One of the biggest trends in the digital marketing industry is the rapid pace at which it is evolving. Digital marketing campaigns are complex and involving, requiring multiple working parts to ensure that they are effective. For instance, the Covid-19 pandemic affected the B2B and B2C industries, customers, and the entire digital marketing sector. It also transformed the way businesses do business online and the role of marketing professionals.
Voice search
There’s no denying that voice search is the biggest trend in online marketing today. In fact, according to research from Gartner, over 55% of U.S. households will use voice assistants by 2022. The majority of these consumers are millennials, who speak to voice-enabled devices every single day. In fact, 65% of these consumers will be speaking to voice-enabled devices on a daily basis. The future of online marketing is highly dependent on voice-activated searches.
As voice-activated virtual assistants continue to gain popularity, search engines will need to evolve to keep up with this natural conversational mode of searching. The technology that recognizes human speech patterns is advancing rapidly, and the best marketing teams will be pivoting to keep up with the changing trends. While there are a few caveats in implementing voice-driven marketing, here are some of the biggest challenges of this new trend.
Video
One of the most effective ways to market your business with video is by incorporating user-generated content (UGC) into your marketing strategy. This type of content is highly effective for conversion, with video UGC increasing the likelihood of customers making a purchase by 184 percent and spending 45 percent more than non-video users. This type of video content is especially powerful in industries based on user opinions, such as travel and health and beauty. The future of video marketing lies in incorporating this technology into your marketing strategy.
It is estimated that ninety percent of internet users watch videos on their mobile phones. And the number of smartphone users is rapidly increasing. It is estimated that smartphone users feel a personal connection with brands more than half the time. It’s no wonder that more brands are focusing on this type of marketing. Video is also proving to be highly effective in driving website traffic. Video marketing will continue to grow into the future, as more consumers are embracing this trend to engage with brands and products.
Mobile-optimized digital experiences
There is no doubt that mobile-optimized digital experiences are the most important trend in online marketing today. In the past two years, many organizations have moved to mobile-friendly websites, and this trend is only going to become more prominent as millennials and Gen Z become the largest consumer groups by 2022. And according to recent reports, 84 percent of marketers plan to spend at least some of their marketing budgets on mobile web design. In other words, mobile is here to stay.
Mobile-optimized digital experiences are essential for reaching a large number of people. The number of smartphone users is growing rapidly – 71.5% of the U.S. population owns a smartphone. This statistic is even higher globally, with 66.5% of the global population owning a mobile device. For marketers to stay ahead of the game, they must create a seamless experience for users on mobile devices.
Influencers
Over the last few years, influencer marketing has become a huge trend for brands. In fact, more than six in 10 marketers say it is challenging to identify influential content creators. While there are several steps to effectively implement an influencer marketing strategy, the first step is identifying the target audience. Fortunately, influencer marketing can lead to a tremendous ROI. In fact, in some cases, marketers can earn $18 for every dollar they spend.
Once a brand has developed a good relationship with an influencer, the brand will begin to see results. Investing in these partnerships will build trust with the influencer’s audience, give the brand more legitimacy, and increase sales. According to Forbes, over 86% of companies use user-generated content (UGC) as part of their marketing strategies. Users often trust a product more than branded advertising, so it’s a smart idea to use UGC to build a feed full of beautiful content.
Conversational marketing
More businesses are implementing conversational marketing tactics to increase customer engagement. In fact, a survey revealed that 79% of businesses had seen a positive impact on ROI, purchases, and customer retention. And as many as 52% of consumers are willing to return to a company that offers direct communication. So how does conversational marketing work? To find out, read on. Listed below are 5 ways conversational marketing can help your business.
It’s not uncommon to see interactive ads these days. Unilever even planned its own interactive ad campaign more than two decades ago, but it wasn’t practical 21 years ago. But thanks to advances in technology and artificial intelligence, conversational marketing has become an integral part of digital marketing. Similarly, many eCommerce stores have begun implementing virtual reality to allow consumers to browse their stores on the go.
AI
The most obvious application of AI in online marketing is personalization. For example, YouTube has a recommendation system that suggests videos based on your viewing history. AI helps marketers understand consumer behavior and preferences and tailor marketing messages. By analyzing these behaviors, AI enables marketers to target specific customer personas and maximize the conversion rate of their ads. For instance, AI can optimize email campaigns with targeted, relevant content. Artificial intelligence can also automate website analytics and automate other parts of an online marketing strategy.
For marketers, AI is an opportunity to use connected devices and IoT to automate repetitive tasks and augment human decision-making. With the help of artificial intelligence, marketers can reach a wider audience. Instead of logging into a corporate email account to communicate with customers, they can text their opinions directly to the AI system. To receive real-time updates from the AI system, a business must have a fast internet connection.
