New and innovative techniques have been introduced which will help your business to keep up with the trends of digital marketing. Through hard work and keeping things consistent, you will have a much easier time keeping up with these ever-changing trends.

Following are just some of the digital marketing trends that you should prepare yourself for this 2021. Adhering to these trends should ensure that your business stays relevant and on top of the trend all through the year.

Personalized Email Marketing

By crafting personalized emails for each of your potential customers you have a much higher chance of them opening and reading the email. Personalization can come in the form of the customer’s geolocation or by using their name or nickname.

Make the customer feel more like you care, and show them that they are important to your business. Engage with them beyond a simple promotional email, and hold conversations with them. PinPointe states that if you use the customer’s specific name within the email that the open rate jumps by 35%!

Use Visual Content

Utilize visual content whenever possible. Videos are a very popular trend within the world of digital marketing, and if you’ve foregone using videos up until this point, now is the time to start!

You will be quite surprised to learn that the Digital Marketing Institute claims that more than half of consumers agree that their online purchasing decisions are influenced by video content guides and that these guides help to build trust with the brand they are looking to purchase from.

You can also use influencer marketing, live streaming, and the like to keep up with the trends. These methods of marketing have exploded in popularity lately and will be valid means of digital marketing for the foreseeable future.

Get Users Engaged

This is not a new concept, but it has become a much bigger part of digital marketing than it ever was in the past. There is a study done by Outgrow which shows that 93% of potential customers find that interactive content is the best out there due to how it educates buyers about the product or service they are contemplating buying.

These interactive methods can include things such as quizzes, polls, or augmented reality ads. Anything that can get potential customers engaged and interested in your product is a great way to stay relevant.

Use Multiple Channels to Market Your Product

This is also known as the omnichannel marketing approach and is essentially using various platforms such as emails, blogs, social media, and the like to connect with your consumers.

Using this type of strategy produces much better results than simply sticking to one medium for advertising your product. The more channels that you delve into, the better your chances are of reaching a broader audience and increasing your revenues.

Just ensure that your brand message is consistent across whatever channels you aim to tackle. Keeping a consistent and quality image is one of the most important things with this approach.

Conclusion

Because things are always changing and evolving when it comes to the digital frontier, it is of utmost importance that you ensure your brand, business, or company stays on top of the trend no matter where it may go.

If you are looking for someone that can help you with keeping your business on top of every trend, then make sure to contact IB Systems. Founded in 1995, you can rest assured that they have experience in the field and know exactly how to keep your business at the forefront of the digital marketing trend.

With accredited experts in various fields such as systems integration and business solutions, they will make sure that the services they provide are of the highest standard of quality. Stay on top of the trend, and contact IB Systems to help you do that.

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That computer can excel when it comes to studying and recognizing human faces is amply corroborated by the algorithms used by Facebook, Google, Twitter, and other well-known portals for identifying images in subscribers’ profiles. Facial recognition scientist employed with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Jonathan Phillips strongly believes that the most excellent face recognition formula can compete with the best forensic scientist or expert. John along with his team carried out a survey where they offered 20 pairs of complicated images to an array of algorithms and human specialists for review and identification.

Surprisingly enough, the algorithms matched the human experts in performing the assigned tasks. The research team also came up with another crucial finding-an algorithm and human working in concert performed better than two humans coordinating together. The researchers came to the conclusion that results were more accurate and superior when the human intellect collaborated with computer codes.

The study conducted by Jonathan and his team has been published in the ‘Proceedings in the National Academy of Sciences’. It is now for the face recognition community and forensic agencies to take advantage of Phillip’s findings for carrying out identification with greater accuracy. And Jonathan has also made it clear that face identification experts do not need to worry about losing their jobs as the algorithms still have a lot of ground to cover for giving humans a run for their money.

Nevertheless, algorithms, going by their current level of competency can at best help scale down the options. It is still up to the human to take the final decision-so he has to trust his or her instincts more than the algorithms. And since it is humans who are toiling to enhance and fine-tune the accuracy of the algorithmic systems, it would not be out of place to mention that they’d seriously mull over the kind of person that they’d in that sensitive position.

