Digital marketing has now become one of the most important forms of marketing and advertising. Making use of the latest technology and social engineering, those adept at digital marketing are able to reach thousands to millions of people at a fraction of the price it would take to garner the same reach using traditional media. Is it any wonder that digital marketing is so powerful?
With that said, as an entrepreneur, you will need to keep yourself updated on the latest in Digital Marketing methods, and this is where we will help you. Here are the top 5 digital marketing trends for 2018 you should know about.
- Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a strategy in which many companies use people who are famous aka influencers, to promote their product or brand. Although this form of marketing is not new, it has gained popularity over the past few years, with more and more companies hiring influencers to spread awareness about their brand and drive sales. However, influencers, by themselves will not gain much traction, unless you also apply the right sales strategy. With that a company can increase its sales by more than 50%.
- Chatbots
Opinion on the potential of chatbots has been divided. While some praise their ability to reply instantly, others have wondered how comfortable consumers would be talking with machines that often show a frustrating lack of flexibility. However, thanks to advancements in AI technology and machine learning, chatbots are expected to develop to the point where they will definitely improve the customer experience and help with brand identity as well. In fact 80% of business already use chatbots or plan to use them by 2020.
- The Rise Of LinkedIn
Social media platforms have seen a steady or rapid growth over the years. One such platform which has gained popularity more recently is LinkedIn. In 2017, LinkedIn made a number of improvements to their advertising platform and have updated their interface, making it more user friendly and giving it a fresh new look which offers new opportunities for brands.
- Better Audience Targeting
The use of targeting broad and non-precise audiences on digital platforms is becoming almost useless. Nowadays a savvy digital marketer is one who is able to reach specific and precise audiences out there. In order to become successful at this, marketers must focus more and more on identifying the right audience to target. The customer is becoming increasingly discerning these days and marketers will need more innovative ways to keep them interested in their products than ever before.
- No more Pop-Ups
We’ve all faced them, we are casually browsing the web when suddenly a pop-up ad appears demanding our attention. They are intrusive, irritating and people have been complaining about them ever since they saw their first pop-up. Well slowly but surely, pop-ups are going away. Google has started an initiative to penalize pop-ups on smartphones, making companies wary of this method. This means that the overall customer experience will improve significantly and people will be able to engage with content they are genuinely interested in and not get interrupted by an impromptu pop-up. We will now most likely see a surge in better-designed, native advertisements across all devices.
- Augmented reality
After years of speculating what its market impact will be, 2018 should be the year that we see the potential of Augmented Reality really take shape. The use of AR has been on the rise and with good reason. With AR technology, clients can set up virtual furnishings to see what their property will look like in different rooms of a house. You could see all the information about various properties in a small pop up window on your screen through AR glasses right in your living room. How much of an impact AR will have remains to be seen but 2018 will definitely give us a good idea.
One thing we can say for sure is that everything is changing. While these changes are good for brands and the end user, it may prove a challenge for marketers as they will need to adapt to advertising in digital space. This can also prove to be a great opportunity for well-prepared and savvy marketers. So keep your eyes and ears open entrepreneurs, 2018 will be filled with change and disruption, make sure you are ready for it.
Want to know more about what 2018 holds? Talk to us, send us a message at info@globalentpr.com or call us at +6 03-74536024.