TOP 10 TRENDS FORETASTED TO STEER: DIGITAL MARKETING IN 2018

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Now that we are about to end the first quarter of 2018, and consumer behaviors and demands are changing at a record-breaking pace, every business owner’s an entrepreneur’s conscience is being bombarded with the same question – What’s next?

With good reason too. If you want to gain a competitive edge in today’s market, you need to stay ahead in the game. New aspects of consumer behaviors and expectations will be playing an imminently vital role in shaping the digital market, leaving every firm scrambling to adopt the new personalization strategies which will give them a competitive edge.
Given how exceedingly busy the digital marketing landscape has become, here are a few predicted trends that may help marketers to decide where to spend their budgets, time and resources in 2018

01. LIGHTS, CAMERA, TRACTION
Videos have become the ultimate way to engage an audience as we become a world enamored with the perceptible. A Visual Networking Index report predicts that video content will take over 80% of the entire Internet traffic by 2019. Moreover, YouTube has become the biggest search engine after Google, which has made it an even more important platform for advertisers.
With 63% of businesses actively using videos for marketing motives, the trend isn’t going to die anytime soon. As video advertising continues to explode, marketers who master the game stand to drive substantial campaign performance improvements. The figure below shows the increasing investment in digital advertising. However, what may change is the nature and length of these videos. Despite this fluctuating nature of viewer inclination based on video length, style, and structure, the 92% of mobile video viewers who share them with others make for a convincing argument in favor of video marketing.

02. CHAINS ACROSS THE GLOBE
The open-source technology developed by the enigma Satoshi Nakamoto(1) called Blockchain is most known for its application in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, but various industries are starting to see the benefits of its application. This technology is especially relevant to advertising as blockchain is rooted in the underlying principles of trust, transparency, and security – the three objectives advertisers are striving to perfect.
Early adopters in adtech are turning the blockchain ideology into reality such as The New York International Advertising Exchange (NYIAX) who have partnered with Nasdaq to facilitate the buying, selling and re-trading of future guaranteed premium media contracts. Also, industry-wide working groups are coming together like the IAB Tech Lab to explore and develop standard practices and benchmarks around the use of blockchain internationally.
As it stands, the practical implications of blockchain on the everyday marketer may not be earth-shattering in 2018, but it is indeed a trend to keep an eye on in the coming year.

03. ACT 2018: THE AI TAKEOVER
Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be everywhere already, but more companies will start using AI primarily for trend analysis and consumer profiling. Connectivity with consumers will improve, targeting will become more precise, and emails can be sent with virtually no trouble. Customers will also be provided with an abundance of accurate and relevant options, further alleviating the shopping experience for them.
Furthermore, digital marketers are finding ways to go even further to meet customer expectations of greater personalization and map relevant ad campaigns to audience needs. With the focus on more refined audience targeting, marketers will be able to identify people interested in their products more efficiently, set the right bidding rules, and create the right experience for millions of people.

04. MAKING IT EXCLUSIVE
IOT, smart speakers, the need to engage – it all has lead to content being lifted off the screen. Not just through an apposite post, but interactions with chatbots and virtual assistants can also be used to define the consumer experience eloquently.
Although the fact that most marketing attempts grow on the soil of original, engaging, educational, and value-imparting content won’t change in 2018, visual content will be seeing a substantial growth-and there are as many content formats as distribution channels, so prioritizing one has been deemed to be difficult at the moment.
But, the only aspect someone involved in the industry can agree on is that personalized, targeted, and high-value content will remain as a crucial component to content success in 2018. In fact, 94% senior-level executives consider content-personalization critical for customer targeting, according to a report from PWC’s Digital Services Group.

