5 Marketing Trends to Look Out For in 2018

What a year 2017 was for marketing! If you had to describe it – it would probably liken to an explosion due to the way social media and data management practically took over the Internet and gained traction as the most powerful tool online. It makes one wonder what 2018 will bring – and the experts are all pitching in with what they believe will be the year’s marketing trends.

It’s All about the Experience

Last year one of the phenomenons to catch the imagination of the world was Pokémon Go. The game is an experience unlike no other – magical reality! In 2018, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Artificial Intelligence will all converge to create incredible consumer experiences. It will personalize real-time interactions and be more appealing to the eyes, ears, and mind. These applications will transform marketing and the right choice can mean the difference between ranking number one and increasing patronage and revenues or dropping out of the race completely.

Data Management Platforms (DMPs) will Surge in Use and Popularity

As the backbone for data-driven marketing, DMPs enjoyed a remarkable breakthrough in 2017 – and proved itself to be worthy of the investment and effort. Companies with DMPs were able to store, use, manage, and analyze consumer behavior and third party data and improve their bottom line. This kind of integrated technology is expected to grow even more in 2018 targeting high-value audiences with immense success.

Live Videos

Analysts reveal that quality live videos provide a shocking 113% ad view growth rate year-on-year. More importantly, live streaming itself is growing faster than expected and is expected to reach $70.5 billion in revenues by 2021 – that’s just 3 years from now!

A study revealed that 81% of Millennials and Gen Z’ers watch at least one hour of online video a day and majority tend to make purchasing decisions based on what they see on social media and videos. Live streaming, when you think about it, is the most powerful medium for social technology, and soon, for consumer behavior.

Mobile Marketing Skyrockets in 2018

In 2017 about 30% of consumers relied on their mobile devices to browse and access the Internet. As phones become faster and more features are added, it is expected that mobile use will expand and make cross-pollination between different platforms seamless and quick.

Already, mobile use is dominating online activities and in the US 71% of all digital minutes use mobile devices. The average mobile time of the typical American adult is 87 hours a month and only 34 hours on a desktop. Of all the trends expected to explode in 2018, progressive web apps (PWA) appears to be the next big thing. PWA is simply web applications that work like apps making user experience more responsive and engaging.

Virtual Assistance with Chatbots

Experts predict that by 2020, around 85% of customer interactions will be automated and run by bots. The bots are fast becoming so genuinely human-like, already 27% of consumers can’t tell the difference.

There are quite a few other predictions about 2018, including the revival of LinkedIn as the social media platform to be on, optimization of voice-enabled gadgets, enhanced graphics, better social media analytics, and continued growth of social media as a major influencer.