Top 5 digital marketing trends of 2018
The last 12 months has proven pivotal in the digital marketing and social media marketing world.
The last 12 months has proven pivotal in the digital marketing and social media marketing world.
Companies have grown ever smarter and sharper in methods to get their brand out there, including the use of influencers, ‘stories’ and voice marketing – all in the effort to reach more consumers.
New trends entering the internet marketing realm in the new year will further define the acumen of companies vying for market share and brand visibility. As consumers demand a more integrated brand experience, businesses great and small will have to listen carefully and act appropriately to keep up.
1. Talent for content creation
The increasing importance of social media platforms as a business’ face and voice to engage young consumers will push companies to hire expert focus on content creation. As young consumers spend a great deal of time engaging with brands on social media, it’s imperative that brands post content that is not only relevant to their target audience but created specifically for the platform it’s being posted on. Digital-savvy companies know that content that is best for Facebook is very different from the type best for Instagram, which means that companies have to hire experts in the content-creation space to manage their accounts. As the best marketing strategies often take time to create and implement, hiring specialists for social media and e-commerce marketing is a great way to ensure success.
2. Video content
Marketers are relying more and more on creating video content to boost search engine rankings, increase engagement, and website traffic rates, as they have identified that the attention spans of consumers decrease during the purchase process. Video content is becoming the most popular and influential form of digital content for businesses today. When done correctly, this communication method can have a very positive impact on your business.
3. Augmented Reality
Pokemon Go was the most recent large-scale augmented-reality interface to take the world by storm. The wildly-popular game’s basis has started to be adopted by social media giants with the same premise of using location data to target audiences. For example, using your location, brands could trigger sponsored AR content, which can only be accessed at that spot, at that time. As our mobile devices become more powerful and social apps better integrate with AR, brands will use AR to better engage with consumers.
4. Live content
Professional live video will continue to be a trend in 2018. Every social media platform is embracing live video and adding new features to their platforms on a monthly basis, enhancing the features and quality for users and viewers. Live video is a great way to connect with your audience and will be all the more effective when professional production is involved.
5. Better understanding of the customer journey
Data-driven marketing is a powerful tool, but how that data translates to the customer journey will be paramount in digital marketing success in 2018. Strive first to use data to know where your consumers will be on every step of their purchasing path, learn what appeals to them, and design your marketing to touch them all along their journey.
iFactory is a leading Brisbane-based digital and creative agency. Our eclectic mix of Brisbane web developers, digital designers and digital marketing specialists come together for one purpose – to provide intelligent business solutions based on your business needs.
