Editor’s note: please note that this article is from 2014. See 2017 list of outdated digital marketing tactics here.
Mobile app usage is at an all-time high. Time is precious and competition is too fierce to maintain marketing strategies that don’t work (TWEET THIS). Here are four formerly popular trends that flopped in 2017 and won’t be making a comeback anytime soon.
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1. Unsupported QR Codes
QR codes are going to be a meaningless time sucker because the majority of mobile users don’t have the immediate capability to scan these codes. The issue is that mobile users must download a specific app just to scan these codes. It’s an unnecessary stumbling block that hinders your call to action and frustrates your audience.
The only viable solution to this problem would be preloading QR code-reading technology on smartphones. Apple and Google’s Android alone make up 93 percent of the smartphone-platform market, so unless both companies make that decision, QR codes are effectively doomed.
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2. Automated Cross-Channel Social Posting
We’re all guilty of this. When we’re pressed for time, auto-posting makes it quick and easy to post the same message across all of our social media networks. However, each social network serves its own unique purpose and attracts a unique audience. The same message usually doesn’t work on four or five different networks.
To keep your content relevant, you have to tailor it specifically to the network we’re posting to. To stay current on all of the latest trends and customs on each network, it pays to subscribe to Social Media Today, Buffer Social and other blogs to see what’s in vogue. You can also check out some of these studies that describe the demographics of each unique social-media platform to help you better plan and target your posts.
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3. Over-optimized but Underdeveloped Web Content
Search optimization is going to be as important as ever in 2018, but stuffing as many search-worthy words and key phrases into your blog post or website will no longer land you at the top of every search engine.
Google is constantly tweaking its algorithms and the old “filler with no substance” method will no longer cut it. Nearly 90 percent of all queries were affected by Google’s new algorithm, nicknamed “Hummingbird,” and future changes may have an equally dramatic impact.
The new approach is to focus on conversational queries: the questions that consumers want answers to. Think about potential questions your customers could be asking and concentrate on answering those specific questions in your web content instead of trying to fill your posts with keywords.
Get with the times and get your content marketing strategy rolling!
Digital marketing is moving fast. A foolproof strategy two years ago may lead you to disaster today. Are you sure you’re keeping up with the demanding pace? If your digital marketing team is still recommending outdated strategies, you’re at immediate risk of getting left behind.
It’s time to dump the trends that failed in 2017 and embrace what awaits us in 2018. Trial, error and time have shown us what works and what doesn’t. Bid these trends farewell, and free up your time and budget for innovations worth pursuing.
