Digital marketing trends that every digital marketing agency needs to know
It’s hard to believe we are now almost two months into 2018. Time is certainly passing quickly. But if we could fast forward to the end of the year, what key developments in technology and digital marketing would we see?
The infographic below – courtesy of www.digitalinformationworld.com – suggests some of the digital marketing trends that may be happening this year.
Let’s take a closer look at four of these predictions for 2018:
Artificial Intelligence
As can be seen from the above infographic, content marketing is still seen as having the largest commercial impact during 2018 but both AI and big data are also gaining ground. 72% of business leaders termed AI as “the business advantage”.
This year it is expected that a combination of education and experimentation will lead more brands to start embracing the potential for AI. In fact, according to Ryan Steelberg, President at Veritone, those businesses that do not set aside budgets for AI in the coming years risk facing a “digital divide” between those early adopters of AI and those who fell behind.
Big data
Whatever the size of your business, there is now an unparalleled opportunity to use data as the tool for success. However, according to May Claire Mandeville, Business Development Manager at Vennli: “Nearly everyone has data, but few businesses know how to make it usable. Marketers will need to find ways to maximize its potential by uncovering insights and then finding an answer to the critical question: ‘Now what?’”
As big data tools become increasingly accessible and transparent this will cause a major rethink as to how content is delivered and consumed. The skills of data scientists and “marketing quants” will be in growing demand in businesses, both to optimise processes and forecast opportunities.
Personalisation
According to Ashley Walsh, VP of Marketing at Formstack the use of big data by companies such as Google and Facebook is already leading to such a level of personalisation that consumers can feel spied on.
Conversely, as can be seen from the above infographic, 74% of consumers can feel frustrated when website content is not personalised, and 58% say that personalisation does influence their shopping decisions.
Businesses that can leverage data to hyper-personalise content and UX will be at a significant advantage. For example, different versions of your homepage tailored to the visitor; or personalised 1:1 ad messaging. Personalisation will become an increasingly key factor in conversions over the next 3-5 years.
On-demand multimedia content
Content may still king, but the delivery of that content is constantly changing. On-demand media has evolved from linear environment to DVR to streaming. It will develop further with the ability of AI to atomise audio and video data. Atomisation can turn data into structure by indexing media – in any format – to individual seconds and frames. This will enable consumers to benefit from dynamically compiled playlists of specific and personalised media content based on individual preferences.
Whether you are a marketer in a business or a digital marketing agency you need to keep on top of the above trends. We will return to them throughout the year. Wherever you are placed you need to constantly reevaluate your strengths and weaknesses to keep ahead of the game and differentiate yourself from the competition.
Let’s take a closer look at four of these predictions for 2018:Artificial IntelligenceAs can be seen from the above infographic, content marketing is still seen as having the largest commercial impact during 2018 but both AI and big data are also gaining ground. 72% of business leaders termed AI as “the business advantage”.This year it is expected that a combination of education and experimentation will lead more brands to start embracing the potential for AI. In fact, according to Ryan Steelberg, President at Veritone, those businesses that do not set aside budgets for AI in the coming years risk facing a “digital divide” between those early adopters of AI and those who fell behind.Big dataWhatever the size of your business, there is now an unparalleled opportunity to use data as the tool for success. However, according to May Claire Mandeville, Business Development Manager at Vennli: “Nearly everyone has data, but few businesses know how to make it usable. Marketers will need to find ways to maximize its potential by uncovering insights and then finding an answer to the critical question: ‘Now what?’”As big data tools become increasingly accessible and transparent this will cause a major rethink as to how content is delivered and consumed. The skills of data scientists and “marketing quants” will be in growing demand in businesses, both to optimise processes and forecast opportunities.Personalisation According to Ashley Walsh, VP of Marketing at Formstack the use of big data by companies such as Google and Facebook is already leading to such a level of personalisation that consumers can feel spied on. Conversely, as can be seen from the above infographic, 74% of consumers can feel frustrated when website content is not personalised, and 58% say that personalisation does influence their shopping decisions.Businesses that can leverage data to hyper-personalise content and UX will be at a significant advantage. For example, different versions of your homepage tailored to the visitor; or personalised 1:1 ad messaging. Personalisation will become an increasingly key factor in conversions over the next 3-5 years.On-demand multimedia contentContent may still king, but the delivery of that content is constantly changing. On-demand media has evolved from linear environment to DVR to streaming. It will develop further with the ability of AI to atomise audio and video data. Atomisation can turn data into structure by indexing media – in any format – to individual seconds and frames. This will enable consumers to benefit from dynamically compiled playlists of specific and personalised media content based on individual preferences. Whether you are a marketer in a business or a digital marketing agency you need to keep on top of the above trends. We will return to them throughout the year. Wherever you are placed you need to constantly reevaluate your strengths and weaknesses to keep ahead of the game and differentiate yourself from the competition.