As we come up to a new year, new trends start to appear in digital marketing. Even though we tend to see a new trend almost every month, the ones with the biggest impacts usually start to creep on us as we enter a new year. Here are some of the trends we expect to see by 2018.
Video Advertising
The demand for video is already growing at an incredible rate. Many even believe video is the best type of content to guarantee ROI. With the younger demographic becoming more active on social media, video advertising will prove very fruitful for businesses or brands looking to market their products or services. Part of this trend is having 6 second long and meaningful adverts, ones which will appear before a video on YouTube or Facebook and not annoy the viewer too much by having to watch a 30-second long advert which they can’t skip. It really grabs the viewer’s attention and will actually get you noticed.
Chatbots
Whether you find them creepy or interesting, chatbots are definitely turning heads and in 2018 could be one of the key ingredients to B2B digital marketing success. It’s one of the smaller AI functions we’ve seen but very likely to become one of the most popular.
One crazy example is from H&M. They have launched their own chatbot platform called ‘Kik’. It acts as a personal stylist by scanning your social photos to learn what your style is like and recommends outfits. How crazy is that! It’s proven to be very popular, being used by almost 1.8 million people.
Customer focused and personalised content
Of course, consumer-centric content is not a new trend, this has been around for a long time, trying to tailor content that solves problems and gives useful knowledge. In the new year, however, this trend is expected to evolve by having content that provides a personalised experience for each consumer. By being more personal with users, you can find exactly what it is they are looking for and how you can be the best person to help. Ask them questions, whether it’s through your website or even through a printed questionnaire.
The takeover of mobile devices
Some social media platforms will disable some actions on your PC which can only be used on your mobile. This is tricking people into using their mobiles more than their laptops/computers so that you can get the full experience. This does have a name, ‘micro moments’. Get ready for a lot of mobile only campaigns to really attract users who will only view content on their mobile.
Brands are pushing boundaries
2017 has seen a rise in ‘meme culture’. It’s all part of brands understanding who their audience is and their demographic. If you have a young audience, then this is a great path to go down and as digital marketing grows so does the younger generation on social media. McDonald’s is a good example of this, having their social media team check out the most recent meme trends to create their own relating to their food. They’re still keeping it creative though, with some posts having actual thought behind them. The memes are a great way to connect with the younger generation and we expect to see more of it in the future.
Take action
If you’re looking to do more online, to build your brand in a meaningful way, then get in touch with us and together we can help your clients to both live and love your brand. Give us a call or drop us a line and we will be delighted to demonstrate how you can keep up with the times.
