A simple website and couple of social media accounts will not cut it anymore when it comes to digital marketing strategy. The online world is changing quickly, with new platforms and new ideas generated each day.
Here are some broad, sweeping changes that are already happening, or are poised to take off in the coming years.
You could use these quick links to help you jump to the relevant section:
- Video Marketing
- Better Connect with your Customers
- AI and Machine Learning algorithms
- Niche Marketing
- Influencers and Brand Ambassadors
- Better Tracking of ROAS
- Channel Aggregators
- Metaverse
- Mobile and Wearables
- Voice Based Online Interactions
- Geofencing or Location Based Services (LBS)
- Payment Options
- Privacy and Security
Videos are Popular, and will Continue to be Popular
Be it simple videos that explain what your product or service is, or advertisements on YouTube, videos will get you a lot of attention. It’s time to build your video creation and editing expertise to get ready for the coming years.
Make sure you have:
- Explanatory videos of your product, service, or offering.
- Social media videos that connect easily with your customers.
- Video ads that quickly show your customers what you do.
- Customer-generated videos like testimonials that vouch for your quality.
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Have a Better Connect with Your Customers
When everybody moved from corner stores to online, they were happy with the convenience. But gone is the connect you had with the shopkeeper, the occasional discounts you got when your purchase value was higher, the occasional questions about weather or how your child was doing.
Customers now expect that connect with online platforms where the platforms know frequent or loyal customers, high-value customers, and rewards them for sticking around. Or make intelligent recommendations based on past purchases.
Here’s how you can connect with your customers:
- Address them with their name on your platform.
- Give suggestions or hints if they seem to be facing some difficulty in navigating your platform.
- Use AI to give intelligent recommendations on what they can buy.
- Implement discounts or rewards for frequent buyers
- Take occasional surveys to know what can be improved on your website or platform
- Remember birthdays/anniversaries and wish them, or better still, give them a small gift
And that brings us to the next point.
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Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Algorithms
If you check data from 2004 from Google Trends, the search for Artificial Intelligence has come down. And that’s normal with any booming technology. There would be a lot of hubbub around a new technology initially, until it dies down or stabilises, and then there is more adoption into the community.
AI Keyword Search Trend from 2004
AI is now being used in routing for transportation companies, supply chain management, chatbots, search engine algorithms, and so on. AI will see massive leaps and bounds in the coming years, customizing websites and offers based on customer behavior, campaign management, process automation, and just about anything.
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Niche Marketing
Your customers belong to different age groups, demographics, user patterns and so on, and you cannot box them into one or two marketing channels.
There would be multiple marketing channels to reach out to your customers, even niche channels that reach out to small target groups. Not many want their lives to be public anymore, with channels like Facebook slowly losing popularity.
Niche channels for smaller audiences, better archiving and searching, would allow for niche marketing.
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Influencers and Brand Ambassadors
Movie stars have been brand ambassadors for many years now. But it is essential to have experts and influencers in their chosen fields, with more authentic information and expertise.
Niche marketing would also mean niche brand ambassadors who can talk directly with your target audience, rather than just look glamorous on TV. Influencer marketing is already seeing massive growth, but it is still in its nascent stages.
Niche channels for smaller audiences, better archiving and searching, would allow for niche marketing.
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Better Tracking of ROAS
The omni-channel approach towards marketing makes it crucial that marketers can understand Return on Ad Spent (ROAS) down to the last penny. Offline channels are blind spots where you cannot figure out Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) easily.
But with better technology, and better understanding of customer behavior, Omni-channel attribution is made easier and so is a deeper understanding of ROAS.
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Digital Marketing Aggregators
Multiple marketing channels with different platforms, different strategies, different placements, budgets, and audiences make it difficult for marketers to keep track of everything. With more channels getting added each day, campaign budget allocation and reports have become and nightmare.
Simple, single platforms that allow you to post to multiple channels at once; and also collate data from multiple channels will be a blessing.
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Metaverse
A Whole New World that’s growing online with VR and AR, Metaverse is already being used by many games. Online avatars, virtual interactions, non-fungible tokens for transactions, technology-enabled platforms for networking – will also broaden the horizons for digital marketing.
Digital marketers will have to learn new skills and new rules to adapt to this brand-new virtual world.
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Mobile and Wearables
New devices that make it easier for customers to browse will get added in future. Tablets have lost their popularity over time, and mobiles have become more powerful.
Wearables are now incorporating more features and trying to take over some of the functions of mobile phones. Versatile, competent wearables or devices can make the Internet more accessible for customers.
Voice Based Online Interactions
Voice-based searches have grown in popularity enabling customers to use long search terms like ‘how to edit google ad campaign placements for better conversions’ or ‘how to convert time from 12-hour format to 24-hour format on my exercise band’.
In fact, 20% of all searches are voice-based.
As voice recognition and interpretation technologies become more robust, the Internet would not be accessed through traditional browsers. Any device in your home or office can be used to go Online through voice commands or searches.
Geofencing or Location Based Services (LBS)
Location based services has been used for many years now. But with the extensive use of Google Maps, and geolocation features in mobile phones, it becomes easy for advertisers to trigger ads based on the location of the user.
Geofencing allows you to designate a geographical area around an office or a zipcode where certain services or ads gets triggered. How convenient is it for a user to know all the relevant shops in a locality when she or he is actually there shopping! The possibilities of Geofencing is enormous.
Payment Options
There are so many payment options available now, that we have forgotten standing in queue outside a teller’s cabin in the bank, withdrawing money to carry out your daily transactions.
From online transfers, to cards, to UPIs, to NFT, money exchange options are now rapidly increasing. The easier you make it for the customer to pay, the more likely you are to convert.
The number of payment options and the ease of transactions will become efficient in the coming years.
Privacy and Security
As customers become more aware of threats to their privacy, and the importance of data security, websites are stepping up their security measures to ensure that customers feel safe on their premises.
HTTPS is pretty standard for websites these days, permission-based cookies is also essential in today’s world.
Multi-level security measures, responsible handling of customer data, and prominent Unsubscribe options make it easier for customers to trust in a brand.
As the Digital world changes, the Digital Marketing world is also changing rapidly. Keep pace with your customers’ interests and behavior with cutting-edge Digital Marketing Services from Tagbeans Digital. Reach out to us today!