We’re already one month down into 2017, so before any more of the year runs away with us, I wanted to offer some advice to help you navigate your way through the digital maze to a successful year marketing your brand online.
5 Top Online Marketing Trends for 2017
Video – We already have our Facebook and Instagram feed taken up predominantly by video, but no doubt we’ll see even more of it in the year ahead. I predict though that the increase in demand for video content will be mirrored by the increasing uptake of live video and streaming.
With Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram all having released live video offerings as well as the growing uptake of Snapchat we can be sure that brands will find creative ways to use live video and that product placement in these video’s with start to feature more prominently.
Big Data – Whilst big data has been around for awhile now, the latest market research from Ovum estimates that it will grow from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $9.4 billion by 2020.
For marketers and organisations alike the key is to be able to interpret this data and in 2017 I see an ever growing uptake of tools for data visualisation. Listed here are some of the best data visualisation tools currently in the market that you may want to check out.
Personalisation – Personalising the customer experience and serving relevant content to users based on their demographic, preferences, buying behaviour etc. is going to be key in the year ahead. Long gone are the days of spray and pray marketing and generic one-size fits all content. For brands to really succeed in the online arena they are going to need to make use of big data to continuously customise and personalise the user experience.
The ‘Immersive Experience’ – The ever growing interest and demand for more immersive experiences, so that we feel like we’re doing more than just staring at our screen 2017 is set to see the rise of Augmented and Virtual Reality, the uptake of Pokemon Go was one such example of this in 2016.
Think drones, 360 videos, live webinars and online workshops, start looking at how you can make your audience feel more engaged and part of something bigger.
Social Media – For the first time we’re seeing platforms like Twitter and Facebook in decline or plateauing in many western markets while platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram and Pinterest are still growing in usage.
In the year ahead we will start seeing a fierce battle for brands to cut through the noise and reach their target audiences, this will result in a rise in paid advertising. As mentioned earlier brands will start strategically using live video functions more, and sorry to say all those Snapchat filters are definitely not going anywhere in the year ahead. We’re also going to see an increase in demand for superior quality content which is going to be critical in enabling brands to connect with their audience.
These are just a few of the trends I predict will be dominating the online space in the year ahead.
If after reading this you’re still feeling a little in the dark with regards to your online marketing strategy for 2017 please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’d be more than happy to give you the strategic assistance you need.
