Almost everyone will be affected by the digital marketing changes happening in 2018. Businesses need to keep up with latest trends to be competitive. Online readers are already witnessing changes in the way information and ads are being delivered.
Some of the current trends to pay attention to are the evolution of chatbots, how personal data is used and potentially misused, video on demand, and voice search that actually works well.
Specialized Marketing
Digital marketing tactics are getting more specialized and high-tech in 2018. Marketing used to be about serving ads in mainstream media. Now some of the marketing careers people pursue may include digital marketing manager, search engine optimization (SEO) specialist and social media manager.
Marketing experts are training in fields that allow them to reach online audiences. Internet users don’t necessarily subscribe to newspapers and magazines; instead of using search and social media to be informed and entertained.
Chatbots Taking Over
The latest digital marketing trends in 2018 point to a scenario where brands are increasing rely on semi-intelligent chatbots for user engagement. Even though chatbots have been around for a long time, they have recently undergone some major changes in the form of artificial intelligence.
Brands are working towards using bots in their marketing strategies, and in providing customer support. Their future is looking bright, with more firms incorporating them into their day-to-day operations.
EU Crackdown in Data Collection
The European Union is expected to get more serious about firms collecting customer information. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is expected to go into effect on May 25, 2018. Businesses should be preparing for this already.
The GDPR primarily provides EU citizens with more control over their personal data. A company will now need to have explicit consent from a consumer before it can collect information.
This data can be anything from the consumer’s email address, location, to their name. Additionally, the company will also need to inform the consumer the kind of data they intend to collect, and how they will use it.
If a company is found to be non-compliant, there are consequences. The business can be faced with an EU fine not exceeding 4 percent of its annual global turnover or be forced to pay up to 23 million US dollars.
Video On Demand, In Demand
For social media users and online readers, nothing is as captivating as good video content. Whether a company wants to market on Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube, it seems like social video engagement stats will hit the roof this year.
Videos can take on a broad variety of formats, from live streams to 360-degree videos. Videos give marketing teams flexibility and reach when doing a campaign. The vast majority of views happen on mobile devices.
It’s anticipated that Facebook Watch could take over YouTube as the world’s largest video platform. According to Brendan Gahan from Mashable, this will happen because Facebook has a huge audience and is pushing the video format.
Foreseeing A Future in Voice Search
Many people are already familiar with the voice search concept, partly thanks to the introduction of Siri by Apple for its iPhone users. This concept is now a part of the future as far as digital marketing trends are concerned.
Audiences are using voice search to make it easier to find things on the web. It’s expected that the voice search method will change the way communications, and data is processed.
Digital marketers are starting to respond by creating content that’s optimized for voice queries. They are inserting natural sounding questions in online text, such as “What are the major digital marketing trends in 2018?” and providing clear answers.
