Digital marketing can be a tough nut to crack given the constant evolution of the industry and the many variables one has to take into consideration when building a marketing strategy. Each year, digital marketing becomes increasingly complex, with more elements and regulations to factor in, and thus the rules of the game keep on changing. This means there are new opportunities for businesses and marketers to unlock but also a brand-new set of challenges for them to deal with.
Although it’s difficult to keep up with digital marketing trends and predict what’s going to happen in the future, it’s the only way for businesses to stay in the race and gain an advantage over their competitors. It’s also important to note that as a marketer, distinguishing between real trends and fleeting fads is a challenge in itself, as you don’t want to waste your time and resources focusing on the wrong things.
So, if you want to know more about the trends that are going to shape the digital marketing landscape in the near future, here are some predictions that can help you boost your business and keep ahead of the curve.
The promise of the metaverse
The age of the metaverse is upon us, promising to change the internet experience as we know it. Even though we haven’t yet stepped into this new universe, we have a rough idea of what it will look like, with augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D holographic avatars, and video dominating the scene and facilitating interactions in a computer-generated environment.
But what does this imply for marketers? It means there’s going to be a whole new playground for them to explore and take advantage of. The metaverse will not only provide brands with valuable insights into consumer behaviour and preferences but will also offer a new venue for businesses to showcase and promote their products and services. While the metaverse is still in its early evolution and it might be a bit too soon for consumers to care about it, every business and digital marketing agency will benefit from acting early and being among the first players to step into the metaverse.
Crypto integration
The metaverse is one step away but cryptocurrencies are already a reality and they’re here to stay. Cryptocurrencies have proven themselves to be a great alternative to fiat currencies, given their decentralised nature and the numerous benefits they provide such as transparency, security, privacy, accessibility, transactional freedom, and high returns. Now, as crypto adoption keeps increasing, with more businesses and financial institutions accepting cryptos, it’s time for marketers to make them a part of their strategy.
The fact that major payment processors like Visa, PayPal, and MasterCard have brought digital currencies onto their networks and are working on expanding their crypto capabilities, despite their initial reluctance, goes to show that marketers have to keep their eyes on crypto as well if they want to expand their audience reach and attract new clients. However, it’s important to mention that marketers must have a good understanding of their target audience and figure out if crypto is a good fit for them if they want to reap benefits.
Advanced digital skills
As the digital marketing landscape continues to evolve and expand, so must marketers’ skills and abilities. Marketing professionals have a much harder mission to accomplish these days given the high level of complexity of the field. That’s why finding the right talent is one of the biggest challenges for companies and digital marketing agencies.
Knowing a bit of everything and having a superficial understanding of digital marketing doesn’t cut it anymore. Businesses these days are looking for real experts with great digital skills and vast knowledge of digital marketing. Whether we’re talking about an SEO company in London or a small local business, every company needs highly-skilled marketers who can create effective digital marketing strategies and deliver the results their clients are expecting. This means all marketers have to focus more on training and advancing their skill set in order to meet current demands.
Social media shopping
Online shopping is far from being a novelty. Given the widespread access to the internet and the digitalisation phenomenon that we’re currently experiencing, more and more people choose to do their shopping online. And while this trend will continue in the following years, e-commerce seems to be moving in a new direction with the introduction of social media shopping.
Marketers are no strangers to social media as it already plays an important role in all digital marketing campaigns. However, the new trend is about using social media platforms not only to promote products and services but also as a retail channel that allows users to buy their favourite items from their social media apps, through shoppable posts and ads, making the whole buying experience all the more enjoyable.
Social responsibility
It’s no news anymore that providing quality products is not enough to win customers’ trust and loyalty. Consumers these days expect more from brands than good products and creative marketing. Millennials especially have become more politically and socially conscious and place a great deal of importance on value alignment when choosing the businesses that they support. They’re looking for companies that align with their values and beliefs, and pay attention to the things they care about. And right now, customers care a lot about sustainability and environmental protection.
Marketers can’t ignore these changes in customers’ behaviour, so social responsibility has to become an integral part of their marketing strategy. It’s the right moment for brands to take action by addressing social, ethical, and environmental concerns while promoting their products/services all across their digital channels.
We’ll likely see many more changes and innovations in digital marketing in the years to come, many of whom we may not even be able to predict. But for now, these are the trends that are worth keeping an eye on and taking into account when developing a marketing strategy.
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