05. LET THEM HEAR YOU
Voice is a natural evolution of search, and layers on top of existing search technology. The technology has existed for over a decade, but only now is robust enough for commercial use.
The voice ecosystem is still in its infancy but combined with advanced analytics and hardware; it is likely to usher a new era of human interaction and experiences; this will not be a revolution over a day, but one that rolls out over a decade or more. Voice search is heavily dependent not only on voice recognition, but also on local and structured data for context, and artificial intelligence to extract meaning and mobile indexation to confirm preferred services.
This year, Google announced that 20% of all its searches were through voice searches and according to ComScore it’s all set to rise to 50% by 2020. Naturally, it only makes sense that more content will now be optimized for voice searches.

06. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE THINGS
There’s a reason why 51% of marketers believe that the Internet of Things (IoT)– ubiquitous, embedded devices that convey real-time data – is all set to revolutionize marketing by 2020. What’s more, 89% believe it will ‘very significantly’ impact customer engagement.
In the last year, the IOT network expanded by a staggering amount of more than 30%. And this network, as it grows, will bring in lots of essential data and churn it to reveal vital information. As IOT works to generate information, the functionality of complex units, like manufacturing, healthcare, etc., will gain efficiency. Positively, from managing retail expenses to planning cities- IOT and analytics, when working together, can create business insights at a level no one has ever reached before.

7. CONTENT TODAY, GONE TOMORROW
Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook stories have led to the popularity of ephemeral content. Most ephemeral content is shared for up to 24 hours and then disappears forever. Brands are now creating content for their social channels as well as having a separate strategy for their ephemeral content marketing.
Ephemeral content allows companies to be more authentic. Many brands have been seen to be using their Instagram profile for their best, high-quality content and stories for more real-time content. Because of the nature of the stories, content is lost within hours, which propels followers to take fast action which leads to optimal gain for the marketers.

8. TRICKLE DOWN MARKO-NOMICS
Influencer marketing is not a new thing anymore. Due to the vast majority of marketers wanting to tap into the influencer market, there are far more challenges faced by agencies and brands. The popularity of influencer marketing has made it hard to know who to trust.
Consumers want authenticity from influencers, and so the brands who seek to work with real influencers or industry experts will find a higher engagement rate. Consequently, with so many brands wanting to work with influencers, they will become more thoughtful about who they want to work and be associated with.
The future of influencer marketing will see brands turning to real experts. This is due to too many brands wanting to work with social influencers which have led to their opinions no longer being trusted. Therefore, building meaningful relationships with influencers will become a significant aspect of digital marketing in 2018.

9. NOT REALLY REALITY
The use of Augmented Reality on mobile devices provides a niche and engaging way for marketers to reach their target audience – it’s quick, easy and exceptionally interactive.
This year Apple announced the launch of iPhone 8 and iPhone X which provides users with new augmented reality experiences. Therefore its likely more social channels will plan on introducing new ways of integrating AR into their platforms. We have already seen Snapchat roll out a new AR feature allowing users to their Bitmoji and project themselves or images into the real world through the app’s camera.
Similarly, brands may soon project their products into the homes of social media users through special filters. For example, IKEA rolled out ‘Place’ – an app for users to preview furniture in their home before buying. This technology is a great way to increase conversions by showing customers how their products will look in the surroundings of their own home, before buying.
As AR grows, people will start to feel like they are missing out on this new world and want to become part of it. Therefore, given its exponential growth, companies will soon be finding new ways to tap into this trend.

10. THE CONFIDENTIALITY CLAUSE
With the onset of new privacy regulations across the globe, brands that sell to customers in Europe and beyond must be prepared to comply. The new European Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will redefine particularly what online privacy means for all organizations, as they’re faced with requests (and requirements) for the permanent erasure of customer information through the “right to erasure” and restrictions about how prospect data is collected and used for marketing initiatives.
Also, 2017’s massive data breaches have had a considerable impact on how consumers everywhere (and perhaps even more so in the US) think about their online privacy and security. Consumers will prioritize companies and products that put their information security first in 2018 and beyond as these attacks continue to become more common, and smart marketers will begin using privacy protection and data security as a value proposition across all industries and product offerings. In conclusion, digital privacy environment will change significantly.

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