Digital marketing trends are always changing and adapting to new technologies, platforms, and insights. So naturally, digital marketing experts are looking ahead to what techniques they think will dominate the digital marketing landscape in the near future. Some of the trends have been prevalent for years and continue to be a critical part of digital marketing strategy, while others are emerging for the first time. We’ve curated a list of five digital marketing trends you should prioritize this year.
Immersive Advertising
With tech companies making drastic breakthroughs in virtual and augmented reality capabilities, it’s no surprise that many companies are incorporating interactive media to their marketing efforts. In 2017, the growing popularity of devices such as Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are a signal that further improvements in immersive content and software are ahead. So why is VR important? Because it’s time to jump in on the fun!
Immersive advertising isn’t limited to virtual reality. Facebook and YouTube have introduced 360-degree video capabilities, and with other new forms of content emerging online, brands have started experimenting with other avenues to make their information experiential and exciting. The key to immersive advertising is interaction, whether that’s through virtual reality, offline immersive experiences, or fresh approaches to social media platforms.
Live Video
Popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (via Periscope) all offer users the opportunity to watch and create live videos. With so many options, video quality is key for standing out among all the other videos that saturate the Internet. Live video also provides the perfect opportunity to keep your market engaged– even when they can’t make it to your event. Live video brings the action right to their desktop or mobile device – particularly through Facebook Live.
As the quality and popularity increases, brands want to get involved and take advantage of the massive number of views a live video attracts. As more and more brands take advantage of live video and focus on more natural looking content, several people predict that product placement and sponsorships will become the norm for influencer videos.
Social Influencers of Digital Marketing
Social influencers come in many forms — from paid celebrity spokespeople to micro-influencers that spread the word about their favorite brands. Representation and opinions from peers have a major impact on consumers. According to a study by Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust online content spread by their peers above all other forms of advertising. In addition, the ROI for brands far exceeds the costs of influencer marketing — especially since customers acquired because of social influencers have a 37% higher retention rate than other customers.
Influencers have a powerful effect on the success of a brand’s digital marketing strategy — both financially and in the way consumers view them. Many brands now recognize that influencer marketing should be a fundamental brand strategy and are beginning to leverage brand advocates and industry experts to reach new audiences and build brand loyalty.
Increased Personalization
86% of consumers say that personalization informs their purchases, which means mass emails and generic communication with consumers is hurting your business. With the availability of big data and the ability to interpret it, personalized customer experience and marketing can be improved. Brands like Amazon, Netflix, and Spotify are excellent examples of using data to improve the customer experience.
Email marketing is still a cost-effective channel online, but with consumers receiving so many emails and wanting to avoid junk, it’s important for digital marketing to evolve. Consumers require up to 13 touch points prior to purchase, meaning that a single email campaign or ad or direct mail piece isn’t enough. Instead, brands should start linking their different outreach message and apply personalization across channels and devices. Applying key insights, demographics, and big data to personalize the messaging across all of your digital marketing helps drive customer loyalty and boost purchases.
Mobile Optimization
Brands have been focusing on mobile for years, but the importance of optimization for mobile can’t be understated. The number of users accessing the web through mobile devices continues to increase — overtaking desktop for Internet uses. Mobile devices have replaced cameras, alarm clocks, e-readers, and portable music devices in many ways. They have also transformed the ways consumers communicate and share information. Brands need to intelligently track mobile usage and technology to keep up-to date and relevant.
Trends in the digital marketing arena continue to evolve as new technology emerges and consumers become smarter. Staying on top of changes in the market and taking advantage of data and analytics to track your demographics are critical elements to your brand’s digital marketing success in 2017. Including these five marketing trends as you evaluate your strategy in 2017 will help your brand stay relevant in the ever-changing digital world.
What digital marketing trends have you observed this year? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!
