As the digital landscape continues to evolve and change, it’s hard to know what to focus on to make the coming year successful. We’ve asked the members of Risdall’s team to share some observations and tips for 2019. Here are their answers:

Mahmood Khan – SVP, Digital Media & Analytics

Measurement and attribution

Smart-media mix allocations that are data driven, not based on a gut feeling. Whether your company has a mid-sized or large budget, determining how to measure each media channels’ attribution is key to smartly allocate your budgets. This could be for multi-channel lead generation efforts tied to a sales CRM, online-to-offline attribution for determining lift in foot traffic or, in the case of e-tailers, multi-touch attribution that can pinpoint channels that drive lift in sales conversions.

Read more about attributing offline traffic to online sources in our blog post.

Erik Hinds – VP, Digital Strategy

Optimizing content for featured snippets and voice search

Really, this was the “it” thing in 2018 but it is still very important. Now that we have a good amount of historical trends of the types of content, the format and keyword triggers that Google is looking to promote to “position 0” we can really start to optimize. A lot of the top flight SEO tools like BrightEdge and SEMRush make identifying opportunities easier than ever. We’ve seen our clients achieve a 40+% click-through rate by properly utilizing these tools.

Video SEO

Often overlooked as a channel for search optimization, YouTube offers a lot of fertile ground for organic visibility. Did you know YouTube is the second largest search engine next to Google itself? But like Google search, YouTube has an algorithm that can be optimized for. How would you like if your videos showed up as suggested videos after someone plays your competitor’s video?

Dave Schad – EVP, Managing Director

The use of data to integrate marketing and sales functions

Far too often we see companies who have separate silos of sales and marketing activity and metrics reporting. Companies need to be deliberate in bringing sales and marketing together to integrate data sources to truly measure what is working. During our strategic planning process, we encourage sales and marketing to work collectively to define KPIs and agree on attribution across channels and technologies. In doing this, you will build greater understanding between sales and marketing, make better collective decisions, and have a clearer picture of ROI driven by your digital marketing efforts.    

Kristen Nottingham – Digital Media Planner

People are influenced by people similar to themselves

It’s easy to forget that people are influenced by others similar to themselves so start your campaigns by micro-targeting segments of people with related job titles or fields of study. Because people are on their best behavior with their colleagues they are more likely to comment on your ads in a positive and professional manner. In doing so, they build the social proof your brand needs. And don’t be afraid to target very specific titles and industries on social media. We’re finding that nearly everyone is active online and looking for info related to their career. They will respond to information in their social feed that is relevant to them.

Dave Folkens – SVP, Director of Account Service

Video, Video, Video

A few years ago having video content was a nice way to set yourself apart from the competition. Now, video is a key component of a successful and comprehensive content strategy. When we’re talking about video as part of the content mix, it’s not all a highly-produced, difficult endeavor. Simple, short videos that are authentic and created for social channels can provide great engagement opportunities for your brand. Fortunately, it’s never been more cost efficient to create quality, engaging video either in-house or with a trusted partner.

Joel Koenigs – Chief Technology Officer

Don’t forget about regulations

Many US-based companies have been slow to respond to GDPR from an operational and marketing perspective. Those that have are in a stronger position to comply with upcoming domestic regulations such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Those that have not risk fines and legal fees, and are likely delaying the inevitable. Similarities between the CCPA, GDPR and previous privacy measures such as Safe Harbor, Privacy Shield, etc. provide more than writing on the wall as to legal expectations for the treatment of personal data. Marketing teams should familiarize themselves with the regulations and adjust strategy, tactics, budgets and partners appropriately.

Jon Bauer –  Business Development & Marketing Director

Personalization

Prospects and clients are used to their online experience being personalized to their preferences and tastes. If you’re not customizing their journey through your site, messaging and content, you’re missing a huge opportunity for connection and (eventual) sales. 

Contact us today to talk more about how we can optimize your website and apps to make sure they’re allowing a personalized experience for every visitor and customer.