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Let’s take a few minutes and go through all the advantages a small company can have after some proper social media exposure, shall we?

It increases the brand recognition

First thing first, one of the main purposes of social media is to boost your business’ visibility among current customers and potential customers. Besides this, it creates a direct way to share your brand’s voice and content with all these people interested in the product or service you’re offering.

We’ve reached a point in which customers expect a company – whether it’s a small business or a bigger one – to be easily accessible and recognizable online. Basically, when they search for a business and don’t manage to find the information they need, they will automatically assume that it doesn’t exist and move on.

Considering this, we can say that increasing the brand recognition through social media can help you generate a lot of prospects and eventually convert them into customers.

It reduces traditional marketing costs

Let’s face it, traditional marketing methods, like print or digital ads, postcard mailers and so on are ridiculously expensive. And not always very efficient! Sure, they are important, but in most cases, a small business owner can’t afford to pay for them. But hey, social media is always there to help!

Just imagine the following situations: a satisfied customer posts on their Facebook profile about how great your service is. This is more powerful than placing an ad, since it’s a genuine review, in which somebody who used what you’re offering says how happy he or she is. And guess what? It didn’t cost anything, which is excellent for a small company with a reduced budget.

It improves your customer service

Nowadays, if you have a problem with a product or a service, most of us go directly on social media in order to look for some assistance, ask questions or even provide some feedback. Usually, there’s a social media manager or a member of the customer support team, if it exists, always ready to solve any problem. After all, this is why Facebook introduced the ratings in the first place!

Therefore, if you’re not present on social media, you’re missing a great opportunity to get in touch with customers and solve their problems quickly. And this is not everything…

Whenever a customer writes on your page about a positive experience with your small company, you can easily share this as a testimonial, so all your followers can see it!

It boosts your search engine ranking

Google will also give some love to your company if it’s present on social media and this is an aspect some people tend to ignore. For a few years, the search engine considers social media signals as a factor in determining whether a business will rank well in SERPs.

When creating your social media posts, think about ways of helping your followers spread your message and make sure you create as much engagement as possible. Pro tip: show your customers that you care about them and offer some incentives from time to time.

If all these sound great but you just don’t have the time to make sure that your small business is present on social media, you can let IB Systems do it for you. With almost 10 years of experience in helping local companies in Tampa Bay to expand their web presence, they surely know how to make sure your social media game is on point.

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Still, it’s not that easy as some people may believe…

At a first look, consistently engaging with your followers on social media, as well as gaining new ones, resumes only at posting content from time to time. But it’s way more than this, as a simple post can’t do everything.

We’ve put together a short list with a few principles you can follow in order to get better social media results in no time and see your follower base, as well as engagement, seriously growing.

Spotlight your customers

It is well known that for some users social media works as a way of gaining recognition and attention, so in this case, your social channels should be one of the places where customers can achieve this goal.

How can you use this in your favor? Well, start with tracking all your social media mentions and share them. Yeah, it’s that easy!

Each time a customer posts something on a personal profile and mentions your business’ name, share it on your brand page. Besides showing your followers that real people actually appreciate the brand, it also helps customers gain the recognition they’re after and provide a quick feeling of fame.

Ask for advice

Once again, it’s all about customers. Even on social media, they want to feel that their voice matter, so it’s your mission to build a sense of trust and appreciation.
Responding quickly to any question they have is somehow mandatory, but when you ask for their advice and input on products and services, they will surely be appreciated. And your engagement numbers will also skyrocket!

Whenever you must take an important decision in your company, regarding a new product, for example, ask your social media followers to act as a buyer and offer their feedback.
It was proven that this practice creates a harmonious relationship with customers, not to mention that they will feel like an important part of the business.

Offer some free stuff

Everybody loves free stuff, including those following you on social media. Whether it’s a product, a gift card or a simple couple, they are always welcomed, no matter the business.
In order to engage with your social audience and generate great engagement, organize giveaways from time to time or even more complex contests, offering some of your products or services as prizes.

