Digital marketing has witnessed the meteoric rise in the past decade, with enterprises of all sizes and from across the globe embracing the internet to extend their popularity. The journey till date has been a phenomenal one as digital marketers have come a long way in this time span. They have stepped out of the conventional realms of SEO, PPC and SMM and started treading the paths less-travelled. Ground-breaking technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Big Data and Analytics, have transformed the way brands are built online. After an eventful year, 2018 too seems to have a lot in store for marketers and businesses. Let’s check out the trends that are poised to make it big in 2018:
Blogging…no, now content marketing will be the buzzword!!
Content strategies will no longer be confined to blogging as businesses would have to move over to complex ones, marketing content in diverse forms such as e-books and infographics. The objective is frame a content strategy that offers value to the audience and educates them about the products being offered. Rather than showcasing themselves with traditional ads, businesses would need to combine them with specific content that has the ability to engage the potential customers. Utilization of user-generated content such as reviews and testimonials is a smart idea as such content gets a fair share of attention for the business. Such a strategy empowers the business to leverage effective content for winning the user’s attention and engaging them well enough to drive leads and conversions.
Visualization will get the winning advantage
Another trend that has rocked in 2017 and will probably get bigger in 2018 is that of content visualization, which we know better as video content. Businesses are realizing the significance of supplementing text-based content with compelling videos. Video content may include product information, user guidelines, testimonials, and more, and can be posted on popular social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Surveys have shown that Facebook audiences are 10 times more likely to comment on live videos than otherwise. The reason is clear- videos are capable of getting across the message more effectively as well as of holding the attention of the viewer. In this way, they boost the digital campaigns and bring substantial increase in engagement.
Artificial Intelligence will be bigger than ever
One of the disruptive technologies of the present times, Artificial Intelligence will get bigger than ever. The impact will be huge and come sooner than expected, as reports suggest that it will completely replace humans in online customer interactions by 2020. Chatbots, for instance, are now stepping into the shoes of human customer care executives on most of the online shopping sites. Similarly, even people who are not so tech-savvy are becoming comfortable with smart virtual assistants such as Alexa and Siri. Also, voice searches and image searches are becoming an integral part of online marketing strategies.
Data will play a decisive role
Another tech innovation that has proliferated into the digital marketing domain is big data. Availability of data related to consumer behavior, preferences and demographics is a big plus for any business. This data can be purposed for user segmentation and then applied to deliver relevant offers to the right people at the right time. Needless to say, personalized shopping experiences make the key to achieving booming online sales.
Influencers will emerge as marketing heroes
Influencer marketing is another digital marketing trend that will be gaining traction in 2018. Businesses will be able to gain huge advantage by leveraging the popularity of niche influencers who have massive online fan following. Influencers can spell phenomenal success stories as they are capable of driving direct sales traffic by reaching the followers via social channels. Moreover, being backed by the experts adds credibility and trust to the business reputation, in addition to being a cost-effective tactic.
Being mobile-optimized will be essential
Omnichannel availability is the key to survival in the digital scenario and mobile is perhaps the most crucial link in the online selling chain. Customers tend to shop on the go rather than being confined to the desktops. Additionally, Google’s algorithm reserves higher search rankings for mobile-responsive sites. For this reason, being mobile-optimized will be more important than ever in 2018. Mobile optimization encompasses aspects like high loading speed, excellent page views and navigation, and mobile-compatible content on these devices.
A robust digital marketing plan will not be an option for businesses in the coming year; it will be a compulsion. Businesses should be aware of the upcoming trends so that they are able to create a strategy that works to deliver the best results within the shortest span of time.
