As an inbound marketing and web design agency, we’re constantly thinking about upcoming opportunities to seize. We just published a blog about the 2017 web design trends we’re excited for, and now we’re ready to turn our focus to the future of digital marketing communication.
6 Digital Marketing Communication Trends for 2017
1. Livestreaming
It’s been around for a little while, but social media channels are making it super easy for users to broadcast livestream videos straight from their phones.
In late November, Instagram launched their livestream feature (if you’re on the app, you probably get a lot of annoying notifications for it). Twitter just introduced a fancy, new 360-degree livestream feature as 2016 closed out. And, of course, Facebook Live has been a fan favorite for quite some time.
Since it’s now so accessible, there’s a good chance that we’ll see a lot more live broadcasts in 2017.
2. Native Advertising
People are becoming more and more attune to advertisements. Gone are the days of blasting your audience with ads and banking on the fact that at least some of them will make a purchase.
Native ads are seamlessly woven into content that readers and viewers already find valuable. They’re already engaged with the content they’re consuming, so a native ad is perceived as less intrusive, and, therefore, more trustworthy.
3. Email Newsletter Renaissance
The email marketing newsletter is, for many businesses, a ploy to gain contact information from their target audience in order to beat them over the head with promotional messages. Not anymore.
The future of marketing communication will have emails that intend to delight subscribers—not just sell to them. Hyper-segmentation and personalization will provide recipients with the content they’re looking for, even if it doesn’t convert them immediately.
4. Mobile-First Strategy
In 2016, mobile internet usage surpassed that of desktop. That means mobile is no longer an afterthought for which content is optimized. Content should be created with a mobile experience in mind.
Blogs, emails, social media posts, digital ads—you name it—should be written and designed with the anticipation that more users will see them on their mobile devices than their desktops.
5. Algorithm Changes
Google’s search algorithm is bound to see a ton of changes, just as it does every year. The best way marketers can prepare for the inevitable is to keep creating original and informative content—not use keyword stuffing and other shady black hat SEO tactics to try and game the system.
But, while Google is certainly the most notorious for abrupt algorithm changes, marketers can’t forget about Facebook and Bing. The Facebook algorithm has arguably killed organic reach, and Bing SEO has a few key differences from Google.
6. Advertising Gets More Expensive
As more and more businesses get involved in online advertising, the space for ads decreases. The increased competition inflates the price of digital ads. That will continue in 2017 as online advertising grows.
As marketing communication changes, so must your business’ strategy. Keep an eye out for these trends in 2017 or you could be left playing catchup.