We
know that countless technological improvements have taken place within the
digital world. Video now play a major role in almost everything we do online
and the mobile phone is likely to grow in continued dominance of our lives.
Listed
are 10 serious trends that will decide how we’ll make progress in digital
marketing, according to Sean Mulrooney, CEO of NW3 Media:
Digital
Advertising Trends
Mobile
The
prevalence of handheld devices and the fact that desktop traffic is passing
into oblivion clearly indicates that mobile is, in fact, the future. If you are
not catering your content, ads, and website towards mobile users, then you are
missing out on a massive opportunity. Don’t make a few technical tweaks here
and there, but honestly examine your online experience to ensure that it’s
integrated with a user’s lifestyle that is “on-the-go.”
Native
Business
Insider reports that spending on native advertising reached
$7.9 billion in 2016, with projections skyrocketing to $21 billion
in 2018, and expected to expand across numerous platforms. Digital savvy
consumers are now wary of extremely overt advertising, and the increased
ability to skip ads or remove banners on browsers means that a more integrated
ad experience is more likely to reach its target audience. If it’s done well,
native advertising is unobtrusive and seamlessly integrated into the regular
content on a platform, providing value to the audience in addition to reaching
them with your advertising.
Video
If
you’ve checked in on any of the popular social media sites lately, you’ll
notice that most are dominated by video content. Facebook Live, Snapchat
stories, not to mention the already ubiquitous videos shared on Twitter and
Youtube. (Video is quickly on its way to becoming the king of content.) Fail to
incorporate video content in your advertising, and you may be left in the dust.
The
trend goes hand in hand with the growth of mobile. Invodo reports that video
viewership on mobile surpassed that of desktop since Q4 of 2015. What makes
YouTube such an advertising powerhouse is its ability to reach the Millennial
audience, with YouTube reaching more 18-49 years olds
during primetime than the top 10 TV shows combined.
Interactive Content
Remember
those classic magazine quizzes like “What Lipstick Color Are You” or “What
Superhero Are You Most Like?” They are here in the digital space too, and they
can also be leveraged for their advertising potential.
Content
that users interact with leaves a greater impression than those they only read.
It takes the audience from a passive to an active role. Interactive content in
ads or on the advertiser’s site, from quizzes, polls and infographics is
essential in an age when mere visual and written ads are likely to be lost in a
sea of content.
Personalized
Content
Consumers
are now constantly bombarded with ads every day. This dilutes the effect of
most advertising campaigns. Yankelovich President Jay Walker-Smith says the
average user is now exposed to over 5,000 ads per day,
making it difficult to capture the attention of a distracted audience.
In
order to cut through the clog, advertisers must hone in on exactly
what specific consumers care about — in other words, personalize the ad
experience. Fortunately, with increasing data and the ability to track consumer
habits, interests and activity, advertisers have the capacity to segment ads to
target specific types of users. While it may mean a bit more work initially,
the benefits are certainly worth it.
Influencers
Influencers
are like word of mouth on steroids. Few tactics are more effective in the
digital advertising age than having a well-followed influencer touting your
product. Trust is built in, and reach is instant across multiple platforms.
Influencer
advertising is on the rise because people tend to trust recommendations from
their favorite social media personality much more than any traditional campaign
telling them a product is great. Influencers have a vested interest in
maintaining a halo of honesty, which then transfers to their recommendations.
With the right influencer partners, advertisers can build rapid followings in
little time.
The
familiar channels of Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitter are of course the
prime targets. But also consider niche forums such as Reddit. You can even
target B2B industry influencers who blog.
Chatbots
Chatbots
have come a long way since the days of Microsoft Clippy.
Google’s
Allo was launched in September 2016 and hailed as “the most significant chatbot
messaging platform ever” with its ability to read and interpret messages, while
recommending appropriate responses in turn. Advertisers quickly jumped on the
trend, providing the ease of hands-free, voice-activated and concierge-like
service right in the consumer’s home.
Chatbots
allow for real-time, 24-hour engagement with customers. AIs provide a
personalized experience for customers, without the actual need for a person for
every customer. A personal sales associate for anyone that wants to chat is the
type of positive consumer experience of many companies’ fever dreams; chatbots
are making that happen, with AI and big data providing update and market
strategy in real-time that will improve the advertising potential the more
chatbots are used.
Live Video
Live
video is the new “it girl” to the scene, made evident by Snapchat’s meteoric
rise. When Facebook announced Live, the company was so confident in the
potential of this content distribution channel that it made multi-million dollar deals
with publishers like Buzzfeed to keep the content coming in. The deal is working out wonderfully for all
parties. Facebook reported that users watched live videos three
times longer that those that weren’t live.
Following
in the tradition of vlogs and popular reaction videos, the content is more
spontaneous, more intimate and able to visually and emotionally reach viewers
immediately, creating a more impactful experience that advertisers continually
strive for.
Data, Data, Data!
It’s
no longer viable to invest in advertising and content if you don’t pay
attention to the data and metrics that go
with it. Not only can it be used to determine the success or failure of a
campaign, but it also gives valuable insight into the minds of customers. This
can help advertisers continually perfect and correct what they are putting out.
Every
major platform — from email to Facebook, Google and Instagram — provides
metrics and data to advertisers. More content interaction means more ways to
source data, and cloud storage and machine learning provide a more accurate and
faster way to process this data than ever before. Ignore these assets, and your
ads will be left in the dust.
Ad Blocking
More
than 400 million mobile web users and 200 million desktop web users are using ad-blocking technology
to restrict the banner ads displayed on their devices. However, marketers
should stop worrying about it. Yes, you read right, stop worrying about it.
It’s a reality, and as frustrating as it is, ad blocking is here to stay. There
will be a constant cat and mouse game between advertisers and platforms against
developers of ad blockers.
It
is better for advertisers to focus their energy on diversifying their media and
seeking outlets like native advertising and useful content embedded with
advertising that circumvents ad blockers. Traditional online advertising is not
well received by consumers, blocked or not, so advertisers should focus on
creating content consumers want to see, rather than content they consider to be
a nuisance.
Final Thoughts
Growing
your business isn’t easy, is it? Increasing your influence and earning more
customers is a challenge every company deals with. The key to your marketing
success is staying on top of the trends. The last thing that you want is to be
left behind. Pay close attention to the development of the trends listed in
this article, and you will stay ahead of your competition.
At
Shoppima,
we can develop marketing strategies around these trends for your organization.
From Ad Blocking, to Data Management, Live Video, Chatbots, Influencers,
Personalized and Interactive Content, to Video, Native advertising and mobile
responsive content, Shoppima has everything you need. We can customize plans to
fit whatever need your business might have. Visit our website to learn
more
Photo via Go Lead Digital
Comments
Post a Comment