Marketing continues to become more analytical, and the focus is increasingly on digital with continued emphasis on organic search, social media, and content. In a nutshell marketing success is about creating compelling content, combined with marketing automation tools.
As 2017 approaches its end, we summarise the digital marketing trends that will have a significant impact on your marketing strategy. Here are 7 of the most important trends to watch out for in the coming year.
Customer Experience
Digital marketing is already being driven by customer experience. Companies however are starting to rethink their customer experience in order to remain relevant. Shorter content, more personalized, and immediate content, such as videos or infographics, are now being favored. In 2018, these trends will continue.
Colourful Content Marketing
2018 will be the year of content. Companies will start to realize that content marketing is what matters most. You need colourful, insightful, attention grabbing content to attract attention. It is clear that there is a link between the frequency of regularly updated content, relevant information, and increased customer interaction. This confirms the need to implement content that is customer-centric, and focused on relevant and unique material.
Increased Personalisation
Marketing for the masses is no longer viable. Personalized marketing is now taking over. With the mass amount of data available to companies, you’re able to now understand the entire customer journey and from this develop customized marketing strategies. Big Data has changed the way in which data can be used to target consumers.
Cross-device Marketing
The modern consumer has multiple devices to access in order to seek information; computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Mobile device use is increasing and is more adapted to punctual information than computers or laptops. This means companies now have to analyze real time demographic and behavior data in order to optimize marketing strategies according to the place, time, and device of the consumer. This allows companies to understand purchasing behavior and produce relevant multi-channel content.
Data-driven Marketing
Company blogging
Having a regular company blog has a large amount of benefits. It allows you to optimize your site for organic search, build trust and familiarity with your audience, builds authority in your industry, and allows you to keep your site fresh with regular updates. In short, it’s allows you to create new relationships with the audience. Developing a company blog is essential for driving traffic onto your site, and engaging with potential customers.
Increased visualization
The use of videos and animations is very much likely to soar high in the future. Using different forms of multimedia mean people are much more likely to engage due to the use of visually rich and interactive elements. This also encourages the audience to like or share the content. Brands now need to capitalize on the introduction of video features on various different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Digital technology has increased the opportunities for businesses to engage and interact with their consumers. But never forget you need interesting, insightful content that appeals to your customers to get the results. Companies now need to start incorporating these trends into the marketing plans for 2018, in order to make sure they stay ahead of the competition.