The world of digital marketing never stands still for long. As a digital marketer, you know that staying up to date in this constantly evolving field is one of the hardest parts of the job. You always have to keep your eyes peeled for the next big thing while also making sure your fundamentals are sound and staying within budget.

With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of things that should be on every digital marketer’s radar. Some are brand new, others have been around for a few years, yet each of them is well worth your attention. These items are all built on solid foundations and will add value to any digital marketing campaign you can think of.

Video

There’s no point beating around the bush: video is a vital part of any digital presence. As viewers keep migrating away from TV towards online streaming, and as social media continues to expand its influence on audiences, video is now at its most powerful. Luckily for digital savvy marketers, this shift away from traditional media means that TV advertising budgets are being converted to digital. These additional resources can – and should – be put to use towards integrating video in:

• Classic spot ads
• Case studies
• Testimonials
• Explainers
• Tutorials
• Product videos
• Company culture videos

Personalized Video

Personalized video, also known as dynamic video, is one of the most powerful tools in the digital marketer’s toolbox. This type of video first gained popularity when Facebook and Spotify started using it to create year-end retrospectives, making a unique video for each user using pictures or songs from their own feed. This trend blew up overnight. And why wouldn’t it? Who wouldn't want to see and share a customized video made just for them? Among many other things, personalized video allows you to:

• Put a user’s name into a video.
• Draw and animate a graph using a user's real data.
• Explain and illustrate tool or calculator results.
• Show only portions of a video that are relevant to a user.
• Update a video with current information without having to redo it.

Here at Rich Media, we love personalized video. We were early adopters and have been on the forefront of personalized video technology for years, always finding ways to use it not only for entertainment, but also turning it into useful tools for consumers. A personalized video’s ability to share information in an exciting and personal way makes it one of the best investments for any company that wants to be a cut above the rest.

Interactive Tools & Calculators

What do billboards, posters, and television have in common? They can only be watched. The internet, on the other hand, stands out from other marketing channels thanks to its interactivity – it lets you take an active, personal hand in what you see. A television show may explain how mortgage payments work, but that experience can’t compare with that of an interactive online calculator encouraging you to experiment with different payment schedules to find the scenario that works best for you.

Companies with the strongest digital presence know this. Interactive calculators, tools, and questionnaires are often the most popular elements on a site. This popularity translates into higher organic search engine click-through rates, stronger lead generation, and increased user engagement. After all, the most effective digital marketing lets people do, not just see.

Personalized Content and Targeted Campaigns

Finding ways to customize consumers’ experience has long been a challenge for marketers – until the internet provided a solution. There are now plenty of tools at marketers’ disposal, even beyond personalized videos and interactive tools. Sites can be built to reflect users’ interests, sorting products and content based on their predicted preferences. In addition, new dynamic methods have revolutionized native advertising on social media: instead of simply being static images, native ads can now display content that appeals to specific users. With only just one ad, marketers can target dozens of types of consumers.

Accessibility

Another important aspect of any digital marketing campaign – one that, unfortunately, tends to be an afterthought – is accessibility. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 16% of the world’s population is living with a disability. That’s over 1.3 billion people (Source: WHO). Whether you’re creating a site, tool, or video, you have to make sure it’s accessible, not only to avoid potential legal repercussions, but also because it’s the right thing to do. By making your digital content accessible, you ensure that every single customer gets a complete experience.

As technology continues to develop, providing new ways for all users to access the same content, so do our standards for digital media. Keeping up to date on the most recent accessibility requirements should be a priority for all marketers. While it’s best to have accessibility in mind from the beginning of content production, it is never too late to go back and bring older content up to snuff – and maybe take the opportunity to do a bit of design or content refresh while you’re at it.

Technology advancements have broken many rules we took for granted over the past couple of decades. While this may seem scary at first, it has set the stage for innumerable opportunities for marketers. Some marketing trends brought on by the digital shift may just be a passing fancy, yet others, such as the ones we just covered, have proven successful well beyond their life expectancy. Some of the tools at your fingertips today would have been unimaginable 10 years ago! So, if you’re looking for the best way to tackle that digital marketing to-do list, any one of these items would be a great place to start.