Fresh from the Code Conference in California, Mary Meeker’s annual report is the almanac of the internet, and it’s not just techies and developers who should pay heed to its findings. The report delves deeply into what’s happening on the internet: where the money’s going, what’s big, what’s growing, what’s shrinking and what’s coming next. For anyone with a website, this stuff matters. Grab your digital marketing notebook (that’s a thing, right?) and get ready to jot down some key points.
Just Because Mobile Use Is Up Doesn’t Mean Desktop Use Is Down
People are spending more and more time on their mobile devices doing things like playing games or, say, searching for a plastic surgery practice in the area. Surprisingly, this hasn’t equated to people spending less time on their desktops. So, keep up the efforts to cater to your desktop users and your mobile users alike with a responsive web design.
Facebook and Google Totally Rule the Ad Revenue Roost
Facebook and Google combined control 85 percent of online ad growth. The other pathetic 15 percent is everything else put together. So, yes, definitely work on your Google game. And if you haven’t jumped on the Facebook ad bandwagon, it’s time to take the leap.
Most Doctors Are Storing Data Digitally
In the U.S., 87 percent of office-based physicians use electronic health records (EHR). This is up from just 21 percent in 2004. Patient records are being stored electronically, which is really neat. It could also be really bad if you’re not taking care to secure your website and keep your patients’ data safe.
Cloud computing has made storing your data easier, but riskier.[/quote]Internet Ad Spending Is Set to Outpace TV Ad Spending
It seems that almost everyone has gotten the memo that a serious online marketing strategy is imperative if you want to land new customers in today’s world. This revelation provides all the more reason to make sure you keep stepping up your internet marketing efforts, because you can bet your competitors are.
Voice Search Is Definitely Not Going Away
This year’s report shows that voice search is getting more accurate, and more people are using it. The big takeaway for marketers is that people use natural language when they search something with their voice rather than clunky keyword terms they use when they type up a search. Just something to keep in mind when optimizing your digital strategy for voice search users.
Email Spam Is Getting Worse
Yeah, we know. Shouldn’t the internet police be cracking down on this one? Beleaguered Nigerian princes needing your bank account number have given way to phishing scams trying to trick you into clicking on malicious links. With the rise of cloud computing, we suspect this kind of thing is only going to get worse.
Trust remains as important as ever. When people give you their email address, it’s kind of a big deal. Don’t break their trust in you by being spammy or even having the appearance of potentially being spammy. Seriously, don’t email them too often and when you do, make sure it’s because you have something worthwhile to say.
What Hasn’t Changed
Read the entire report if you have a bunch of time to spare, but we’ll just add here a word of caution: regardless of whatever trends are, uh, trending, remember that what works best for someone else’s business might not be the best tactic for your own digital marketing strategy. Keep plugging away at the efforts you already know are delivering results and you can’t go wrong, even if you’re not technically “on trend.”
