Digital marketing is very fluid. Strategies are changing on a
continual basis and it’s impossible to sit back and relax. If you want to gain
an advantage over your competition, you need to always be on the cutting edge.
And while digital marketing changes on a weekly basis, there’s something about
the launch of a new calendar year that puts things in perspective. As we are
getting comfortable with 2016, you should be aware of a few things.
1. Video
advertising to kick into high gear
Everywhere you look, video is on the rise. Every single day,
people watch hundreds of millions of hours of YouTube videos. Facebook is
already heavily invested in video advertising. Bing offers advertisers video options.
And finally, Google may be preparing to get involved with in-SERP video
advertising features. All of these things mean that video advertising is on the
rise. In 2016, expect to see even more dollars spent on video advertising. As a
marketer, you can no longer ignore this medium. It’s now an integral component
of successful digital-marketing strategies in all industries.
2.
Live-streaming social platforms rise to the top
Last year, live-streaming social media platforms were
birthed. It started with Meerkat being unveiled during March’s SXSW in Austin,
Texas. Soon thereafter, Twitter revealed that it had been working on a similar
platform known as Periscope. Ever since, the two have been battling it out for
supremacy -- with Periscope being the clear winner at this point.While social
live streaming gained some serious steam during the latter half 2015, this year
things will really take off. Look for additional players to enter this space
and expect more users to migrate towards Periscope as they become comfortable
with the concept. From a marketing point of view, it’ll be important for brands
to begin leveraging this new medium in unique ways. Here’s how some brands are
already using Periscope.
3. Mobile
will trounce desktop
For the first time in history, the number of mobile-only
Internet users surpassed the number of desktop-only Internet users this year.
This marked a transformational period in the history of the Web and indicates
that the future lies in mobile devices. As a digital marketer, this doesn’t
come as a shock to you. This is just a reminder that mobile will continue to
trounce desktop in 2016. All of your efforts -- social media in particular --
need to be optimized around mobile users. There’s still a place for desktop,
but it’s no longer the primary platform.
4. Virtual
reality will experience growth
While there were a lot of signs that last year would be the
time in which virtual-reality technology finally became mainstream, it didn’t
quite happen. We’re still a while away from mass adoption. However, all signs
indicate that significant growth will continue in 2016. “Virtual reality
represents the most complete immersion into an experience that consumers have
ever had,” writes Onit Digital. “When it comes to marketing digitally, this means
that you can completely surround your potential client with the experience of
your product, providing them with a much more realistic view of what you can
actually do for them.”
5.
Relationship marketing is emphasized
In 2016, experts are calling for the rise of relationship
marketing. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, you’re not alone. According to
one definition, it refers to “a strategy designed to foster customer loyalty,
interaction and long-term engagement.” This happens by promoting ongoing and
open communication via personalized marketing campaigns that are aimed at
individuals, as opposed to mass targets. Along with the rise of relationship
marketing, there will be a rise in the cost of digital marketing. While this
may be alarming, it’s only natural. Businesses will begin focusing on
high-touch marketing, as opposed to casting cheap, wide nets. The result will
be more profitability per touch. Ultimately, marketers will see a higher return
on their efforts.
6.
Marketing automation becomes a widespread priority
While personalization will become more important, this
doesn’t mean marketing automation loses value in 2016. In fact, most agree that
it will gain prominence. Marketing automation is currently a $5.5 billion
industry and marketers will continue to rely on these features to manage
time-consuming tasks.
7.
Location-based marketing takes off
It’s challenging to ignore the potential of location-based
marketing this year. As beacon technology grows and marketers are educated in
regards to how these technologies function, the creative wheels will start
spinning. The possibilities are virtually endless. Perhaps the best part about
location-based marketing is that it allows brands to bridge the gap between
online digital marketing and in-person digital marketing. One group estimates
that $9 billion will be spent on location-targeted mobile ads by the end of
2015. That number is expected to balloon to $15 billion in 2018. This upcoming
year will be a pivotal period of growth and market education.
