As technology progresses, the world of marketing is becoming increasingly digital. The shift in landscape can be overwhelming, but with it comes a great deal of opportunities.

We want businesses to stay ahead of the curve and survive the digital-dependant era, so we’ve constructed a list of key trends to look out for as we embrace the new age of marketing.

Mobile Responsive? It’s Not Enough

In the digital world, mobile responsive will no longer cut it. A majority of website traffic comes from a mobile devices, therefore, mobile-first integration is a must. If it can’t be effortlessly done from the mobile screen, consumers will bounce. Businesses need to develop a mobile-centric user experience for all site pages and features.

Social Sells (A Lot)

Social Media marketing is on the up and up, and is only expected to continue to grow. Social media campaigns are extremely effective when executed properly because of the limitless potential for content distribution.

The most effective social media platform is Facebook. This could be attributed to the recent success of video ads, and Facebook’s ability to push out video ads in a compelling way. Facebook is also working on their own search engine and their Businesses on Messenger feature. Consumers will no longer have to simply rely on Google; all products and services will soon be featured on the company’s Facebook page and can be found through Facebook’s search bar. Businesses and shoppers will interact through Facebook chat, making it the one-stop-shop to search, inquire about, and purchase products.

At the end of the day, social sells. Companies are rapidly increasing spending on social media marketing, and the sales resulting from social campaigns are extremely lucrative. Businesses are spending more, and getting even more in return. The channels serve as an effective outlet for businesses of any size, and encourages traffic without spending tons of money. We urge businesses to take advantage of social media marketing and to leverage social media to build lasting relationships with their customers.

Content Is Still King

Content dominates the digital marketing world, more so now than ever before. Content drives 3x more leads, while costing far less than other practices. But today’s shoppers want things short and sweet, so content is only effective if it is valuable and to-the-point.

The biggest challenge associated with content marketing is the ability to determine the effectiveness of the content. Businesses must continuously manage and deliver engaging content or they will bore today’s consumer.

Interactive content, content that allows the consumer to engage with it, is going to increase in popularity. Multimedia elements such as videos, contests, and infographics help to pique readers’ interest — increasing the probability they will remember your content and ultimately, your brand.

Identity-Based PPC — AdWords’ Gift to Businesses

AdWords now allows businesses to target people based on their phone number or email with highly engaging ads. This capability means you can direct content to a specific individual, answering their needs with the utmost relevancy. The new marketing method gets PPC ads in front of an extremely targeted audience.

Long-Tail Keywords in SEO

People still value content above all, therefore, overloading your sites with keywords won’t appeal to your consumers. Keywords must be incorporated without sacrificing the relevance of your content.

The use of long-tail keywords is becoming increasingly popular. Unlike broad keywords, long-tail keywords increase conversions, not just website rankings.

Competition is only going to grow, so it is vital for businesses to analyze and segment consumer data. Research the competitiveness of your keywords and study consumer trends to target your market, and effectively reach them.

While this all may seem like a lot to keep up with, your business will be rewarded if you take these tips into consideration. The number of opportunities for businesses to engage with consumers are growing astronomically, and these five marketing trends are a great place to start as businesses are gearing up to embrace the digital age.