The United States has become so advanced in our digital media and technology that we almost have too many choices on how to go about digital marketing. Data allows us to take a hard look at the current marketing trends that are working the best. There has been a huge increase in digital marketing since 2010 and digital media continues to grow at an alarming pace.
Advertising has especially been affected by this growth. There are now algorithms that take search behavior and information from various apps to determine which ads are best to show specific consumers. This takes the guess-work out of where and how to deliver targeted ads to particular market segments.
Lifecycle marketing
Lifecycle marketing is not a new concept but it has been polished with available data from social media channels. Lifecyle marketing is defined as all of the strategies that companies use to attract and retain their clients so that they can boost their profits and grow as a brand.
Companies use lifecycle marketing to be able to learn how to communicate from the customers’ point of view and learn from the consumer’s life journey. This trend involves a lot of engagement with consumers through paid media, owned media, earned media, and industry experience.
Conversational marketing
The second recent trend is conversational marketing. Conversational marketing involves the joining together of “rapid consumer adoption of smart speakers and innovation in search query processing, conversational interfaces and messaging“. In more simple terms, artificial intelligence is used to mimic a conversation between a company and its consumer. This can be done through e-mails, text messages, and other applications to boost repurchase rates and new customer rates. This helps customers feel as though they are important to a company and are being reached out to personally.
Insights-driven marketing
Advertising and SEO agencies are now utilizing insights-driven marketing. This technique uses analytics and data analysis to boost business performance and helps to optimize the results that come from digital marketing campaigns and strategies.
Companies that use more customer analytics are 23 times more likely to perform better than competitors when it comes to gaining new customers and also have more customer loyalty. For example, Red Bull used analytics to understand customer preferences better and to determine how and when they buy their drinks so that Red Bull can change and grow with their consumers.
The increase and fast-paced creation of marketing technology offers a variety of software for businesses that want to improve their digital media. This helps companies get the upper hand against their competitors by making research and automation processes much easier. The future of digital marketing is data analytics at twice the level we are currently using it for.
Protecting personal information
Consumer privacy is now a main issue for web-based businesses because of the many security breaches at Facebook, Yahoo, and Google. Many companies have been sued because of security breaches that put consumer personal information at risk. It is important for marketing companies and SEO agencies to pay close attention to privacy concerns and safety so that consumers can feel safe and their information is protected.
Marketers need to evolve with the consumers and technology in order to maintain safe and secure marketing practices that remain cutting edge. Consumers spend much of their time online and it is important to understand these behavior patterns and utilize them for increasing marketing potential.
Interesting related article: “What is Digital Marketing?”