No two days in digital marketing are the same. It’s a fast-moving industry that is constantly adapting to new technology and changes in consumer behaviour. Digital marketing is everywhere—whether we’re scrolling social media or using search engines. As well as this, digital marketing is becoming more and more important to businesses. With an estimated 4.3 billion users, the internet is one of the best ways to reach new audiences and potential customers.
So what should students expect from the future of digital marketing? In the coming years, many believe that digital marketing could become more personalized, advanced, and intelligent, with a greater focus on video and influencer content. Read on to find out three ways that digital marketing could change in the future.
Content Could Be More Personalized
As you will discover as part of a digital marketing diploma, personalized content that speaks directly to the consumer is incredibly effective and is becoming more and more popular. This has made it easier than ever to learn about your target audience, and we can expect this to be even more true with time as personalization technology and strategies continue to evolve. You can find out about their age, location, interests, and internet habits, and tailor your digital marketing strategy accordingly. The importance of personalization going forward is driven home further by a number of statistics: for example, 71% of online shoppers are reported to be unhappy without a personalized shopping experience, and research has also shown that 80% of people are more likely to buy something from a company that personalizes their shopping experience. In order to succeed in digital marketing, you should use the data you have to your advantage. Consumers will respond best to ads and content that are relevant to them, so this is a good way to build up a good relationship with consumers and build your brand.
Another form of personalized content we could see more regularly is dynamic content. This is content where user interests and behaviour dictates how the content changes for that user, improving both its personalization and the user’s overall experience. In addition to adapting rapidly to the user’s behaviour, dynamic content can also significantly increase conversion rates and make offers and recommendations more user-specific.
Furthermore, it’s easy to imagine the role artificial intelligence may play in the future of digital marketing with regards to personalized content, through tools such as decision engines taking data from users in real-time to help companies adjust their strategies, or better recommend products to users. This is in addition to marketing automation features such as dynamic websites and personalization tokens.
Learn About the Increasing Importance of Influencer Marketing with a Digital Marketing Diploma
At digital marketing college you learn that influencer marketing is still relatively new and is continuing to change. Influencer marketing is a great way for brands to build up trust with consumers, and according to the digital marketing institute, 70% of teens trust influencers more than traditional celebrities. Influencers have replaced traditional word of mouth and people will likely trust recommendations from an influencer more than the brand itself.
This is likely to become even bigger in the future with new influencers appearing in new sectors every day. As well as this, digital marketers should incorporate ‘micro-influencers’ into their digital marketing strategies. These are influencers with between 1,000 – 100,000 followers. While they have fewer followers than traditional influencers, they have higher engagement rates, meaning more power to ‘influence’.
With the help of ‘shoppable posts,’ consumers are now also able to buy products directly from social media posts without leaving the site. This could result in even more sales through influencer marketing.
The Rise of Video Content
Whereas previously digital marketing has been very image-focused, the industry is starting to focus more and more on video. Video content like Facebook and Instagram Live, IGTV, Tiktok, Youtube, and more is becoming integral to a brand’s social media strategy. The efficacy of video content for digital marketing purposes is especially obvious through certain statistics. For example, 85% of brands market themselves using video content, and 83% of those who use video marketing have seen an increase in leads as a result. Moreover, video content usurped infographics and blogs as the most frequently used type of media in 2019.
In addition, brands are even starting to send personalized videos directly to consumers’ inboxes as part of email marketing campaigns. This is a unique and engaging way of speaking directly to consumers. Although video content has already proven to drive up lead generation and audience engagement and give marketers a better ROI, we can expect video content to continue to be a driving force behind digital marketing going forward. Projections indicate that the average person will watch 100 minutes’ worth of online video a day in 2021, and that an estimated $81.5 billion CAD will be spent on online video advertising by that same year, while spending on television advertising will decrease.
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