Digital Marketing trends for 2017

2016 has been an incredible year for online marketing. The sector hasn’t stopped growing and incorporating new ideas for brands and the year hasn’t finished yet! However, now is the time to start thinking about what will be happening next year and so today we are going to take a look at some of the marketing trends for 2017. Will they actually come to fruition? In a few months we will know for sure.

Marketing is an area that is dominated by those who have the capacity to predict things, plan in advance, anticipate and adapt to any changes in trends before the competition. Therefore the information that we are about to give to you is valuable so take note so you can be one of the first to use it.

According to Forbes magazine, one aspect that never changes is Visibility. In the end sales, before and after a digital transformation, will always revolve around how customers see your business.

Furthermore, the magazine also stresses that marketing through social media is here to stay and, justifiably so given the results that they provide. In fact it continues to evolve at the speed of light, responding to new technology such as mobile devices. Constantly surpassing the expectations of the users and bring us new and improved features.

Do you want to know which 9 digital marketing trends we think are going to explode next year?

1.- The power of live streaming

One of the biggest hits of 2016 has been live streaming. YouTube has been at the forefront of the video world since its creation but nowadays it has some serious competitors. Other real time video platforms have emerged such as Periscope, Facebook live, and now, Instagram to entertain the millennials.

This trend is completely changing the way we share moments and experiences, and not only on a personal level but the professional field is also becoming more and more involved in the movement. Haven’t you noticed that brands also broadcast events, meetings, or moments live?

In 2017 all of these tools will experience a boom. The moment certain aspects like the speed and quality of the videos are improved, more and more people will connect. In fact, consumers prefer live streaming videos. Do you know why? They generate more confidence and make everything a lot more human. Live there is no room for error: what you see is what you get! Which gives it more credibility.

Therefore one of the main digital marketing trends for 2017 will be live streaming. Brands will be using it more than ever as they already have the tools at their disposal and an audience waiting for cool content.

2.- Chatbots will change the conversation

Chatbots are automatic systems that are designed to simulate human conversations, and yes, the moment has already arrived. We live in a world where artificial intelligence integrates human intelligence into machines. But you shouldn’t think that this is something new.

Chatbots have been living among us for years, but what is new, is the current emphasis on them and the way that they are being used. The latest technological advances and the unstoppable development of artificial intelligence is giving an incredible push towards chatbots.

As one of the marketing trends for 2017, Chatbots are becoming one of the key tools for improving the customer’s experience, which is one of the most important aspects when defining digital marketing strategies. Therefore, they will try to provide the best service possible to the customer with a continuously improving quality.

3.- Augmented Reality is here to stay!

As with the hit augmented reality game of 2016: Pokémon go, we can see the intense power of these apps. Even though the success only lasted a few months it demonstrated the power that this type of app can have on consumers in making them want to connect.

Although the only success story of 2016 was Pokémon Go, It is just the beginning. Users have reacted very well and been very receptive to these new trends. So don’t rule out new apps taking advantage of augmented reality in order to win customers. Keep an eye on augmented reality because it’s going to grow and grow!

4.- Content with an expiration date?

Content, especially on social networks, has an expiration date. For what purpose? Attracting as much attention as possible from consumers, especially online users. Trying to hold everyone’s attention is one of the biggest battles that any brand has to face.

What is the solution? Impacting the user without overwhelming and saturating them with information and adverts. The newest development made in this field is, once again, from Snapchat offering content that expires.

Following this social network´s success, the idea has been copied by Instagram and applied it to it´s “stories” section where the content will disappear after 24 hours. Don´t underestimate expired content; it is one of the marketing trends to look out for in 2017

5.- Video is the present and the future

Content continues to be king in digital marketing, but the type of content that governs the web is changing. The social content, blogs and eBooks are still crucial aspects of marketing, however, from now on it will be predominantly video. As we have said previously, Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, Snapchat and Periscope have ushered in a new era of storytelling.

Brands that don’t use images or videos in their content will be left behind. Furthermore, video content is beginning to change in a radical way. The explosion of images and 360º videos has only just begun. They have completely changed the user´s experience and are becoming more interactive than ever.

Up to now everything has been experimental, but in a short space of time these tools will be used a lot more. Brands will start entering this territory and will begin defining new user habits.

6.- Personalization

From now on everything is going to be personalised. As we work towards individualising everything, even mass personalisation has also been transformed. Just look at the latest Coca-Cola cans

For some brands this will mean ensuring that their points of contact are specific and individual. For others, instead it will simply be redesigning the buying process and making it more noticeable. One thing is for sure that personalization has become a priority.

In addition, as the tools are becoming more intelligent, consumer resistance to massive publicity is also increasing; therefore personal content is a necessity. There is no alternative.

One of the channels that can make the most of personalisation is email marketing. Only sending targeted messages to those subscribers who are looking for specific products and thus guaranteeing they are opened. In order to do this, you must have a professional emailing platform that allows you to personalize from start to finish, everything from the subject all the way through to the time of each campaign.

7.- Artificial Intelligence

The sheer volume of data and the speed that is needed to process it far exceeds the capabilities of humans. To help you out, artificial intelligence provides very effective ways of processing large amounts of data, and making decisions in real time.

Are you aware of how much you already use artificial intelligence? Just think of all the times you have added a tag to a photo of a friend on Facebook using facial recognition software. It’s as simple as that.

Other marketing trends of 2017 are artificial intelligence and the emergence of Bots. We will soon find out the impact that they will have on business and if they will be able to adapt to the rhythm of the brands and customers.

8.- More attention to the client through social media.

Historically, social media existed as a way for people to communicate on line. As brands began using them, the concept of communicating with and contacting the consumer moved to a whole nother level, and right now, social networks are the ones making advancements into new areas of communication.

Some social media platforms offer services to their customers by increasing the importance and interactivity of exchanges between the brand and customer. Others like Facebook, for instance, are delving into more professional communication.

And now social media has transformed companies into channels of trust. Before, making mistakes or receiving complaints were always dealt with behind closed doors without anyone being party to the arguments between the customers and brands.

Transparency is now the order of the day: The scale of online comments about brands says it all. This is one of the marketing trends that offers brands the possibility of connecting with their users in a different more open environment.

9. The power of Influencers

Influencers are already here, they don’t stop growing and every day they become more and more popular. In reality, Influencers are one of the safest bets. In fact, according to the latest studies many users rely more on advertising made by their fellow users than they do on traditional advertising.

From now on brands will be creating more and more partnerships with these superusers. And by using analytics, brands will be able to find out which are the most profitable for their business. The power of the influencers will continue to grow but they will have to focus on both the message and their audience.

Much of these marketing trends would be impossible to implement without the right digital marketing strategy. Digital marketing platforms that can centralize all of your effort would definitely help in this area.

The advantage of Email Marketing and Marketing Automation tools like MDirector is that you are able to create a strategy and work on it at the same time. The customer will be the same but you are able to reach them through various channels, increasing the possibilities of communication and conversion.