As technology continues to ingrain itself into the way people go about their daily lives, digital marketing in today’s business landscape is more powerful than ever before. And with the growing number of ways consumers and tech interact, marketers who refuse to embrace digital are sure to be left behind.
But those who welcome a new age of marketing with open arms are seeing just how much potential exists with these new or revamped platforms, and they’re using them to engage with consumers in more ways than ever thought possible.
There are four ways in particular that marketers are approaching digital that are producing exceedingly positive results.
This year we are likely going to see agencies spend a large chunk of their marketing budget on video advertising. According to Think with Google, video advertising enriches every stage of the consumer journey, which ultimately results in increased engagement and traffic for a brand. Marketers this year will be researching methods to create engaging videos and how to effectively integrate this as a part of their marketing efforts.
Last year’s launch of the Apple Watch helped push the market for wearable tech more into the mainstream. According to this blog from HubSpot, the adoption rate for wearable technology will rise to about 28% this year. The growing popularity in wearables offers two huge advantages to marketers: First, it opens the door to a heightened level of data that can used by marketers to better understand their population base. Second, it also gives marketers a brand new platform on which to engage with their customers. Together, the emergence of wearable tech presents an excellent opportunity to marketers.
Mobile messaging apps have increasingly become popular and serve as an alternative to text messaging. A few of these apps include: Facebook Messengers, WhatsApp and Kik. Marketers are learning to adapt to these changes by finding ways to interact with consumers through these apps. It’s already happening, an example is the Facebook page plugin.
Marketers are starting to realize the potential of using fleeting media messaging apps, such as Snapchat and Periscope, as an effective way to reach potential customers. The suite of features these types of apps offer allow marketers more opportunity and creative leniency to develop engaging campaigns. Ephemeral marketing — also known as temporary social media — gives those who use it intelligently a huge advantage over those who don’t in the increasingly fast-moving digital marketplace.
While each of the above describes a unique approach, they all share a single connection — how consumers interact with mobile technology. The consumer journey is no longer as defined as it used to be, as it’s now been fractured “into hundreds of real-time, intent-driven micro-moments.” Mobile has given people a way to take immediate action whenever they want to learn, find, do or buy something.
Because of this, marketers would be wise to embrace new approaches to digital marketing and address the needs of consumers in the moment. Our near constant connectivity these days helps marketers not only understand customer needs better, but it gives them the chance to boost brand loyalty and customer satisfaction by leveraging contextual signals to deliver a tailor-made experience.