The first two months of 2018 are already over, and that has provided enough time to see just where the digital marketing road for this year is starting to lead. As we head into spring, here are four things to keep in mind as you prepare your business to have its best-ever year this year.
1. Get ready for the Gen Z invasion. So much of our digital marketing efforts of the past decade have focused on millennials, millennials, millennials, and although they’re still a huge part of what marketing is all about, now there are some new faces popping onto the scene: Generation Z. Defined loosely as anyone born after 1995, a lot of these “kids” are adults now, and a good portion of them are in college or about to finish college and move out into the real world. Good marketers think ahead of the curve, so this is your chance to start aiming at least some of your efforts toward these younger consumers.
2. Machine learning is new big thing in advertising. With Google’s recent announcement that it’s debuting Auto Ads get ready for the onslaught of AI marketing. Companies like Trapica and Acquisio have already been helping businesses bring artificial intelligence to the marketing game, but now that Google is getting on board, machine learning for ads is about to go mainstream in a major way.
3. Video is going to be even more important than we thought. Marketing is no longer about touting your product or service – it’s about taking your customer on a journey. Whether you’re using live videos to help your audience feel a part of what’s going on right now, or using illustrative and informative recorded clips to help guide your customer through a process, video is quickly transforming from a marketing option, into a marketing essential.
4. Hyperlocal is hypereffective. With Google branching out from Local Services ads by rolling out Posting on Google, businesses and other verified sources can now connect more easily than ever with the people who will care the most – those in their immediate local area. Other major services have hyperlocal marketing tools in the works, like Facebook Local demonstrating that people are waking up to the true power of location-targeted advertising and marketing.
These are the trends we’ve seen pushing forward most prominently this month – have you noticed any others? Check out our Resources for more great tools to help you with your online strategy!
