October 11, 2018
Digital marketing technology is essential to your audience-building strategy. It allows you to engage more potential clients, build their loyalty, and establish meaningful and fruitful relationships with them in the process.
Considering the speed at which these technologies are evolving, you need to decide what is going to make the most sense for your company, your customers, and your long-term vision.
Here’s a roundup of the top ten digital marketing trends that should be on your radar:
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning
AI and machine learning use algorithms to gain intel from the data you and your customers produce. As time passes, machine learning will produce more targeted results as it becomes “smarter” and more attuned to your processes.
2. Automation
Automation helps to eliminate mundane, repetitive tasks so that your employees can refocus on higher-value activities, like customer experience. Processes that can be automated include emails, chat, client reminders, publishing content, promoting content, and social media.
3. Chatbots
With advances in natural language processing (NLP), chatbots are becoming more efficient than ever – and being able to provide customers with instant help, 24/7, is priceless. Chatbots also reduce the burden on the help desk, freeing up your IT team for more important tasks.
4. The internet of things (IoT)
The retail industry is already seeing a lot of positive results from the use of sensors and other IoT devices in-store. Beacons and sensors enhance the buyer experience by delivering convenience and targeted messaging based on past buying behavior, proximity, and more. The more connected we become, the more these devices will be part of our reality, no matter if you are collecting data from the IoT or delivering marketing messages through it.
Cisco, for example, is leveraging IoT to support improved business outcomes in retail and marketing. IoT supports personalization and allows companies to harness endless layers of customer data to better engage their customers and improve the user experience.
5. Big Data
Companies that can harness their data will gain a major advantage over those who cannot. Big data will help you market to your existing customers more effectively and will also help you identify prospective customers.
6. Content marketing
The content you share is an opportunity to show your brand personality. Social media such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and your blogs are all essential to your overall digital marketing strategy.
7. Personalization
Hyper-targeted personalization in every interaction is becoming more and more important. Attaching personalized landing pages to your marketing campaigns is a great attention grabber and can be implemented at every stage of your funnel.
8. User experience
Engaging your audience is a major part of the battle for market share. Features such as communication, live chat, content, intuitive navigation, and load speed are just a few of the elements that will keep your audience coming back for more.
9. Voice marketing
With the rise in importance of voice search, being prepared to capture this market requires content that captures this type of search or content that integrates with other features of the user interface.
10. Live video
Video marketing has been gaining ground as a digital marketing strategy, but live video is poised to pick up that thread and take it over the top. Professionally shot live videos are the new wave – and it’s a great, authentic way to engage your existing audience and pick up new interest along the way.
While there are countless new digital marketing trends to consider, these are among the top contenders you should be looking at right now. The technology you choose today should valuably deliver business insights while engaging your audience, with the ultimate goal of scale and market penetration.
Share this article:
