The Marketing Trends of Today and Tomorrow
We live in a digital era with constant change and with change comes responsibility. It is up to us to prepare for the future by doing what we can in the present to thrive. 2017 has been one hell of a year for the marketing industry and according to industry insiders 2018 is set to be even bigger!
Here are the top eight marketing strategies to take the world by storm this upcoming year:
AI Live Chat: This is real, this is me! Or is it? Prepare yourselves, because artificial intelligence is surpassing all expectations in 2018. Customer support teams are spicing things up with AI live chat experiences. By 2020, 85% of online customer service interactions will be through chat bots. Companies are activating live bots to communicate to their customers, and provide full-service responses in real time. Tools like Drift and Intercom are expanding live chats to better service to all website users.
Pay to Play: Want to know where your money should be going in 2018? Advertising! Google search feeds are exponentially increasing their percentage for inorganic searches. Remember when you could organically create relationships, build networks, and generate leads through searches? Companies are becoming more strategic with their advertisements, and re-allocating their budgets to align with greater SEO and reach.
Geofencing: Time to turn on your location services, because geofencing technologies are taking your area by storm. Companies are seeking and finding their target markets by collecting information about customers as they enter or leave specific areas. Promotion is heightened through promotional messaging in the area, as companies maximize the moment customers walk into their life. Location sharing is improving the customer experience and creating urgency for purchasing behavior when done correctly.
Video: Be real in real-time. Customers want to know who you are! With behind-the-scenes footage, short reels, drip campaigns and more, customers want to your efforts; not just read about your work. Did you know YouTube is the second largest search engine, right behind Google? Your customers need you as much as you need them. They are seeking insight, do-it-yourself tutorials, case testimonials and other forms of video to speak to them.
Experiential Marketing: People don’t want to read about your latest event, they want to experience it. Experiantial marketing, also known as event marketing creates a physical space where consumers can interact with your brand in-person or through virtual spaces. Companies are curating and hosting events that allow people to interact in-person and become submerged into the culture and dynamics that make up a brand. This helps companies become humanized and personal with people, promoting brand equity, hype and a highly interactive audience.
Micro-Influencer: Customers place trust on a brand and company. As Nielson stated, “In order to boost advertising ROI, marketers need to make sure an ad’s content and message is relevant to the consumer who sees it.” Micro-influencers are transforming the digital space as they cater to audiences between 1,000 - 100,000 followers. They go beyond the status of “social influencer”, as they are catering to a smaller niche market. Micro-influencers are speaking to a smaller loyal audiences that share the same passion for their interests and work. This adaptation of social influencer strategy allows audiences to relate and connect to influencers of smaller scales, creating a more personal approach, which can help lead increasing loyalty and ROI for a company.
Augmented Reality: Imagination is coming to life. Augmented reality is hitting your mobile devices, and transforming the way customers interact with the space around them. Through AI facial recognition, companies are tracking the interaction between products and consumers. Integrating real-world environments with computer- generated elements are altering “reality” through sound, video, graphics, and other sensory outputs.
Ever wonder why companies create “one size fits all” marketing campaigns? Neither do we! It just doesn’t work! This assumes everyone is the same and removes the individuality element people so heavily promote and embody. We all come in different shapes and sizes, and so should your marketing efforts to best address your audience. In 2018, companies are continuing to start the conversation and personalize their campaigns. How do you plan on communicating your brand in 2018?
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