Over the last 20 years mass media has been disrupted by the internet and online marketing techniques. When the term “web 2.0” was introduced it marked a milestone in history of communication. The internet and its evolution challenged the mass media in a way no one ever imagined. As a result, traditional marketing lost its power to social media, search, e-mail and other online marketing techniques. As Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” When it comes to marketing tactics, unfortunately there is no “Best if Used By” dates. But that doesn’t mean what worked last year — or even last week — will work today. In fact, some of the most popular digital marketing trends have reached the end of their shelf life and are well beyond their expiration dates. As you are updating your inbound marketing strategies for 2018, consider tossing out these overused, under-performing marketing trends to make room for strategies that increase brand awareness, capture qualified leads, and help your sales teams increase revenue.

1. Marketing Emails without enough Personalization : It is better to not send mass emails without proper personalization as it doesnt appeal to the person on the receiving them.
2. Marketing Content in E-Book Format : Mobile content is on the rise and hence any content in E-Book or PDF format is not going to help you much. Try to create your content in an interactive way in the form on surveys, quizzes, videos and online animations.
3. Focus on quality rather than quantity : If you have a blog on your website or if you are sending our newsletters, then focus on creating quality content for your readers rather than bombarding them with lots of posts.
4. Overloading on Marketing Automation : Do not depend too much on marketing automation. There should be a personal touch to all your marketing campaigns as mentioned earlier.
5. Paid Advertisements : Organic searches are good, but to boost your reach you have to spend on paid advertisements to get seen.
6. Relying on Text Based SEO : Content is always king. In today’s time we have a lot of multimedia content that is taking the front seat. So optimize your website and content for video and image searches along with text optimizations.