When it comes to marketing, the worst possible stance is: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

It’s nice to see marketing tactics work well — but you also have to remember that people and the world around us change and evolve over time. So your marketing should, too.

The question is: How do you know what to add to your marketing strategy this year?

There are lots of buzzwords flying around right now, but we have a few surefire suggestions that you definitely need to consider for 2016.

Social Media Advertising

If you still haven’t taken the time to test out social media ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, you’re missing a huge opportunity to connect with your audience. And since Facebook now owns Instagram, it’s easier than ever for you to create and launch ads that get you in front of the smartphone-loving demographic.

It’s clear that this form of advertising is working, too. Since 2012, Facebook ad revenues have almost tripled — making it the platform’s primary source of growth (thanks to a steady climb after mobile ads were launched.)

Bottom line: Start with a small budget of $50 or less, and experiment with different types of ads to see what works best for your audience. If you need a little help getting started, check out this guide.

Video

More than ever, consumers are watching video. In fact, it’s projected that by 2017, 74% of all Internet traffic will be video. Think about it: Today we see video marketing within product descriptions, during streaming on Hulu, while browsing social media — video is here to stay.

It’s effective, too. It’s much easier to explain an idea or to leverage product benefits with a medium like video, because concepts can be explained more efficiently using multiple senses. Think about how you can start including video in your marketing to give some dimension to your current strategy.

Bottom line: Go beyond simple text and visuals and bring them to life with video.

Mobile Optimization

Everywhere you look today you’ll see people glued to their smartphones. The shift is real — more people are using their phones for online activity than their desktop computers. For the first time, Google had more searches via mobile than desktop. Marketingland found that there’s almost 2x more sharing happening on mobile, too.

In 2016, you almost need to think mobile first rather than labeling mobile-friendly features as “nice to have.” Make sure that your website is optimized for mobile and that customers aren’t getting hung up on poor mobile experiences (that are costing you sales).

Bottom line: If your website is old, now is the time to upgrade. Don’t wait any longer — it’s costing you money.

Internal Research

If you’re still not conducting any internal research that helps inform your marketing decisions, it’s time for a change. Research (via customer surveys, focus groups, etc.) can help you spend your marketing dollars more effectively — and this information can be powerful, sharable content.

Make your customers a living, breathing part of the marketing process by asking them for feedback on an ongoing basis. Give them a chance to help you perfect your business, and you’ll also be creating relationship-building moments that foster trust with buyers.

Bottom line: Research, research, and research some more. The more you know about your customers, the better.

Upgrade Your Marketing Strategy Today

Stop waiting until it’s absolutely necessary for you to make a change to your marketing — start today. Think about the ideas we’ve discussed here and see what else might be missing from your current strategy.

What do you think many marketing strategies today are missing?