The fundamentals of marketing may stay constant annually, but the techniques employed by companies to attain marketing triumph change significantly. Advertising through newspapers used to be widespread, whereas nowadays, digital advertising and artificial intelligence are imperative to businesses’ marketing strategies.
Entrepreneurs need to be aware of the continuous emergence of technological trends each year. With that said, business proprietors who remain proactive could potentially reach unprecedented levels of marketing achievement.
1. Authentic long-form content remains king
Content marketing has shifted its focus towards providing users with educational, long-form material aimed at aiding them rather than trying to sell to them.
The trend of creating quality content that provides comprehensive answers to people’s queries and helps them make informed decisions is set to persist, driven by initiatives such as Google’s Helpful Content Update that was introduced towards the end of last year.
To enhance brand recognition and customer allegiance, it is beneficial to discuss subjects that your customers find intriguing. By expressing interest beyond the mere transaction, you can cultivate trust. Whether disseminated via social media, blogs, or email newsletters, your content should strike a balance between showcasing your merchandise and dispensing useful, practical guidance.
2. Short-form video content is coming for the crown
While long educational content still proves impactful for blogs and podcasts, there has been a surge in the popularity of short-form video content. With the emergence of TikTok and Instagram Reels, viewers are more drawn towards brief and engaging videos that impart information or create entertainment. Brands have an opportunity to leverage this phenomenon, which allows them to connect with their audience swiftly amidst a multitude of video content options.
With users being pulled in various directions simultaneously and their attention span getting shorter, creating witty short-form video content is an effective way for a brand to communicate its message within a few seconds. To attract a wider range of your audience, offer long-form content for users who wish to gain in-depth knowledge, while generating short-form video content for those who are scrolling to pass their time.
3. Adoption of chatbots and conversational AI will increase
The market will witness the gradual integration of chatbots and more advanced conversational AI, which will become more accessible to small businesses. These tools afford businesses the opportunity to promptly respond to their customers’ basic inquiries round the clock, without neglecting other tasks.
The arrival of ChatGPT indicates that AI-based marketing has already begun. Anticipate additional small enterprises utilizing available resources to produce advertising content or interact with their clients throughout the day.
According to Joey Penick, a former marketing vice president at Lumen Technologies, utilizing AI-driven chatbots for customer support can greatly broaden the scope of contact strategy while delivering a regulated message.
Many customers are unable to distinguish between these chatbots and humans due to their exceptional resemblance, while simultaneously serving the purpose of accumulating, evaluating, and furnishing applicable data to augment customer satisfaction.
Drift’s State of Conversational Marketing report revealed that nearly 42 percent of consumers utilize conversational AI and chatbots to make purchases. However, the majority of small business owners surveyed disclosed that they do not employ this technology.
4. Voice search will remain a critical focus
Voice search is becoming more popular due to the rise of mobile devices and voice-enabled services like Microsoft Cortana and Google Assistant. This presents an opportunity for your small business to differentiate itself from competitors. As more people rely on voice search to find online content, your website and marketing materials may be discovered in this way.
“A few years ago, we had to adapt to the growing use of mobile,” said Chris Hornak, owner of Blog Hands. “And now, according to Google, mobile searches are over 50 percent [of searches]. Marketers will need to begin adapting to voice searches, which currently make up 20 percent of mobile searches, and that’s expected to continue its growth similarly to how mobile has.”
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Hornak suggests that a useful approach for this year is to address common customer inquiries about your product on your website. It is important to provide comprehensive and engaging responses.
As voice-controlled devices become more prevalent, direct your content strategy towards addressing frequently asked questions from consumers regarding your offerings.
5. Data analytics will provide deeper insights
Curtis Tingle, a former senior vice president of product for Valassis, a company specializing in intelligent media delivery, has stated that although most brands prioritize data analytics, marketers have more progress to make.
He stated that marketers need to improve their utilization of the data they gather. Customers consistently provide personal details to the businesses they interact with, ranging from buying habits and preferred products to effective ways of accessing them through marketing and advertising initiatives. Customers expect some form of compensation for sharing this information, such as custom-tailored ads or focused discounts/offers.
Tingle’s remark carries significance as it suggests that marketers should not limit themselves to collecting data, but also ensure that the data they gather is valuable and utilize it to enhance their marketing initiatives.
The prevailing tendencies revolve around anticipatory information; datasets that are more intelligent, adaptable, and expandable; edge computing for quicker analysis; and a combination of off-site and on-site cloud solutions, known as hybrid computing.
There will be an increase in the use of machine learning-based tools such as augmented analytics, engineered decision analytics, and data visualization to enhance decision-making, business management, automation, and gaining insights.
6. Social media marketing will continue to evolve
Digital marketers consider social media platforms to be highly significant avenues, given that over 4.26 billion individuals employ them globally. Social media is predicted to endure as an essential part of any digital marketing strategy, as this number is projected to surpass 6 billion in 2027.
As social media is in a state of constant evolution, brands must alter their strategies accordingly to retain relevance among their audience and maintain high levels of engagement. This necessitates the use of improved social listening techniques for both users and competitors. By utilizing tools that optimize the process and generate more in-depth insights, brands can gain an edge.
The rise of micro influencers will persist within the realm of social media influencers. Influencers who concentrate on a specific area will continue to become more prevalent because it is the specialization that holds importance.
7. Big data
The utilization of cloud technology has enabled businesses of all sizes to accumulate vast amounts of customer data, contributing to the emergence of big data. Companies currently possess more knowledge about their customers than ever, facilitating the development of precisely tailored and customized advertisements.
