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We don’t have a crystal ball, but we do have over a decade of experience in digital marketing and an obsession with reading about the latest technologies, tools and trends the marketing sphere has to offer. This year, we’ve made a lot of great things happen for clients old and new. You’ll see a lot of ho-hum advice about how you have to “optimize for mobile” or “focus on content marketing” or “track big data” — but we find these suggestions to be tired and, quite frankly, beaten to death over the years.
These aren’t the only marketing trends you will see in 2016 but are the ones that will give you the best results.
8 Marketing Trends For 2016
1. Live marketing will take center stage.
At least one form of live marketing should be in your arsenal come 2016. With the debut of exciting channels like SnapChat, Periscope, Meerkat and Blab in 2015, these platforms are likely to see significant growth in the year to come. These sites are great ways to:
See how Mod Girl® client ROXY Plastic Surgery uses Snapchat .
Marketers are already buzzing about ways they’ll use new virtual reality platforms like Oculus Rift to live-stream events. For instance, Elle magazine is planning a fashion show that gives consumer access to exciting interactive environments. Senior VP Kevin O’Malley explained : “That could be a tiki hut jutting over gentle waters in Polynesia, or it could be front row at a fashion show that they normally only see on TV, where they can see the celebrities who are there. It’s quite another thing to be front row and when you turn to your left, you are sitting next to celebrity X, Y or Z.”
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2. Storytelling expertise is a must.
For years, we heard “Content is King, Content is King,” so we invested in producing more content. Of course, more isn’t all there is to it. Your messages need to be compelling and sell a personal narrative that makes your brand unique. Your target audience expects you to know a lot about their preferences and tailor your messages to suit them. As Elena Prokopets points out , last year was full of winning digital storytelling campaigns — like the H&M Garment Collecting initiative and The Last Selfie Snapchat campaign by WWF. To get a pulse on your customers, she recommends the Kinnect2 platform to gather opinions and feedback that can drive your brand story in 2016.
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3. Wearable technology begins to take off.
It’s estimated that 28% of Americans will adopt wearable technology by the end of 2016. Google Glass has been one of the most talked-about products of 2015. There are seemingly limitless ways a product like wearable Google glasses can change the marketing landscape. For instance:
The Apple Watch is another product with many practical applications for marketers — particularly in the travel sector. Skift.com reports that consumers are using the smart devices for navigation, bookings, and slideshow viewing. The Content Marketing Institute has a good article on how to start wrapping your mind around the changes that wearable technology will bring in the next year or so.
4. Social networks are the new SEO.
Marketers will need to think of social networks as their Search Engine Optimization investments. It’s no longer all about Google. Though Google currently handles about two-thirds of search traffic, a huge chunk of the populace is shifting to social media searches. Consider these stats:
Digital List Mag explains that customers will likely flock to social media sites searching for product image and video-based content, which they view as more trustworthy. Neil Patel advises businesses to “stay active on your social networks: pay attention to them, curate them, improve them, enhance them, and remain plugged into this valuable resource.”
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5. Voice activation optimization is worthy of your consideration.
Siri processed 1 billion search queries per week in January 2015. ClickZ has referred to voice-activated search as “the next great marketing opportunity.” To optimize your business information for programs like Apple’s Siri or Microsoft’s Cortana, Mobile Marketer recommends:
6. More companies develop branded apps.
“A veritable app explosion is expected in the new year, given 87 percent of all mobile time was spent in apps versus browsers in 2015,” reports Memphis Daily News . About a third of all e-commerce sales originate from mobile devices and are largely in-app sales, so the Return-On-Investment for companies who develop their own apps is often worthwhile.
7. Native advertising replaces banner ads.
These old staples of online marketing are quickly being replaced with native advertising, which “seamlessly blend[s] engaging content into the property’s environment.” More than ever, 2016 web surfers will receive their information in the form of juicy headlines posted at the bottom of mainstream media sites, engaging videos coming up in their social media feeds, or relevant blogs that surreptitiously slide out of the background of a site they’re on. The line between paid advertising and organic content becomes blurry — but people are largely cool with that, as long as the message is relevant, timely, and not too in-your-face. Marketers are finding more powerful returns with media-rich ads, podcasts, video ads, content marketing, promoted posts and user-generated content.
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8. Pay to play with influencer marketing investments.
There are endless ways you can “pay to play” in the world of digital marketing. According to MarTechAdvisor , “earned media value from influencers during the first half of 2015 was 1.4 times higher than the yearly average from 2014, garnering $9.60 for every dollar spent.” Brands looking to engage with millennials specifically will find great success using influencer engagement, they report. “Companies create loyalists and brand advocates” by engaging in relationship marketing — and doing it well, says Hubspot .
Even so, 84% of marketers are planning at least one influencer marketing campaign in the coming year, says Augure . In terms of ROI, influencer marketing trumps celebrity endorsements, experiential marketing and TV advertising alike. The cost of sponsored social campaigns can run as low as $331 for a sponsored tweet, $384 for a sponsored blog, or $554 for a sponsored video — or accumulate to reach $500,000 a year if you’ve got that kind of cash lying around.
