From the ever-evolving world of mobile to the rapid development in artificial intelligence; digital marketing is in a constant state of flux. It is a real challenge for digital marketers to keep up with the latest trends and stay in the loop, with cutting-edge technologies and strategies. Here are 5 digital marketing trends that will reshape the industry this year.
1) Marketing through live video using Instagram, Periscope and Snapchat
Instagram, Periscope and Snapchat are allowing businesses to connect with their target audience in real-time. Live video has become an essential component of social strategy as it helps to humanize a brand.
Periscope is a live-streaming app owned by Twitter and it allows broadcasts to be auto-published on Twitter accounts, as well. Followers can engage in real-time communication and the broadcasts can be viewed for 24 hours on mobile devices, as well as, desktops.
Snapchat is a semi-live streaming app, which removes the pressure of watching a video right here, right now. But, once the video is viewed, it disappears. Also, this app has a feature called ‘story’ allowing a user to create a collection of video to be viewed for 24 hours. It even allows viewers to save the video and upload it to other channels.
Instagram, on the other hand, combines the best elements of Periscope and Snapchat. On Instagram Live, followers can watch a video while it is being broadcasted and remove access, once the broadcast is completed.
2) Personalized Marketing via Big Data Analytics
Big Data Analytics is playing a major role in moulding digital marketing campaign and enhancing sales effectiveness. A full service digital marketing company can help you collect data, such as customer information, demographics, interests, behaviors and other relevant business information. The data collected will help you identify shopping & demographic trends and income levels while helping to customize your marketing strategy for meeting specific customer expectations. Big Data will help you in identifying the propensity to convert different behavioral patterns and characteristics of the consumers.
3) Marketing via Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality may be a craze among gamers, but it also has huge potentials in marketing. This technology has fundamentally altered the way businesses interact, with their target audience and market their products. While augmented reality (AR) uses 3D model to augment the real, physical world; virtual reality (VR) creates an environment, which is completely different from the one that you are in standing in.
In 2016, OnePlus utilized the VR marketing strategy to launch its flagship phone, OnePlus 3. OnePlus teamed up with AntVR, the VR specialists, to create 30,000 Loop VR headsets that were gone just as soon as they hit the markets. The chinese smartphone manufacturer showcased the launch of it’s flagship phone with the help of VR.
This marketing strategy went down well with the consumers and the comfortable VR headsets created all the buzz necessary around OnePlus.
4) Marketing using Wearables
The use of marketing via wearables is one of the emerging digital marketing trends, due to its wide demographic appeal and the ability to be integrated, with smartphones. It allows marketers to tap into the market by interacting and sharing relevant information to consumers through a personal channel. The market for wearable technology is estimated at a whopping 31.27 billion USD by 2020. With its presence on social media, wearables are a huge push to the healthcare and the marketing industry.
5) Marketing using Artificial Intelligence Bots
Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital marketing bots may not be able to replace humans, but can be utilized to supplement human knowledge and experience. Marketers, via AI, can unlock deeper insights into consumer base and communicate with prospective customers more effectively. It can help eliminate impersonal and monotonous aspects of a marketer’s job.
Bots can replace humans in places, such as online customer interaction and answering queries. From virtual shopping assistants to personalized content suggestions, AI is making great strides into the digital marketing industry. For instance, Facebook is making the use of artificial intelligence bots for helping users book a flight, providing answers to health-related questions, providing latest financial news, and so on.
The above-mentioned are the top 5 digital marketing trends in 2017 that you need to incorporate, right now, in your digital marketing campaign.
