to Agency
As communications professionals, deciding whether to hang on the inhouse or agency side of the fence is one of the most common decisions we face.
For those of us who are a fence sitter or perhaps just like to try everything once, transitioning between the two can be a challenge. More often than not, we hear the stories of people beginning in agency and then transitioning into inhouse – but less so do we hear from those who go the other way.
Though it feels like much longer, a few short months ago I made the jump from a career within inhouse communications and marketing roles over to the flipside – agency. If I were to do it all again, here are the tips I would share with my former self on how to flourish through this complex change.
Be a sponge!
My mum always used to tell me to ‘soak it up’ and at one point or another in my career, it finally made sense. Though it was never more prevalent than in this transition. Like so many new experiences, whether coming in as the intern or an Account Director at an agency, it’s important to swallow your ego and show true commitment to learning the ropes. You’ll need to remind yourself that there’s no such thing as a dumb question over and over and over.
In my first few weeks at P4 Group, I was likely considered the ‘quiet girl’. I sat back and listened to as many conversations as I could, read anything and everything I could get my hands on, and simply learnt all that I could from those around me. My colleagues would be quick to tell you now that this quietness has well and truly warded off now – but at the time, it was vital for my learning. Being thrown into a totally new way of working means you can be quick to second guess your natural working style. The more I learned from others, the quicker I started to feel confident in finding my own way of working.
Focus on what you know, not what you don’t
There are so many experiences you’ll need to learn in an agency environment. Things that are second nature to those around you can seem like daunting, confusing feats for a newbie to agency-style. From logging time on client tasks through to presenting proposals, all the newness can often leave you sitting in that ‘what on earth am I doing here?’ feeling.
In these moments, it’s critical that you remember what you know. Looking around the room, just as there are many experiences those with agency experience will have that you do not, there are so many – potentially even more – learnings that you can bring from your inhouse experiences.
Remember that diversity in an agency is like tonic to gin – it’s a key ingredient! Diverse opinions, experiences and skillsets are how true market-leading agencies thrive, so leverage your differences not as shortcomings, but as opportunities for all the new things you can bring to the table.
Treat your clients like your in house stakeholders
With an in-house role comes exposure that can’t be matched in agency. You are exposed to – and often working closely with – decision makers and executives well beyond the marketing or comms team. You will likely know the line of approvals and hierarchy of decisions like the back of your hand, and you are well and truly exposed to the entire organisation. When switching sides to agency, one of the biggest challenges faced can be getting a grasp on your clients without this innate understanding of their organisation.
While you will only ever be privy to the information your client is willing to share, putting in the hard yards in those early days to build strong relationships with your clients will make a big difference to how quickly you hit the ground running on accounts. I have found that it all comes down to treating each and every one of your clients as though you are their inhouse team. Despite it being a buzz phrase, working as an extension of your client’s team is well and truly the greatest way to quickly build trust and in turn, quickly see great outcomes.
Organisation will be your best friend
Whilst the age-old debate of whether those inhouse are cut out for the pace of agency or not will likely continue on, there’s no questioning you will need to focus more of your energy into organisation.
Remember that you are essentially going from working on the equivalent of one supersized client to two, three, four, five and beyond, so organising your time and knowledge across a broader range of topics with naturally be a hurdle. Whether it’s lists, calendar blocks, a note pad or a full suite of software, make a decision, find a system and stick with it as quick as you can. The more you can leverage the tools around you to help break down each complex client into achievable goals and needs, the quicker you’ll arrive at the day where you just get the hang of it!
If you’re interested in hearing more about a career in PR, connect with our team of experts today, get in touch with our Communications Director, Laura Carlin via laura@sabio.com.au