4 digital marketing trends that will impact inbound strategies in 2016

Staying current with inbound marketing trends can help you foresee developments and take advantage of upcoming changes in the digital marketing landscape.

In 2016, the following four trends could impact how you connect with customers and engage your audience.

1. Ad blocking will change how publications deliver ads

The best inbound marketing strategies in 2016 will take ad-blocking software into consideration.

PageFair estimates that ad-blocking software cost companies $22 billion throughout 2015. We've entered an age of permission marketing. You want your audience to give their consent to receive promotional messages from you, whether they're opening an email or visiting your website. Ad-blocking software makes it increasingly difficult for businesses to reach consumers the old fashioned way.

One way to boost your inbound marketing strategy is to increase the amount of value you offer to your prospects. Giving away information for free has never been more essential to a marketing campaign. If you show your prospects that you're willing to go the extra mile, they'll invite you to send them marketing messages.

2. Data will become easier to analyze

For several years, Big Data presented a significant problem to marketers -- not collecting it, but analyzing it effectively. Now, new tools are emerging that make data analysis far easier than ever before. This will become an increasingly prominent aspect of developing and furthering inbound marketing campaigns.

If you can collect and process data related to social media, wearable technology, email open rates, and other aspects of inbound marketing, you'll surge ahead of the competition. An increased focus on data could define most of 2016, especially as more businesses adopt analysis technology.

3. User-generated content will become more valuable

Engaging your audience enough to create content for you will give you a big advantage in 2016.

Numerous companies and content marketing agencies have implemented user-generated content in their inbound marketing campaigns, but the need for such content will grow even more through 2016. Consumers have become more immune to traditional marketing messages, and they trust their peers more than they trust businesses and marketing executives.

Consequently, you might want to launch a user-generated content campaign this year. Invite your customers to submit photographs of themselves interacting with your products, for example, or to enter contests created around your services. The more your customers interact with your brand, the faster the word will spread.

4. Serialized content will become more commonplace

There's a reason why commercials often run after a cliffhanger moment in a television show. People want to know what happens next. You can use this same strategy in your inbound marketing campaign. Create serialized content so that readers have to tune in week after week to get the next installment.

For instance, create a series of blog posts around pressing questions that your audience members have. Deliver one answer in each installment, leaving a hook for the next episode at the end.

Each of these inbound marketing tools and strategies can expand your reach and improve your relationship with your customers -- both existing and prospective. If you're interested in expanding your campaign even further, download our ebook: The Ultimate Guide to Hiring an Inbound Marketing Agency.

Or, if you are interested in learning more about how you can better align your inbound digital marketing strategies and content creation with an agile, data-driven website, download our growth-driven design eBook.

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