As a side note, several companies reported that organizing smaller contests more often, social followers end up returning on the page more often, in order to try their luck again. If you can replicate this, with a minimum investment, you can say that you found the winning formula and your engagement rates will be a living proof.

As you can see, implementing these social media practices doesn’t require huge investments, in terms of financial resources, but the results can be impressive. Just make sure that you put together the right message, appealing to your community and you will definitely be surprised by your social media results.

If you’re not familiar with social media, but still want better results, IB Systems is always happy to help. Providing IT and network support services to Tampa Bay local small businesses for more than 20 years, they have all the experience needed to take your social media game to the next level.

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According to the multi-page content guidelines, 7500 content moderators have decided what type of content is acceptable. While it’s obvious that a threat of violence, sexual exploitation, and trademark infringement is banned, the team always regulates the ‘gray area’ posts.
For instance, if you are not happy with a speech, then you are not allowed to post what you actually had felt. But, it’s completely fine if you are making your friends aware of the speech. So, here are the content posing guidelines stated by the social networking site.

Nude pictures of children
We know that people might post nude images online with a good intention. However, such social media posts would be removed by the team because of the potential for abuse. Moreover, removing the images can also avoid the possibilities of letting others use the images.

Facebook also says that once a child becomes a toddler, users would not be allowed to post photos that uncover female nipples.

For example, the team doesn’t allow posting images of female breasts with a close-up of the nipple. But, on the other hand, restrictions haven’t been laid on images of women who are engaged in breastfeeding or those who are showing off post-mastectomy scarring.
The company also advises users not to share content with a squeezed female breast except if it relates to breastfeeding.

Claiming that someone is a liar
According to the guidelines of Facebook, revealing a liar online could be considered as a form of harassment.

The posts that show that the victim is lying or pretending to be involved in an incident aren’t allowed. Action would also be taken if the post has the intention of misleading people about the event because they were paid or were told to act in a smart way.

Confession of crimes
Facebook is not a social networking site on which individuals can post about crimes such as thefts or sexual assault. However, people are allowed to argue on a topic related to the criminal activity. They could either criticize or address in a satirical way.

Seeking to promote drugs
If people are using the social media platform for selling drugs, then it should never be done. The individuals should either state the interest of selling drugs or insist someone to trade the item.
When it comes to promoting guns, then certain companies are allowed to sell firearms. But, in that case, adults who are above 21 years of age are restricted to view the social media post.
Finally, posts would be immediately removed if a person is targeting someone’s vulnerability. It’s also not good to post images that depict injuries, a disease or premature death. According to the guidelines, close-ups of buttocks or visible anus are not allowed on the social media platform. But, it’s completely fine if the image has been edited with the help of a software.

As per the section of violence, if the outcome of an election is beyond the expectations, then Facebook would not allow people to post about violence.

Recognized as an IBM business partner, IB Systems has always offered support to systems within a network. The company is proud to help business owners enhance the online presence through custom website designs, Search Engine Optimization and social media marketing on Facebook as well as other websites. The IT professionals also offer affordable support plans for small and large scale businesses and across numerous platforms, systems as well as frameworks.

Image credit: mohamed_hassan

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1. Voice Search

According to Google statistics, today every fifth search query is a voice search. At the same time, the popularity of digital assistants continues to gain momentum. Such a rapid development of voice search technology promises to radically change the information processing system in the near future.

Accuracy of speech recognition will be improved, and at the same time the number of users using voice search will increase.

This means that in the near future the search market will go through a serious transformation, and a voice search will play a significant role on it. Therefore, it will be useful to focus on long-tail queries and the use of natural language, as communication with voice assistants occurs in the form of a dialogue.

The popularity of voice search will also contribute to the introduction of this functionality in the management systems of smart homes. As soon as dialogue search goes beyond smartphones, a new vector of development will appear in the field of SEO and content marketing, which will open many new opportunities for promotion.

2. Link Building

Despite numerous predictions about the imminent disappearance of such a phenomenon as link building, its role in SEO continues to grow.

