As we glide into winter, we look at the future of digital marketing
Innovative companies are appearing at a pace which is quicker than we can keep up with. This means that brands need to do more to get noticed in such a crowded marketplace with so many ingenious brands outsmarting their rivals.With only a couple of months left until the end of 2018, this is a great time to start thinking about your marketing strategy for the year ahead. This blog post would be reams of pages long if we were to talk about every single digital marketing trend so here’s just a handful which we love!
Voice searches
Staggeringly, out of the 3.5 billion searches on Google every single day, over a third of these are voice searches. By 2020, it is predicted that half of all search queries will be voice-based. But why is this important to marketers I hear you ask? Good question! Well when you open Google on your internet browser and type in a search query, there will be hundreds, if not thousands of search results. However, when you ask Siri or Amazon Alexa a question, you’ll only get a few results, usually just one. If your website is one of them, your website’s click-through rate and traffic is bound to increase. The challenge is getting to that top spot in the first place! This requires continual optimisation of your SEO strategy to improve your search rankings. Check out our recent blog about the importance of SEO to find out more.
Influencer marketing
In a recent study, it was revealed that the vast majority of consumers (86 percent) said authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support. Customers place more trust in other humans than on brands, meaning influencer marketing becomes ever more important in today’s market. This is where user-generated content (UGC) comes in. Not only does this authentic content attract users’ attention better than generic advertising messages, but it also allows consumers to feel more connected and allows them to develop an emotional attachment with the brand. Consequently, this will help to improve customer loyalty towards the business so it’s a win-win!
User-generated content
An excellent example of great UGC is the recent Booking.com TV advert, “One Mission”. Employees at the business were given a GoPro to document their amazing travel experiences with the business. This generated heaps of raw footage from hundreds of countries around the world. These videos showed the highs and lows of travel and how these experiences can transform an individual. They were cleverly pieced together in a way that told a story about the travel experience from landing in a foreign country through to embracing the culture and meeting the locals right through to the self-reflection at the end of the trip. This video had millions of views and showcased the fun and inspiring culture of the company which encouraged viewers to get out and experience what the world has to offer!
Chatbots
Last but not least on our list of digital marketing trends are chatbots (artificial intelligence programs built to automatically engage with received messages). Chatbots are becoming ever-more essential and are capable of processing data-driven requests and providing answers faster than humans. They can be given personalities, can have a sense of humour and are likely to become more “normal” in the eyes of consumers. They offer personalised information to consumers at any time. They are very simple to integrate directly into websites, mobile apps and even social media platforms. Another significant aspect of them is that they gather user information which can be used to provide more tailored marketing messages at a later date.If you feel a little daunted by what the future of digital marketing holds and what needs to be done to keep up, then we’re here to help. Why not give us a ring on 01244 515569 or, if you’re local to Chester, pop into our office to find out more!
.png)
