Marketing has existed since the very first-day man set out to earn a wage. It has evolved steadily over time, and now, things have truly changed with the advent of technology. Digital marketing has become something that its predecessor could never be. A way to reach an entire planet full of people with little to no effort. Marketers work tirelessly every day to keep up with industry trends and predict what could be coming next; it truly is a full-time job. So, what does the future of digital marketing look like? What can we expect to see in the coming year or in the years to come? Let’s explore that very idea.
The Continued Adoption of AI
When AI and programs such as ChatGPT first came into our lives, they caused an explosion of new content. Suddenly, it was easier and faster to create articles and even imagery. At first, we had limited access to this new technology, and companies debated if it was really a good idea to use it all. Then, widespread adoption began. Now, the internet is flooded with AI-created content, and is it ever obvious? Yes, indeed, how many times have we “delved” into an article or read about “game-changing” ideas. Well, quickly, we started to learn that perhaps 100% AI-created content wasn’t the best thing for us and companies such as Google decided to take a stand against this type of content. So, the time came when we had to reassess our use of the technology. Now, AI-generated content is used as an aid when creating content. It is slowly being integrated into many different types of software that we use every day to make our lives easier. Adobe – the industry leader in creative design, has even incorporated AI into its many different platforms. So, where do we go from here?
As marketers, we can expect to see more AI integrations in the coming future and for those integrations to slowly but surely be finetuned until they really are more useful to us than performing tasks manually. The technology at the moment is getting there, but we can hope to see it become much better. However, it is not just generative AI that is at the forefront of our minds; AI is being integrated into many different marketing platforms to allow us to optimize our campaigns, automate our processes and analyze data. AI can analyze far greater data sets than ourselves at a much faster speed, enabling it to recognize patterns and provide us with predictive analysis. This will only get better over time. We can imagine that in the future, we can expect to see hyper-personalization, precise targeting of ads, and a wealth of knowledge to improve our marketing activities. However, with these advancements, we must recognize the importance of data usage transparency; we need to make sure the processes are refined to the point at which they do not violate personal privacy.
Increased Focus On Privacy and First-Party Data
With privacy a greater concern than it ever was before, we need to change how we access customer data. By 2025, Google will be phasing out 3rd party cookies. So, tracking consumer activity will become a whole different ball game. So, the switch to First Party Data will become inevitable. There will suddenly become a much greater incentive to allow your customers to create user accounts on your website. And ask them for their details upon signup. Many websites are already incorporating these features; many news websites will now only let you view their articles if you create a free account with them; they ask for a few details, such as your name, location, etc. and are very transparent about how they collect and use your data. These websites are indeed already preparing for the future.
Personalized ads will still remain. However, the way we access data to form personalization will be very different. Instead of data being stored on a server, we will see the adoption of locally stored data, allowing the user data to remain on the user’s device and ad decisions will be made on the browser side. This is truly a big shake-up in the world of marketing. We implore you to set out a plan now for a cookie-less future.
The Rise of Micro-Influencers
Influencer marketing has been around for a while now; we are all aware of the power that these people hold when it comes to influencing purchasing decisions. However, people seem to be getting wise to the notion that many are under paid partnerships receiving goods or money for the services they promote. The time for the micro-influencer has come. These lesser-known persuasive creators have a more authentic air about them and steadily encourage smaller audiences along their customer journeys. These Micro Influencers usually have more dedicated and involved smaller audiences that provide higher engagement. Expect authenticity to be on the cards for a while to come.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
In terms of AR and VR, we have only really just seen the beginning of the story. As marketers, we are expecting a larger adoption of this technology in efforts to provide customers with interactive experiences that stand out from the crowd. We have already seen companies such as Amazon and Ikea implement AR that allows the user to see what the item they are thinking of buying would look like placed in their own house. Then we have fashion companies such as Gap and Sephora, allowing you to see what you would like in their products. Now, whilst these technologies aren’t 100% the real deal, they come a pretty close second. I find online shopping is always hindered by the fact that you cannot see/feel/try on the item and tend to opt for in-person shopping as a result; however, if these technologies can help with that process, you may see many more people turning from store to online for their shopping needs. We here at Web Geeks are hopeful that one day, we will be able to explore the VR showrooms of IKEA and the way things are going; that day may not be too far away.
