Digital marketing has emerged as one of the most dynamic, yet constantly required tools for brands and customers alike. The last few years have seen mammoth changes in the field, thanks to unprecedented technological advancements and integrations, such as big data and analytics.
As wider innovations and breakthroughs in the tech segment continue to surface, the traditional landscape of digital marketing is in for many more changes in the coming years. With insights from the multidisciplinary experts of this digital agency, we bring to you some of the key highlights that could shape digital marketing in the coming years.
Artificial Intelligence will be a Gamechanger
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that there is a lot of room for automation in the world of digital marketing. Artificial Intelligence (AI), with its focus on programmatic actions, is all set to provide this much-required automation in terms of buying advertising space, using relevant data, determining target audiences and more.
2018 saw the investment of around $46 billion towards automated advertising, a number that is set to go much higher down a few years. AI-led automation provides seamless integration of data with media campaigns, besides reducing operational costs, time and efforts. Marketers can spend the saved time strategizing and brainstorming instead.
The Probable Face of SEO: Voice Optimisation
SEO might not remain as we know today in the years to come. With the introduction of smart digital assistants like Siri, Alexa, Cortana and Google Assistant, voice search has become the most popular and preferred form of queries and requests.
Search engine optimisation has always been about user queries on search engines like Google and Bing. With voice search assuming such a significant role in the daily lifestyle of the user, marketers should begin optimising their websites to recognise voice search.
72% of people with voice-activated speakers tend to use these devices more as a part of their daily routines. In a year, 50% of all searches are expected to be voice-based. Think of it like this – people won’t be using any screens at all for searching places, ideas and content on the internet.
With voice optimisation still being a nobody in the market, it would be wise to hop on the trend early and rank higher.
Video-Led Marketing
More than 1 billion hours of video are consumed on YouTube every day, speaking of the mammoth penetration and acceptance of video content by consumers worldwide. With the kind of traction, video content is gaining, video marketing will take over all other forms of content marketing soon.
The trend has already started gaining ground, with 60% of businesses using video as a marketing tool. However, videos are still to beat written and image content in digital marketing practices. With the introduction of faster internet services in almost every corner of the world, that too at cheaper rates, customers are more likely to be drawn to video content in the coming days.
There are other variations to it as well – marketers are using videos to solve queries, answer popular questions and explain their products and services. eCommerce platforms like Amazon are providing video demonstrations of device installations, garment trials and so on. Soon, videos will become the most popular form of content for the marketing initiatives of businesses in every domain.
Personalization will become Key
Big data and analytics have brought relevant customer information to the fore, which has made content personalization much more accessible than before. This fact, however, is not just between you and us.
Google knows pretty well the worth and reaches of personalisation, and hence its updates are sure to reward content that reflects customer preferences. 96% of marketers believe that personalisation – of content, ads, websites and more – can go a long way in establishing solid customer relationships.
Therefore, personalization is all set to become a hot trend of digital marketing strategies in the future. With data interpretation getting more and more simplified, the stress would be on using relevant customer information for driving personalization across all forms of content on all channels alike.
Algorithm Updates are to get More and More Complex
The Moz algorithm changelog reported 12 updates in 2018, which speaks of the gradually advancing number of Google’s transformative steps. The new algorithm updates are getting, even more, harder to beat, thanks to the mad pace at which technology is evolving and people are consuming content.
What was once deemed useful – backlinks count, content count – is no longer relevant. Google’s tracking and ranking have become much more user-centric. The more time people spend on your site, the more queries they have about your brand, and the greater your click-through rates, the more chances you have of faring well.
Always remember that Google has just one focus in mind – users. Whatever users love will rank higher, whichever content solves their problem will fare better in Google’s SERP and will be granted greater visibility on the web.
One Channel will not be Enough
There is no dearth of popular social networking channels today for marketing your content. This also means, however, that these channels might saturate soon with numerous competitors vying for the customer’s eye in each segment.
This is the definite scenario down the line, which means it would become important to leverage all channels, and not be exclusive to one. All your digital marketing places – content marketing, PPC, email marketing, social media marketing – must be spread across multiple channels for the best outcomes.
Another reason behind this is the safety net of placing few cards on every table. Even if one of these channels’ updates with a new algorithm and you need time to adapt your strategies to it, you always have others at your disposal.
Summary
No matter how much digital marketing evolves, its central focus is and will always be the user. Therefore, the transformation of digital marketing into user-centric, thoughtful initiatives is a safe bet. It is high times brands and marketers realize this trend and align their strategies with the best interests of the user.
