Here are seven of the main marketing trends we’ll be keeping in mind when planning marketing strategies for our clients this year.
Power of influencer-marketing
Partnering with key influencers who can drive your brand’s message to their networks is a highly effective way to reach consumers. On social media, Instagrammers, bloggers, celebrities and YouTube stars can flex their influencer muscles by creating word-of-mouth endorsements leading consumers to follow and admire. When influencers are used effectively, they create a natural way to seduce a target audience and create a connection to your brand.
Virtues of visual storytelling
The need to differentiate your brand in the rising sea of content makes it necessary to have maximum standout using visual media. To do this you have to have the ability to tell your brand’s story through photography, video and illustration. The digital world has made it easier than ever for consumers to engage with your company through visual storytelling quickly with impact. But they have to be the right visuals. Powerful visuals and video content evoke emotions and drive deeper engagement with consumers.
Live video streaming will fully take off
With the major social media channels competing in the live-streaming market, we predict 2017 will be the year that live video really takes off. The demand for in-the-moment content is increasing, as social media users want real time access to live video content to share experiences and be part of the moment. Thanks to faster internet connection live video will become something of a trend in its own right, with more platforms and apps such as Periscope and Meerkat allowing some kind of “live streaming” functionality. A savvy brand will take advantage of live streaming to connect immediately with their target audience by conveying emotion and delivering messages to promote their products and services.
Chatbots will change conversations
Advances in artificial intelligence and programming are enabling chatbots to answer customers’ queries and essentially be a sales associate who never sleeps. Chatbots will be a major game-changer in 2017 as AI and deep learning from data crumbs from across the web are used to understand and guide consumer behaviour. Imagine a chatbot who knows your likes, dislikes, and needs and can guide you on where to eat, how to travel, or where to shop. Chatbots will improve real-time, 24-hour engagement with consumers providing positive customer experience through the power of technology.
Go native or go home
With the diminishing penetration of many ads through ad blockers, native advertising is expected to expand across numerous online platforms, as it’s more immersive and doesn’t disrupt the user experience. The Guardian newspaper has recently updated its native advertising platform to help brands find a more natural home for their content. As Adam Foley, commercial strategy director, said: “We have answered a genuine industry problem faced by advertisers and agencies who create their own branded content and struggle with a suitable home.”
Keep it personal
There is no denying that the daily dose of information overload has made people more resistant to advertising. Today’s consumers are savvy and are quickly turned off by anything they perceive as sales or marketing noise. Personalisation is more than using consumers’ first names on an e-mail. Marketers need to gather insight on consumers to home in on what they are looking for and thinking about. Tracking consumers’ interests, browsing histories and buying habits is key to creating strategies to gain cut through.
Automate your efforts
As marketing becomes more complex — more channels, more tools, more data — using automation to manage a brand becomes more necessary and essential. Marketing automation does exactly what it says on the tin, using software platforms designed to put repetitive tasks on autopilot. This includes solutions for social media, e-mail marketing, digital ads and SMS. Apps such as Hubspot and Marketo are becoming smarter, more intuitive and more affordable.
If you are looking to build your marketing strategy get in touch with us to learn how we can help you drive demand and hit your goals for 2017. Contact liz@8848agency.com