Hardly has the new year begun, we all receive a lot of emails, newsletters, good wishes, tips, special offers and much more. Everything has a background: marketing of products and services. This „phenomenon“ can be observed across all industries, and we as an online marketing agency philosophized between the holidays about how such a thing even comes about, how it is implemented, and what concrete benefits it has.

Emails are annoying but would not be sent if they didn't bring anything – do you use email marketing?

Again and again, customers ask us why XYZ sends so many emails? „Nobody clicks on that, and then I see the same thing in Google, on Amazon, and even in my private Facebook profile and with pictures on Instagram.“ We nod in agreement and explain the marketing topic and networking behind it. The click-through rates for mass mailings, in particular, should not be underestimated. Especially in the area of product sales, even with minor emails and appealing graphics, a nice and attractive email can be sent as a newsletter. Since the effort for such emails is very low, sending them pays off even with a few sales.

Apart from the legal „problems“ within the EU, or even more strictly speaking within Germany, emails are still, and especially when personalized, a very, very good marketing channel. But where do you get the addresses from? Besides their own customer base, many entrepreneurs forget the existing email contact with suppliers, customers, and interested parties to whom they are legally allowed to send an email. Even with small companies, lists of over 500-1000 addresses quickly accumulate.

What else is important besides emails for a high click-through rate and more sales on the internet?

Besides emails and newsletters, which are still considered a trend in 2017 and are very promising with targeted personalization, we would also like to address other marketing trends for 2017. Especially in the area of SEO, i.e., search engine optimization, things are changing very, very quickly. As an agency, we repeatedly experience enthusiasm, but also frustration, in the field of search engine optimization. Hardly any topic is as complex and is constantly becoming more complex.

Just recently in 2016, in the days before New Year’s Eve, a customer approached us and asked why we would create so many subpages and write so much text? In addition, the question also arose as to why it would be so expensive? In response, we clearly stated that this is about content marketing. This has been a trend for years and is becoming increasingly important.

Writing or having your own content written is the be-all and end-all. Anyone who has read the text on our new website will quickly notice that the word „sustainable“ is often included. „Sustainable“ was long frowned upon and, from our point of view, is the word of 2017 when it comes to online marketing and search engine optimization.

On average, one in three customers in 2016 wanted to run Google Adwords ads. But only about 10% of all inquiries are even suitable for using Adwords, Google Shopping, or other ad channels such as Facebook Ads. The reason is usually poor content pages on the homepages and rudimentary technology, i.e., too simply equipped.

The consequence is that visitors go to the website and usually click away again within seconds. The bounce rate is therefore enormously high, between 70-80%. This means that if I spend 10 Euros on Google Adwords, 7-8 Euros worth of clicks immediately leave! The money is literally burned, and that’s a shame, and that’s where we come back to the topic of what’s simply important in 2017. Namely, the content, because a user of Google or other search engines wants information, wants to know a price, or more detailed information to be able to make a comparison if necessary. If they don’t find this price and information directly on your page (without hidden data on any subpages that need to be expanded or similar things), they simply click away and take the next search result. This is where the topic of conversion optimization, i.e., optimization of the click-through rate, dwell time, and the generation of sales through sales, service, or by entering contact details, comes into play.

In summary, for all subpages, you need to think about your content.

• Personalization of content
• Conception and sending of newsletters
• Creation of unique content for your products and services
• Conversion optimization
• continued technical search engine optimization

Hardly anything is as important as text. Even if the visitor does not perceive this text in the first step, Google aims to find, index, and evaluate targeted texts on the topic. Your site is always in direct comparison with the competition. Use the knowledge you have now gained and contact us. Let us help you to generate new customers sustainably for a longer period with little effort, a manageable budget and to advance your website on Google.

For all interested parties and reading enthusiasts, we always recommend a regular look at www.onlinemarketing.de. We are also happy to assist you as an agency with any questions and support.

Start with us and use the trends of 2017 to continue to climb to the top with Google & Co.