As we all know, digital marketing is an everchanging landscape. Looking forward to the future of marketing can leave business owners in cold sweats. But, we are here to reassure you that content marketing remains king, and authenticity will win out in 2018.
Personalized Content Marketing
Content marketing is the starting point of all your marketing efforts. The key with content marketing in 2018 will be making it personal. Know your target market and create user personas for each demographic. Eighty-four percent of millennials do not trust traditional advertising – that is what makes content marketing so powerful.
Nobody likes to see a generic social media post that doesn’t offer anything unique or relevant to their interests. Improved personalization for audiences is a big trend for content marketing. As social platforms evolve, so do their analytics and marketing features. This kind of information means that brands have the power to craft better, and more personalized content, to connect with their audience.
Video, Video, and More Video
From livestream to cinemagraphs, video is exploding, and is expected to continue to do so. On average, videos get 135% more organic reach than images, and text posts.
Livestreaming and interactive broadcasting are destined to become the next big thing. Live video is increasingly being used by brands to capture the attention of their most loyal fanbase, and create engaging content.
Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter are all investing in video to help generate engagement and build followers. Facebook has already made moves towards it’s goal of a “video first” platform this year. It’s estimated that by 2019, video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer traffic. If you’re not creating video for your business yet, it’s time to start.
Ephemeral Content
We have seen the rise in ephemeral content for marketing with the increase of Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat stories. This might sound counterintuitive to marketers, but there are several advantages that ephemeral content offers: content that is short-lived is generally considered more authentic, and because it disappears quickly, it increases the FOMO (fear of missing out). As a result, people tend to act fast, which benefits marketers.
Mobile-First
With Google promising to launch mobile-first search in the not-so-distant future, and Facebook becoming almost entirely mobile, the future of online marketing is mobile-first. Eighty percent of Facebook’s ad revenue already comes from mobile ads. Apps like Instagram and Snapchat were designed for mobile use only. In 2018 brands will have no excuse for distributing content that’s not optimized for mobile use.
Those are our digital marketing predictions for 2018. What do you think the future holds?
Contact The Light Digital to make 2018 the best year for your business.
