This year is well halfway and it is time to take stock of the latest developments and trends in the digital marketing industry. You can make use of the knowledge gained from these trends to boost your digital marketing efforts. Plus, you can select a suitable marketing software solution for your business needs by reading the informative reviews in a reliable B2B directory. Here then is the list of disruptive trends in 2017 that you should know about.
Immersive Marketing
Content marketing has been reasonably successful with consumers getting entertaining as well as informative content. But there has also been plenty of hurried content published just to boost the volumes. Greater competition has motivated market innovators and leaders to find fresh ways to engage their readers and they are also using developments in technologies for this cause. YouTube and Facebook make use of 360-degree videos and this format is also being tried out by leading brands to offer an innovative and interesting experience. For instance, Pepsi made an augmented reality advertisement while Snapchat has seen interesting interactive campaigns.
Live Video
Live video has become more than a novelty and is here to stay. It all started with Meerkat and now Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter are all heavily promoting their live videos. The concept stands out in the saturated content arena and that is why brands wish to join the fun. For example, BuzzFeed’s live video showing two workers utilizing rubber bands to bust a watermelon has gathered more than 11 million views. In 2017, we expect influencers and live video to merge, with sponsorships and product placement becoming a standard feature in influencer videos. Companies are also using live video chat functionality to boost customer satisfaction by interacting and engaging with their buyers in real time.
Big Data
Though big data is not a new phenomenon, many businesses are still struggling to make effective use of it. A study by the market research company Ovum predicts that the market for big data will rise to $9.4 billion by the year 2020. Maturing businesses are expected to put new roles and structures in place, and make good use of big data. The use of big data in the 2016 US presidential election is well recorded. Cambridge Analytics utilized it for multiple purposes and their analyses assisted Trump’s party to focus their fundraising efforts, and campaign and spend more effectively. You can peruse the detailed reviews of business intelligence software systems in an established SaaS directory, and select a suitable solution to analyze and get actionable insights from big data.
More Personalization
One good use of big data is for personalized marketing and customer experience. Spotify, Netflix, and Amazon are using big data to offer personalized customer experiences. Their success means more companies will start using this method of one-to-one marketing after weighing cost and opportunity. In marketing, Spotify and Chelsea football club have used data to create lighthearted and enjoyable personalized campaigns.
Native Advertising
Native advertising is an old technique but it is gaining prominence of late because ad penetration is become less effective due to ad blockers, the rejection of banner advertisements, and reduced reach of organic social media. Making use of the trend, The Guardian daily newspaper has refurbished its native advertising facility to offer a home for the content created by brands and agencies which are struggling to place their branded content. Native ads are advertorials that combine features of an advertisement and editorial, and are placed to look like editorial pieces on websites. These ads are created to match the website’s style and also provide a call-to-action. Such covert advertisements can be viewed on publishing sites such as BuzzFeed, Forbes and others. For example, during the 2016 US presidential election sponsored native ads were placed on news websites in the form of political commentaries.
Trusted Testimonials
Testimonials are an old method, but the trend is they are being used outside the traditional box. Companies are not merely gathering reviews in directories, they are coding testimonials to improve search engine recognition. Therefore, it is important to place plenty of reviews on your site to gain a higher search engine ranking. You should place testimonials on your home page and contact page as well as other pages where the quotes are relevant to the content. On top of that, you should also feature different types of demographics and buyers to promote the range of products and services your company offers.
Mobile Strategies
Research shows that mobile devices are being used for more than 50% of internet searches. Therefore, it has become essential for companies to include mobile strategies in their digital marketing plans. Many companies state that their mobile traffic is overtaking desktop traffic and this trend will only increase in the future. As a result, you need to ensure your website is optimized for easy viewing on mobile devices. You need to format your website content in a simpler manner and make your call-to-action buttons larger. Create a responsive design so that you offer a seamless viewing experience for mobile users.
Conclusion
These then are the leading digital marketing trends that are making waves this year. Feel free to share your views on this article and also provide us details about any other popular digital marketing trends that you may know about.
