It’s a new year so the marketing rules have changed somewhat. If you want to promote your small business website in the New Year, you might have to be aware of some new rules. Here are several highly effective ways to market your company website digitally starting this year:

Use Paid Advertisement Formats over Free Content

If you have read the news lately, you may be aware that Facebook and Twitter are making major changes to how content is disseminated across the platforms. Facebook recently announced changes to the Newsfeed that prioritises personal posts over business-related posts. Earlier last year, the company eliminated clickbait and tacked “engagement bait.” So Facebook is not as reliable as it was for getting free brand exposure. Companies should not panic, however. Brands can still rely on conventional PPC ads. It would be a considerable investment, but if you do it correctly, this form of advertising will help your brand gain exposure unlike ever before.

Make Promotional Videos

The ultimate content marketing format to kick off this year is video. Videos are apparently everywhere. There are different clever ways companies can use this format to market a product or a brand. There are videos your business can make ads to attract customers. There are also user-generated videos brands benefit from immensely. For example, the “unboxing” review videos are user-generated content that nonetheless promotes your brand. Likewise, find ways to capitalise on video.

Focus on Local Marketing Efforts

Don’t spend too much time and effort on generic marketing plans. Focus all your efforts mainly on local audiences. Local audiences are the most likely group to make a purchase. Therefore, use hyperlocal keywords and target marketing material toward local audiences for the best outcome out of all investment.

Up the Game for Content

Content is highly effective, but the field is overcrowded. Businesses should definitely make considerable investments in creating content to stand out from the competition. Create top-quality content that is more than just filler. High-quality content is more likely to rank high in search results. Also, great content gets past Facebook’s new filters as well. If your brand has a solid content plan, then your marketing bases for the New Year are largely covered. Make sure your team produces a variety of content as well. For example, instead of just writing articles, content should include video, infographics, and other visual enhancements to appeal to online viewers.

Learn about AR Marketing

Have you heard about augmented reality? If you haven’t you may run into major obstacles marketing in the New Year. AR is the biggest new consumer tech that marketers are scrambling to advertise on. Now there are plenty of AR apps and programs that customers spend more and more time on, leaving plenty of opportunities for brands to advertise directly to the consumer. Therefore, learn more about AR tech and how it can benefit your marketing efforts.

Hire Social Media Influencers

Social media influencers can take your product directly to a particular target audience. They are online celebrities, but may not be real-life celebrities. So even small businesses with small budgets can benefit from the reach social media influencers have.

Try one or two of the above suggested methods to market your product online this year. Make sure you gather data to evaluate each effort.