As we approach the end of the year it is always a time to consider what the future might hold. At Entyce we are constantly on the lookout for new trends as well as new technology which might provide marketing opportunities and legislation which could have an impact on how we and our clients operate. Here’s a quick roundup of our marketing predictions for 2018.
Entyce Creative’s marketing predictions for 2018
- A more targeted approach
Thanks to GDPR marketers will be taking a more targeted approach with their marketing. The changes may be onerous but we predict that they will lead to marketing which is better thought out, targeted and more efficient. The quality of data will improve, marketing messages will be more relevant and will reach the right audiences; in turn this will improve engagement and ROI.
- Voice search
Whether you are a fan of SIRI or not we’ve all used voice search at some point or other. It has become more sophisticated and with gadgets like Amazon’s Echo and Google’s pebble voice on many Christmas lists, voice search is looking set to be a key trend for next year.
- Personalisation
Personalisation is something marketers have been talking about for a long time. As we all tire of irrelevant marketing messages and become more and more savvy when it comes to avoiding them marketing is increasingly becoming a two way conversation. Businesses will need to work even harder to keep their audiences engaged and this will mean ensuring relevant, permission based communication.
- Even more live video
Video has been on the rise for a couple of years now and this trend shows no sign of slowing. We predict live video will be even more prolific in 2018 than it was in 2017.
- Less automation more real-time marketing
As marketing becomes more targeted, it will also increasingly happen in real-time. Social media has changed the way marketers plan and also forward planning is as important as ever being poised and ready to react in real time is really important. There have been some great examples of brands doing this in response to everything from sporting events to celebrity break ups. Brands that get this right will be rewarded with increased customer engagement.
- More live chat
Expectations have risen and an instant response is often expected so live chat looks set to increase as people realise it is a quicker route to answers and resolving queries than waiting on the phone in a queue.
- Influencer marketing
Social media and blogging have boosted the power of influencer marketing. Harnessing influencer marketing opportunities is something that we will see even more of next year. Unlike celebrity endorsements which have often been the domain of big brands influencer marketing can work for smaller brands too and be incredibly effective in niche markets.
- The end of pop ups?
More of our time spent online is on mobile and early in 2017 Google started penalising mobile sites with “intrusive interstitials” (pop-up ads or email capture lightboxes). Pop ups are irritating and we think they’ve had their day!
- Increased use of AI
Artificial intelligence has been a hot topic of conversation for marketers for some time now. We predict that next year will be the year that we really start to see it used in a range of different ways within marketing. The possibilities are endless but pricing, analysing, image recognition and chatbots are just a few areas where we think we’ll see increased use.
- More interaction
Virtual reality will bring new opportunities for marketers to create more interactive experiences. The question here is how creative will brands be?
- Tighter restrictions on social media
The backlash against fake news and reports of the Russian government using social media to influence the American election have forced social media networks to take stock and look at how they monitor and control what is published on their networks.
- Faster websites
Speed has always been important and it’s no secret that speed is one significant factor which influences search rankings. Combine this with expectations from users being higher than ever, websites need to be designed and developed to meet those expectations.