The digital media landscape is moving at the speed of light. Perhaps that’s an exaggeration. But as professionals within the digital marketing industry, we see new tools and trends pop up daily. To keep abreast of what’s new and what’s coming, a browse online once a month will no longer do the trick. We would already be out of date. Our team are on the ground regularly attending events and conferences. And reading articles from peers and thought leaders, locally and across the globe; Every. Single. Day. The speed at which new tools, concepts and ideas are being introduced and acted upon can be dizzying to keep track of. Some of the major international agencies have even employed entire departments dedicated to this task. Finding and exploring these new tools, platforms, concepts and ideas.
Biggest Digital Media Shifts in Recent Years:
● Mobile has taken over desktop
● SEO has grown up
● Digital Marketing has become Agile
● Content has become king
● Clients are more educated than ever about new trends
Social Media is Where It’s at
You’ve been hiding under a rock if you haven’t noticed that social media is a thing. It is a big thing, in fact. 8 in 10 Aussies are on there and it is likely that will only continue to increase. But it’s not just the number of users that make this a growing channel. The platforms themselves are evolving. As their customer base has become more loyal, they have become more commercial. Even as recently as 5 years ago you could have gone on Facebook and felt like the platform was your own personal community of peers across the world. Today you cannot go on for 5 minutes without seeing Sponsored posts or adverts; even in the middle of videos.
What is interesting about this is that despite it being obvious these platforms are now out to make money, with their users as their greatest commodity, users don’t care. There has been a shift where users accept giving away certain data and being marketed to in exchange for the service provided by these platforms.
This is important because…
Because consumers have never been more willing to give you their data. More data means a more personalised experience and more people to market to. Consumers see this a value exchange and are more than happy to do business.
New Trends for 2018 and Beyond
Of course, it’s hard to predict the future. We can’t say with absolute certainty what it will look like. But there are definitely some technologies and trends that are coming quickly and in a big way!
Internet of Things (IoT) – Get ready for everything you own, whether in your home, car or general surroundings, to soon be smart and connected to the internet. As this develops you will also start to see advertising creeping into your home. You can bet that similar to the social media platforms, there will be certain exchanges made where you can get xyz service at a reduced cost but the price you pay is receiving ads.
Personalisation – We are already seeing this. The technology to create hyper personalised, meaningful interactions with your audience is here. What will advance is the contextual marketing technology and Machine Learning which will serve your customers your adverts which are spookily specific to them and served at a time when they are most likely to engage and purchase.
Virtual and Augmented Reality – Virtual and Augmented Reality makes experiences more immersive. With engaging interactions becoming more impactful than blunt advertising, you can expect to see brands and businesses become savvier with the use of AR and VR to connect to their customers.
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