Let’s face it, we’ve been completely immersed in the marketing and advertising world the past couple of months. If you’re anything like me, you probably also can’t help but analyze and scrutinize every commercial and advertising you now stumble upon. We are better at identifying the brands’ strategies and whether they are actually successful in implementing them. We’re also very perceptive and attentive to new marketing trends and ideas.
It’s clear that today’s marketing is different than what it used to be ten or twenty years ago. Consumers are drowning in information being thrown at them from all directions and become increasingly numb to everything they see and hear through traditional channels. In paraphrasing the words of Roman Emperor Augustus, I would say, they don’t just want “circuses” any longer, they also want “bread”. And, thus, companies have to deliver that if they want to remain relevant and continue selling their products.
Marketing companies are now concentrating on properly identifying and narrowing their primary target audiences and attempt to reach them through channels hand-picked specifically for these audiences. Obviously, the digital world has taken over and is not going anywhere anytime soon. With that comes the term digital marketing that businesses worldwide have to acknowledge, get comfortable with, and learn how to take advantage of. The reality is that today people spend about twice as much time online as they used to a decade ago. The way consumers shop has also changed drastically. Many of them shop mostly or exclusively online.
The term “digital marketing” is not new and has existing since the invention of pop-up advertising back in the era of AOL and dial-up internet providers. As everything else, digital marketing is evolving. It is evolving even faster today because of how much time we spend browsing the world wide web today. New trends are emerging constantly offering companies technological advancements that guarantee a more integrated experience for consumers and, thus, a promise of a higher visibility for the companies.
So, the question is, which digital marketing trends will be popular in 2018?
- More Targeted Ads With a More Specific Purpose.
As already mentioned, today consumers have little patience for annoying ads because of how much advertising they are being bombarded with on a daily basis. Many people are consciously avoiding products and companies that seem to have no respect for their online privacy. Most companies are starting to realize that they have to create a more targeted marketing experience and tailor adverts for specific consumers and audiences that are interested in certain products and services. Today’s marketing is all about personalized connections.
- Videos On Demand Are In Demand (Live Included!).
In case you haven’t paid attention, video content is taking over the internet. If that doesn’t convince you, here is some statistics:
- YouTube viewers watch a billion hours of videos every day
- Facebook users consume over 8 billion of videos each day
- Over 80% of Twitter’s users watch video content on the website
What’s even more important is the fact that video campaigns can offer huge flexibility to marketers and advertisers because there are many formats available, such as live streaming or 360-degree videos that the audiences seem to be fascinated with.
- AI and Chatbots.
There is no escaping artificial intelligence in the present era. Without even realizing it we are surrounded by it and have access to it on an everyday basis. Have you used Siri lately? Even if it wasn’t intentional and only because you pushed that one button for too long and she popped up on your screen accidentally? Well, Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Google’s Assistant are clearly showing that chatbots and virtual assistants popularity will continue to rise and that means marketing world will have to adjust to this trend and learn how to use it.
Conversation is natural to humans.Conversation via chatbots can offer brands an ability to interact with consumers that seek information, products, and services, or just want to be entertained.
- Say it with me, GDPR.
In 2018, the European Union is cracking down on all businesses in the way they are collecting personal data about consumers online. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDRP) is going into effect on May 25, 2018. In general, the GDRP will give European citizens more control over their personal information because businesses will have to clearly and expressly say when and what data they are trying to collect from consumers. How does that affect us in the United States, you ask? Well, the regulation is applicable to any company located anywhere in the world that is collecting data on European citizens, thus it includes a vast number of American companies. In fact, it appears that American business world is more prepared for this rule to take effect than their European friends. As of today, 84% of American companies are GDPR compliant vs less than 75% of European businesses.
If the business doesn’t comply with the new regulations it will be facing fines up to 4% of global annual turnover or 23 million USD, whichever is greater.
- SII: Storytelling, Interaction, and Integration.
Marketing has to evolve beyond blog writing, listicles, and random images or videos. With new formats and platforms being developed on an almost daily basis, these methods are becoming outdated and boring. People want to see more personalized and individualized marketing and advertising that caters directly to them and, moreover, is amusing and entertaining enough to capture their attention. People want to see and hear stories. The wide range of technological and digital options available today offers advertisers just that – an opportunity to create interactive, hyper-targeted advertising campaigns that are integrated seamlessly across various digital channels. Advertisers will also have to learn how to deliver what today’s consumers want to see. That is creative content that carries a strong storyline and an inspiring message.
References:
Brucker, N. (2018, March 06). Four Emerging Digital Marketing Trends To Keep On Your Radar. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/03/06/four-emerging-digital-marketing-trends-to-keep-on-your-radar/3/#2d9f1381c930
Chaffey, D. (2018, January 03). 10 Marketing Trends to act on in 2018. Retrieved from https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/10-marketing-trends/
Kiely, T. (2018, January 12). 5 digital marketing trends that will shape your 2018. Retrieved from http://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2018/01/12/5-digital-marketing-trends-will-shape-your-2018
Oldford, S. (2018, March 05). 6 Digital Marketing Trends That Will Explode Your Brand Awareness in 2018. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/309056
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