The next wave of marketing trends is being driven by significant advances made by giant internet companies. Google stated that support for third-party cookies would eventually be discontinued by 2023. Apple released a new email protection feature in its most recent versions of iOS and OS. The fundamentals of the web are now factored into the search algorithms of Google’s search engines. Giants like HubSpot and Salesforce are also developing new methods of management, communication, and marketing as they compete to rule the Martech sector.
So, What does it mean for all marketers?
These modifications may necessitate a different strategic approach to preparing for the following years for anyone who may be in charge of email marketing, digital advertising, Social media, or website optimization. Here are a few trends to watch out for.
Contextual Marketing Will Rule – Marketers will need a stronger understanding of consumers’ online research and decision-making processes as we enter a privacy-conscious era. They will need to have knowledge of how to leverage the contextual marketing features on those platforms and make wise decisions regarding the placement of ads and content. This new era of digital advertising resembles conventional advertising strategies more when a marketer would have selected a magazine based on its audience and content as a suitable venue for an advertisement to reach their target market. Additionally, contextual advertising calls on marketers to consider keyword categories rather than simply synonyms. The buyer’s journey must be better understood by recognizing that someone interested in the newest handbag not just only shopping for a “purse,” “clutch,” “shoulder bag,” or “tote”—rather, they’re also interested in the “latest fall fashion trends” and the “top accessories for the autumn.”
Creativity is King – When it comes to marketing, creativity always pays off, but as the industry moves away from depending on algorithms and toward a more competitive environment of contextual marketing, creativity will reign supreme. The opportunity for creative placement is one of the greatest. What if, in the previous example of a recipe website as a channel, the marketer for food delivery or takeout firm decided to add advertisements on the recipe site? Understanding the issue that the customer is trying to resolve (in this case, hunger) might lead to the discovery of fresh and intriguing opportunities for online advertising.
The focus of creative content is shifting from images and text to video and more immersive experiences. Facebook reported at SXSW 2022 that the platform’s use of cutting-edge technology features including live shopping, product tagging, and immersive experiences increased by 200%. The buyer’s journey has undergone a significant hard shift since the epidemic began, according to the same survey, meaning more competition for attention as firms begin to engage more heavily in digital transformation.
To make the right impact with the right content, try hiring a creative digital agency to back you up with all creative ideas that can make your brand stand out from the crowd.
Measure Intent instead of small actions or metrics
We need to start evaluating activities in our marketing data that are clearly tied to intent instead of using the metrics we’re used to using to judge success, such as followers, email openings, and click-through rates, as a result of the digital revolution and changes in privacy rules.
Click-through rates are hardly a good sign of intent. In their first-data systems, sophisticated marketers now have access to a lot more data. More deliberate behaviors, such as engagement, downloads, or call-to-action answers, provide data that are in line with the buyer’s journey and the campaign’s objectives. Very few people are going to click on the inventive display advertisement on the recipe website (unless it was on accident). However, you can undoubtedly attribute “brand lift” to the campaign if the ad is getting a lot of impressions and both website traffic and time spent there to rise.
Recent changes made by Apple to Mail are resulting in falsely high open rates being reported for email marketing. This is so that the software may “open” the message and look for anything that the user has asked to be prohibited thanks to the enhanced privacy settings of that email client. When email marketers noticed an increase in open rates early this year, they might have overreacted by celebrating. Email marketers should consider the calls to action to include in their emails that are in line with the recipient’s intent rather than thinking about customers-centric strategies and the buyer’s journey. Even though it will be a less significant indicator, measuring actions provides a more accurate indication of how effectively the material is being absorbed.
It appears that digital marketers will once more need to reevaluate, retrain, and retool their talents for the modern day. Since some industries could find it difficult to attract creative talent on their own, businesses will profit from hiring creatives or collaborating with agencies with creative talents. Launching competitive creative content requires first understanding the buyer’s journey of your main persona.
