7 Game-Changing Trends in Digital Marketing

Businesses Getting Behind Apps

In April 2015, Google changed its algorithm to award mobile friendly sites. While mobile responsive sites is a no brainer, data from indexed apps accounts for a factor in search rankings. App indexing as such has become a new metric, since these results show up in Google mobile results. Brands will thus see an increase in thinking of content via apps and not predominantly web distribution. Since apps are more responsive to users, and people are moving to specialized apps for content consumption, a rise in app versions of businesses is going to be a key trend.

Native Advertising and Influencer Marketing

While digital marketing is growing, it comes with the caveat that online ads will be blocked, thanks to Apple’s algorithm amongst others, giving rise to native advertising and influencer marketing. Some say that influencer marketing is in fact native advertising. And influencers garner more trust because promotion through them feels (and should be) more authentic. Fundamentally native ads look and feel like non-promotional material, so ad blockers do not stop them, thus enabling users to see them. This explains the spike in sponsored content and influencers, a trend that will continue.

More User Generated Content

Similar to the trend of influencer marketing, there is common element binding top social sites: namely Facebook (stacking at 72% of social media folks using it, followed by the others), Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. They all thrive on user generated content. People like seeing things from others, and the trust is amplified by social recommendation, which in turn impacts traffic and conversion.

Searchability gets (even more) Critical

While search has been mostly dependent on SEO (search engine optimization) or PPC (pay per click),  the algorithms are taking more behavior into account. With mobile being a focus for Google search results, businesses will look to ensure they can be found easily and virtually as opposed to simple listings. Similarly, Google’s Customer Match enables finding uploaded contacts through a search, something offered by Facebook and Twitter too, making search and social dependent on listservs. Targeting customers in both B2B and B2C environments at specific times in their purchase cycles will thus become easier. While PPC will be more personalized, some wonder how this will impact consumer trust.

Platform Based Commerce and In-App Functionality

Lots of tools and metrics measure traffic and purchase. But with the e-commerce on Pinterest taking on in a huge way, Facebook has introduced the buy feature, making it convenient for customers to buy directly through sponsored content without leaving Facebook. Instagram is close behind, and the impact will be a more measurable result on bottom lines from social due to in-app functionality, and a revaluation of how to measure traffic. While some dislike that these platforms are becoming retailers themselves, the hypothesis is that conversion will improve, as will sales. And when everyone’s happy, they will budget for more ad purchases on these platforms.

Messengers for all Purposes

The messenger platforms are slowly but surely racing past social platforms. Facebook reaches over 700 million users a month, 40% up from 2014 to 2015. With customer service in B2C, concierge services in luxury and internal business communication services within firms, marketers can essentially use this as micro email marketing. The perks are apparent in B2C: push notifications, better service, and customized care. Now businesses can also install a Facebook messenger box on their website, making conversations truly real time and personable.

Platform Based Content and Publications

Similar to the trend of keeping e-commerce on social platforms and separately tracking traffic, the rise of Instant Articles on Facebook impacted the publishing world. As does Project Lightning by Twitter, and in a more visual sense, Snapchat stories by publishing houses. Publishers can publish their full-length articles on social sites, sans having to provide external links. This makes it easy for users to read on-the-go, often without the need for a secure connection or wait time, this enables faster and more accurate content consumption.