Video Content Dominance
Well, this one is exactly a surprise. Video has already gained a very large part of the digital market. Everyone wants video, and everyone is creating videos and things there are not expected to change. TikTok and short-form videos still have a grip on the younger generations; however, older generations and companies are starting to gain a liking for the channel as well. Why? Short-form video is easy and quick to consume, it doesn’t take much time out of your day, and it is usually entertaining enough to generate a laugh or informative enough to make you stop and think. Of course, there is a lot of content out there on TikTok that may leave you wondering why you just spent 20 seconds of your life watching it, but hey, at least it wasn’t a whole 10 minutes. Short-form has made its way across to other platforms, too, such as Instagram reels and Facebook stories, but even long-form video hosting sites such as YouTube have incorporated shorts into their offerings.
However, it’s not just short-form video that has us glued to our devices. Long-form video has been and will continue to be as popular as ever. Remember the bygone days of old when only a select few could take to the screens and entertain the population. Well, now anyone with an idea can have their story heard, and this truly is a freedom that won’t die out in the coming years. Some YouTube content is even making its way onto Prime Video and other streaming services. Yes, the days of video are certainly not numbered.
The Importance of Agile Marketing
As we have mentioned previously, marketing is an ever-evolving creature, but recently, things seem to be evolving at a faster rate than ever before. A trend appears, another disappears, technology improves, and the way we use it changes. The whole world shifts to a different view on a topic, and we must all adjust quickly and effectively. Marketers must be aware of this and be able to keep up with the rollercoaster ride that is marketing. If you fall too far behind, you risk losing customers or dropping out of the game. It is crucial that you keep up to date on all emerging trends and technologies. You are always in search of better and brighter ways to not only conduct your campaigns but also position yourself as a brand that is likeable and trustworthy.
Sustainability and Social Responsibility
With rising temperatures and unsustainable amounts of pollution, everyone is more than a little aware that the time has come to look after our environment. One-use plastics are being phased out, and recyclable materials are in. And everyone wants to know what you are doing to help the situation. Companies that once never gave a thought to the environmental impact of their businesses are now trying their best to find ways to reach a greener tomorrow. And it is the job of their marketing department to make the whole world aware of it. We are seeing green initiatives on websites, on social media, and just about anywhere they can get the message across. As the world works together to try and restore the damage we have done to the environment, those who are making an effort are benefitting in more customers and more sales, with people choosing to buy from one brand over another due to their efforts towards sustainability.
But it’s not just sustainability that counts, the world wants to know what you are doing to help the issues they care about, how you are helping local communities and how you are making the world a better place. With companies being in the best position to start initiatives or collect for their local community, the world expects them to take advantage of this position. We already see fundraising initiatives in local grocery stores and companies sponsoring community efforts to make their neighbourhood a better place. Anything a company can do to help goes a long way, even if it’s a smaller-scale effort on behalf of a small business.
Multisearch and Voice Search
Voice search has been with us for quite a while now, and companies are already changing their marketing strategies to cope with this. Marketers are optimizing content for natural language and more precise voice queries. However, with the incorporation of Google’s Gemini into smart devices such as the Samsung Galaxy series, visual searches are becoming more important, too, with Gemini allowing you to circle a point on a picture and image search for, say, where to buy the pair of sneakers someone is wearing. Companies must ensure images are optimized and of high quality so that the AI can get the results the user hopes for. Google Lens also brings us Multisearch, where we can ask questions about an image that we see, all this making searching a more natural process. Something such as this could really change results in search engine rankings, and it’s up to us to optimize for this.
Key Takeaways
- Marketing is changing at an ever-increasing rate, requiring marketers to be able to change and adapt within a very short period of time. Staying ahead is now down to ongoing research and how agile you can be in regard to your marketing activities.
- AI is slowly integrating into all of our applications, leading us to work out the best way to use it to our advantage. The analytical power of AI, especially, is set to be a door opener into hyper-personalization and predictive analysis.
- Privacy is set to be one of the main concerns in the future, with 3rd party cookies phasing out in 2025, forcing a heavier reliance on first-party data.
- The tide is turning away from influencers and towards micro-influencers who are more authentic and have smaller audiences.
- A wide-scale adoption of AR and VR is on the cards, with some companies already making use of the technology and others will be soon to follow, changing the online shopping experience for all.
- Video content will continue to have a hold of the online market.
- Sustainability and social responsibility will continue to be in everyone’s minds, leading companies to start green and social initiatives.
- Multisearch and voice search are set to reshape the future of search, allowing for a much more natural process and more relevant search results.