As marketers, it’s refreshing to remember that we don’t have to travel too far to find other people in our line of work. Although TrackFive is based in Lancaster County, notorious for Plain communities and farmland, at its core, technology is taking over. Last week a few of us attended a local marketing conference called Insight. Our company sponsored the event, and TrackFive President Oliver Feakins was a guest speaker. In eight hours, the sessions were jam-packed with valuable information that we could bring back to the office and apply to our work right away. We didn’t have to travel by bus, train, or plane to receive some top-notch knowledge from marketers around the country – all we had to do was drive a few blocks from the office. Here are some key things I learned at Insight Marketing Conference 2019!
Four Marketing Messages at Insight Marketing Conference 2019
Check out these four marketing tidbits I learned at the Insight Marketing Conference 2019!
Accessibility is Key
Have you ever used Google’s lighthouse tool? It essentially does a quick audit of your website to measure things that affect user experience like the speed of your website and how easy it is to navigate. A factor that Google recently started focusing on, and that marketers have speculated about for some time now, is the accessibility of your website. What does this mean, exactly? It means, how accessible is your website for people with disabilities, like blind or deaf people? Since blind users can’t see your website, is your alt text accurately describing what the image or video is? Deaf people can’t hear, so are you captioning your videos? Another way to reference what you need to change about your site to improve accessibility is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines that Google published. Although accessibility might not affect your rankings right now, it’s safe to say it will soon. How do I know, you ask? Well, Google is pretty predictable. If it’s offering you a tool to measure something, chances are it’s going to start affecting how your site performs.
Voice Search is the Future
This is no surprise to any marketer out there, but voice search is the future. When you’re doing your keyword research, what’s ranking high right now might not rank very well in the years to come. It’s important to think ahead. Prepare for the future by reframing your long tail keywords to how you would ask Alexa or Siri the question, versus how you would type it in a Google search. This might mean going against the grain and ignoring the monthly volume of traffic for certain keywords. Just because they aren’t ranking now doesn’t mean they won’t be very soon.
Be Authentic
When it comes to content, you have to be authentic. There are too many people out there on YouTube and Instagram wearing their heart on their sleeve, so to speak. So, when you come up with some pushy content in front of a green screen or with a clear marketing agenda attached to it, users can detect the bullshit. You have to meet your audience where they are and level with them. Be sincere. Be authentic. Make your brand real and relatable and your reputation will speak for itself.
Networking Opportunities
The great thing about a local conference is that you get to learn about other networking opportunities in the area. While at Insight, we learned that a few people are starting a special meet up in Lancaster for SEOs. I don’t know about you, but it’s always refreshing to chat with other people who do the same line of work as you do. You learn what you’re doing well, what you could improve on. Most importantly, you learn that you’re not alone in the ever-changing world of digital marketing.
What’s something you’re keeping your eye on when it comes to the future of marketing? Let’s chat in the comments below!
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