9 RECENT TRENDS IN DIGITAL MARKETING - 2017

Change is inevitable. Everything & anything changes according to time and situations. What all we see today is an up gradation of previously existing things and ideas. Marketing, which we see today is a completely different version than it was a 100 hundred years ago. The methods of advertisement and promotion techniques have changed a great deal according to time and situations. World of marketing has turned completely Digital and today companies are competing themselves to increase their presence in the online world. Funny thing is that Digital Marketing itself is a field where updating happen on a constant basis. The marketers should keep on learning according to the changes that happen in the industry.

In this article let's take a look into some of the most recent trends in Digital Marketing of 2017.

1.       Multichannel Marketing Gaining More Importance

The number of platforms where we can reach our customers has continued to grow at an amazing speed after the introduction of Digital Marketing for promotion activities. Marketers have used these different opportunities to engage with their customers resulting in unconnected customer experience. Today, a shift in thinking is happening: from a focus on channels to a focus on audiences. In practice, this means that instead of communicating through different channels (and to the consumers that happen to be there), leading companies are increasingly building audiences and engaging with them across channels.

The increasing sophistication of marketing and advertising technologies is making it possible in the digital world. For example, through the development of data management platforms, we can more and more easily build customer journeys across own media (e.g. email) and bought media (e.g. display advertising). Going forward, companies which are able to build engaging customer journeys with the right audiences across different channels are sure to gain a competitive advantage.

2.       Live Video Streaming

YouTube had a head start in the Live Video Streaming division than the other platforms like Facebook and Instagram. People are drawn to the idea of seeing someone else’s perspective first hand and now live videos cater to this desire. This can significantly improve the way you build brand awareness and customer loyalty as you form a personal relationship with your customers. You’re offering them an exclusive look inside that not everyone will see. That is unless they’re online at that exact time.

Earlier this year, BuzzFeed broadcast a Facebook Live video of people placing elastic bands around a watermelon, eventually causing it to burst. According to reports, audiences tuned in for an average of 40 minutes without even realizing it. Live video broadcasting is expected to ramp up even more in 2017-18.

3.       Interactive Content

In the current digital landscape, engagement is everything, and marketers succeed when their audience not only consumes content but also enjoys and acts upon it, which is why interactive content will be so important going forwards. Compared to 36% for static content, interactive content generates conversions moderately or very well 70% of the time. In addition, it works as a competitor differentiator and proves effective in educating buyers, no mean feat in a landscape that sees customers turn away from traditional methods of purchasing in favor of online reviews and research.

4.       Viral Marketing

Everyone wants their content to go viral. Whether it’s a video, article, status, photo – companies are now focusing on producing quality and catchy content that has the potential to go viral instead of producing batches of smaller, generic content.

Google’s algorithm considers the social status of your content to determine the ranking in the search engine. So the more likes, shares, and engagement you have on your material, the better your search engine ranking will be. It’s a new twist to SEO that is expected to hold precedence over other SEO tactics.      

        

5.       Visual Content

2017 is the year for visual content rather than about the long social media statuses and blog posts. While it still needs to produce written content for search engine optimization, visual content will be the main source for driving traffic and leads. Everything from infographics to photos, digital guides, presentations, and graphics will become the ultimate way to generate new leads. Of course, the content should also be suitable enough to add visuals to it. Marketers can always try to generate and experiment with such content. Once the content is interactive, use infographics that are effective.

6.       Internet of Things (IoT) marketing applications

IoT is one of the most important marketing technology applications of the last 2-3 years, but it is of most relevance to devices makers and retailers, so it is relatively high-up in this ranking of priorities.

There are expected to be 75 billion connected devices by 2020, meaning there will be ten times as many devices able to talk to one another as there will be people on the planet! The implications are huge and far ranging. All this sharing of data will transform the way we live our lives.

7.       AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)

More brands are using this option as Google also has begun to favor the use of AMP. It contains three sections – AMP HTML, AMP JS, and Google AMP Cache. Accelerated Mobile Page (AMP) allows websites to make pages equipped for loading right away onto the mobile.

  

8.       Expiring Social Content

 

One big Digital Marketing trend that is expected to blow up in the world of social media comes in the form expiring content. Expiring digital content offers brands and businesses a means of cutting through the noise and clutter, and gaining the attention of their target audience without spending massive amounts of capital. Expiring content is becoming an effective means of brand advertising and it’s set to blow up in 2017 and is a tool not to be missed.

9.       Personalization

As content marketing becomes more successful, it’s also going to become more competitive. “Content shock” has already caused us, marketers, to create vastly more content than our audiences can consume. But that just stage one competition. Now, we’re looking for a new edge. Personalization is probably it.

 It can involve personalized content recommendations, apps that offer a “choose your own adventure” style experience for buyers, and more. Unlike before majority consumers are aware that their info is available online – increasingly, they expect us to use it to their benefit.

 

Digital Marketing trends are constantly changing year by year. What’s popular at the beginning of 2017 may be old news com to the end of the year. It’s important to always stay current with any changes within the industry to ensure an optimal marketing strategy throughout the year for effective marketing.

Team Chee-Ron’s

Vyasan H