Being able to anticipate trends, as well as the change in audience behavior based on technology trends and updates, can help marketers adjust strategies and get ahead of the wave. Stay up to date in the digital landscape—here are some trends to keep an eye on as we head into 2018.
Heavy investment in influencer marketing
According to Inc.com, 84% of marketers planned on executing at least one influencer marketing campaign during 2017, and businesses generate $6.50 for every $1 invested in influencer marketing. And with the success of this kind of strategy, there’s no sign of it fading in the horizon in the coming years.
Continued use of artificial intelligence
57% of marketers already use AI. However, the use of AI for marketing is only going to grow as the technology improves. It’s projected to grow by 53% in the next couple of years.
Mobile video consumption will increase
Next year, video consumption is expected to grow by 25%. Video consumption is supposed to decline on laptops and desktop computers for the first time ever—after all, it’s no secret that consumers spend much of their lives staring at their phones now. So make sure that your marketing strategies in the coming year are optimized for mobile.
Investment on local search ads
Local search ads display only to users in the relevant geographic area. This is how it works: a user inputs a search term with a specific location and a list of businesses in that vicinity will show up. To increase your visibility, you can tailor messages to locals searching for your product or service.
Growth of voice search usage
Consumers can use voice search just about anywhere now: phones, smart speakers, laptops, tablets, desktop computers. By 2020, 50% percent of all searches will likely be voice searches. Note that optimizing for voice search tends to include long-tail keywords and conversational phrases that people would be more likely to say out loud.
Blurring of media lines
As social media expands, the lines between owned, earned, and paid begin to blur. Across the spectrum of digital, with the entire buyer’s journey in mind, the content shifts to take on the form of all three. And they have to work seamlessly together to support your growth strategy.
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