Top Digital Marketing Trends to Watch Out for in 2023
As 2016 comes to an end, you need to stay ahead of your competition and know which digital marketing trends to expect in 2017 before you start celebrating the New Year. In the past year, we saw a lot of information about personalized content and an increase in social media ads. While those trends will persist in 2017, there are other digital trends that are beginning to gain traction.
To stay on top of these trends, we recommend working with an online marketing company to ensure you're reaching your audience correctly. Understanding your customers’ behavior, providing them with immersive content, and automating these processes will be critical to the success of your digital marketing efforts. Below, you will see the details about the marketing trends that you should consider for your digital strategy in 2017.
Digital Marketing Trend #1: Understanding Customer Behavior
Mobile Marketing
Keep an eye out for mobile marketing trends. Over 50% of searches are completed on mobile. 80% of Facebook ad revenue is derived from mobile use, and 90% of mobile media time is spent in apps. These numbers have increased exponentially in 2016, which means that having a mobile marketing strategy is no longer optional. This data from Smart Insights shows that you need to have a solid mobile marketing plan that includes social media ads, mobile search optimization (i.e. responsive landing pages for mobile devices), and explore in-app mobile advertising opportunities. You can expect new mobile options for paid media in messaging apps, particularly Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, and WeChat.
Customer Data Platforms and Predictive Analytics
The best way to understand your customers’ behavior (and defining a marketing trend) is to know what type of content they are clicking on, where and how they found it, when they found it, and how often they are consuming it. As use of automated customer data and algorithms increases, more platforms for storing and analyzing this information will be created. These platforms will be able to tell you who is viewing your content and what you should do about it—in real-time. For help with how to use this data, consult an online marketing company!
Digital Marketing Trend #2: Immersive Content
Augmented & Virtual Reality
When Pokémon Go hit the market in 2016, no one knew that it would generate millions of dollars in revenue each day. However, this interactive app set the stage for augmented reality (AR) technology that marketers will pay attention to in years to come. AR offers a new way to immerse your prospects in experiences that are relevant to their interests and location. Sony, Samsung, and other companies are also inventing better virtual reality headsets that can offer real-life experiences for video and marketing content. Imagine virtually experiencing a cruise before ever stepping foot onto a ship’s deck.
Live Video
Another digital marketing trend is that content consumers are beginning to ask for more “in-the-moment” content. They want to be immersed in an experience or story that’s relevant to them. Live videos offer real-time and authentic content that can capture everything from 360 degree views of real estate property to the evolution of a product being developed by a team with an interesting story. An important thing to keep in mind about live videos is that most of them are viewed through social media outlets on mobile devices.
Digital Marketing Trend #3: Automation
Email marketing automation makes it easier to segment your marketing funnels, follow up with leads from your website or social media channels, and offer more opt-ins for your subscribers, among a long list of additional possibilities—automatically. It offers a way for you to distribute dynamic and customized content to your customers, based on their real-time behavior (i.e. what content they are or are not clicking on or interacting with). With the traction of email marketing automation, it’s becoming more unacceptable to send emails to individuals who have not shown any type of interest in your brand, product, or service.
Chatbots
Chatbots are making significant headway in digital marketing trends due to recent enhancements and developments of artificial intelligence technology this past year. As the use of mobile devices and apps continues to increase, sending automated messages to customers about products and topics of interest to them on their mobile devices will be a great way for you to set your brand apart from the competition.