Afterwards, marketers will examine data in order to obtain insights regarding the efficiency of their campaigns, so as to comprehend which methods are successful and which are not, thereby allowing them to modify their strategies accordingly.
Big data has the potential to do more than just provide information on campaign performance. It could also utilize attribution models to identify the most effective (and least effective) channels for conversion. Additionally, big data may aid programmatic advertising by determining optimal ad placement and bid, potentially in real-time.
Collecting data on in-video interactions through big data can enhance video marketing. By monitoring and scrutinizing clicks made while watching a video, marketers can guide the viewer towards the conversion stage. The videos will be presented via an interactive platform that utilizes HTML overlay on web-based video.
8. Machine learning
Organizations have leveraged machine learning, a branch of AI, to efficiently uncover possibilities, optimize procedures, and pinpoint important data, as well as execute sophisticated audience segmentation and analysis without manual intervention.
The main area where it can excel is in creating content. Jordan Kretchmer, a senior director at Adobe, stated that advancements in machine learning can assist creators in generating and enhancing content automatically. By evaluating which platform to use, systems can produce headlines and create various content formats.
These systems can collect data on the performance of each content and automatically adjust the headlines to align with the most effective ones. Furthermore, machines will have the capability to anticipate consumer needs even before consumers themselves are aware of them.
Using advanced algorithms, machine learning can be utilized for personalization, providing a scalable method of tailoring individual experiences for each consumer based on their preferences. By learning about a person’s interests and preferences, it can be programmed to provide experiences that are most likely to be enjoyed.
9. Bots
Adopting chatbots can be an economical and versatile strategy for businesses to enhance customer service, owing to their ability to provide swift data-based solutions and handle inquiries. They can be seamlessly incorporated into a website, app, or social media channel, and also enable the collection of useful data for marketing tactics.
Grand View Research reports that the chatbot market is experiencing an annual growth rate of 24%, and 45% of end users are selecting it as their primary communication method with brands. In the next five years, bots are anticipated to handle 80% of all brand-to-client communication.
In the near future, these automated programs could serve as reminders for customers to replenish their purchases. Additionally, the assistance of virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri may enable consumers to reorder conveniently.
10. Virtual reality and augmented reality
The estimated worth of the AR and VR market is approximately $27 billion, potentially as a result of marketing needs of various organizations. The projection is that it will increase to nearly $210 billion within four years. AR and VR provide a tangible sampling experience for customers, enabling them to examine a product, connect with the brand, and purchase simultaneously, while also evoking an array of sensations and feelings.
In the near future, advertisers and marketers will be able to utilize AR and VR to develop brief narrative content for brands. This will result in interactive experiences with branded content, which appears to be a superior form of advertising compared to traditional methods. However, before doing so, they must distinguish the value proposition of AR and VR and integrate it with their own KPIs.
Only by achieving a more profound comprehension of the technology, along with a superior pipeline and inventive ideas, will AR and VR be able to erase the distinction between the brick-and-mortar and digital shopping encounters entirely.
11. Internet-of-Things and wearables
According to Statista, the quantity of internet-connected devices is predicted to hit 23 billion by the close of 2018 and 75 billion by 2025. These devices could include things such as toys, sports equipment, medical tools, and remotely managed power outlets.
As more devices become interconnected, a network of related items will develop, which marketers can utilize to gather information about consumers, such as their preferences and aversions.
IoT offers numerous prospects for enterprises. However, an avenue where IoT can be employed is in the realm of healthcare.
With the use of sensor technology, activity trackers and smartwatches are capable of monitoring a user’s heart rate, EKG, blood glucose levels, body temperature, and other biological activities. This presents an opportunity for healthcare providers to conveniently monitor their patients remotely, especially since these devices can be connected to the internet.
Apart from healthcare, knowledge of physiology can aid in comprehending a user’s real sentiment towards a brand through their bodily responses. Emotional responses can now serve as a metric to evaluate the efficacy of a marketing campaign or a consumer’s engagement with a brand.
12. 5G
The impending arrival of 5G is fast approaching as 3GPP, the global governing body for wireless communication protocols, has given it the green light for launch.
By utilizing larger carrier aggregation, enhanced spectrum chunks, and advanced beam-forming and tracking capabilities, 5G technology has the potential to drastically enhance efficiency and throughput, resulting in connectivity speeds that are as much as 100 times faster than 4G, and with latency decreased by a factor of five.
Fast connections are essential for effective marketing message delivery and valuable information gathering. With the advent of 5G, both consumers and marketers will experience significant changes due to improved network speeds resulting in quicker page load times, reduced bounce rate, and potential increases in both CTR and ROI.
Video ads can achieve greater clarity and detail and may even incorporate VR or AR technology, as bandwidth limitations do not exist for loading or streaming. Advertisers are able to effectively showcase their offerings with more abundant information.
A fast connection leads to a continuous exchange of data between smartphones and connected devices, enabling IoT devices to anticipate the customer’s future actions. As a result, marketers can access real-time consumer data insights to improve location-based marketing and optimize campaigns on the spot.
Side notes
Although the technology mentioned earlier may be daunting, it is important to note that many of them are still in their early stages concerning marketing applications. Consequently, it may require some time before an entire continent or country could transition to utilizing 5G.
The implication is that you have ample opportunity to conduct further research and experimentation with these technologies within your company. Eventually, you will be able to effectively integrate them into your marketing tactics and experience the mentioned advantages.
