With the ubiquity of social media, digital marketing is more relevant and effective than ever. Businesses can promote their product or service online in countless different ways. New innovations capture people’s attention – from bite-sized how-to clips, to live video feeds of cute pets, to interactive content marketing. Upcoming innovations often quickly turn out to be game-changers, shaping the digital landscape and our behavior as users. The following are some of the big digital marketing trends of the past year and hints of what’s in store for 2017.
Digital Marketing Trends for 2016-2017
1. VIDEO DOMINANCE
The use of videos on social media has evolved rapidly in the past few years. Clearly, it has been an effective medium – research by the Aberdeen Group, a leading market research firm, reports that those who use videos grow their revenue 49% more than those who don’t. Videos are very flexible, and people constantly find different ways of utilizing it in a marketing context. An example of recent trends is short, yet informative Tastemade clips, which have been a craze in social media with its simple and straightforward approach to instructional cooking. 360 video is also making waves because of its perfect for use in real estate or tourism. Other recent video trends include real-time or live videos and Snapchat. With Cisco forecasting video to be 82% of all IP traffic by 2020, this medium is shaping up to be the universal means of reaching your market.
2. AN EXPLOSION OF NEW FEATURES ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media platforms are coming up with new features and updates to stay on top of their game. Facebook brought innovative features like Facebook live and Facebook 360, which offer endless possibility in terms of content creation. These two avenues have the potential to be very effective promotional tools. Social media giant Instagram has also come up with a new feature – Instagram Stories – that companies can use to add a personal touch to their marketing mix. In the very competitive field of social media marketing, one feature could be the difference in being number one.
3. INCREASING MOBILE OPTIMIZATION FOR SEO
As smartphone use in the Philippines is forecasted to rise up to 70%, mobile optimization has become a must for SEO efforts. Mobile phones and tablets are being used for everything – from spreading the latest viral video to playing games on the long commute home. Optimizing your content for mobile is no longer an option. Research is predicting that 63.4 percent of mobile phone users will be accessing online content through their devices by 2017. This means that more than half of your hits will come via mobile - so if your site isn’t optimized yet, don’t be surprised to notice a decline in viewership, and consequently, revenue.
4. FRESH WEB DESIGNS
Websites continue to become more intuitive and visually appealing as new ways of executing them are introduced every year. For 2016, noticeable website design trends include the use of flat or material design, minimalist design, background videos, card-based interfaces, and long scrolling. Companies have many options in terms of interaction and presentation.
5. COLLABORATING WITH KEY OPINION LEADERS
In this digital era, there are endless resources to grab information from, making it difficult to distinguish what’s credible. Working with Key Opinion Leaders and thought leaders helps brands not only promote products but also in establishing trust with the market.
In this social media series, we will be tackling these trends one by one, examining the appeal of each and seeing what makes them successful. Follow M2Social as we anticipate what trends will be even bigger next year.