But do not forget that not all links are equally useful. Only those obtained from popular resources devoted to the same subject matter as the promoted site have real value.
In other words, in 2018 the SEO strategy must necessarily include the creation of useful links, the development of relations and the obtaining of qualitative links.

If you use guest blogging, do it as carefully as possible. In the spring of this year, Google reported an increase in the number of spam links in such articles. The company does not object to guest posts, but only on condition that they contain useful information for users. If the only purpose of placement is to redirect the reader to the author’s site, the search engine will regard such a post as a violation.

Developing a strategy for link building, it is necessary to focus on complex work with links. Getting single links from questionable resources will not be of use, but, on the contrary, will only harm the site.

3. User Experience

The value of the user experience in 2018 will increase even more. Google constantly emphasizes that the user for him is the most important thing.

UX-optimization allows to achieve maximum involvement of the user when interacting with the site. And engagement rates help search engines determine how useful pages are for users.
Improving the usability of the site begins with the optimization of download speed, readability and competent construction of the navigation structure. These are the main components of good usability, but there are many more minor nuances. In order not to lose sight of them, regularly study the patterns of user behavior.

Since every year the number of mobile Internet users is growing, the optimization of the site for mobile platforms is still an indispensable condition for its effective promotion.

4. Quick response

A few years ago Google integrated blocks with search results to revive it and provide users with faster and more convenient access to information received in response to the request. Now the sites have the opportunity to bypass the competitors in the TOP, because the so-called zero position with answers from Google overrides the top delivery.
It remains to understand how to get there.

Most often, lists, tables, graphs and step-by-step instructions fall into the block with answers. Also, Google loves content in the “question-answer” format, because this format facilitates the process of extracting information for display in the block with the answer.

Pages falling into zero positions have a CTR of 32.3%, so a carefully thought out strategy of getting into the block with the answers can give an impressive result and significantly increase the conversion of the site.

5. Mobile-first index

Google is actively testing the mobile-first index, which means that its launch is coming, which will make it clear how successful the business is impacted by mobile devices.
Keywords on mobile devices are ranked quite differently than on desktop, so mobile-first content is an indispensable condition for the company’s advancement in mobile search.

But this is not the main reason why you need to adapt sites for mobile devices. According to statistics, 57% of the world’s Internet traffic falls on smartphones and tablets. A company that cares about its customers must make the site as convenient for viewing on any device.
he speed of the site is one of the most important criteria for search engines. Google AMP technology allows you to download mobile pages for 1 second and increase the time spent on the site by 35%. This makes more and more publishers use this technology, so it is quite natural that in 2018, the demand for it is expected to increase.

In order to check how much your site is convenient for mobile users, you can use the Mobile-Friendly Test tool from Google. Just enter the website address to find out if your site is mobile.

6. Visual Search

The share of visual content on the network is increasing every day, so the world’s leading technology companies such as Google, Bing and Pinterest have gone beyond the text format and are actively working on the development of visual search engines. This suggests that in 2018, special attention should be paid to optimizing visual content.

As an example, you can consider the service Google Lens, which works as follows: the user downloads a photo and gets useful information about the object depicted on it. For example, if you upload a photo of a restaurant to Google Lens, you can find out its address, hours of operation, and see the menu.

7. Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence already plays a huge role in the ranking of search results. Users are offered pages that match the context of the request. Thus, the process of interaction with the search engine becomes more accurate and personalized.

The growing popularity of voice search and virtual assistants is an excellent ground for the development of artificial intelligence systems, which will certainly lead to an increase in the positions of sites that take this trend into account.

You just got acquainted with the main trends in the field of SEO, which are prepared in 2018. Of course, traditional techniques will not lose their relevance. But, perhaps, the main thing that is important to understand in the coming year is that SEO has long ceased to be a blind pursuit of positions in the TOP. This is a huge work, which includes a lot of directions – working with ready-made answers, contextual advertising, voice search and local SEO. Only using a full range of tools can achieve a powerful result.

Image credit: Kaufdex

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