The introduction of the internet was not only a revolution in terms of information exchange but also in the area of marketing. Businesses could now start marketing their products and services right to the customer’s home in ways that TV or newspapers couldn’t match. Now, marketing is once again adapting itself to newer technologies and procedures and any business which neglects this shift will have a very low chance of beating their more informed competitors. In this post, we will look at six massive changes that are completely overthrowing the old and creating new rules in the field of online marketing.
Table of Contents
1. Artificial Intelligence
The biggest marketing shift that is happening right now is the increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). And just as with any other field, the influence of AI has been making a big impact on online marketing. AI is also being used in e-commerce websites to track customer behavior and to decide how to price a specific product.
For example, if an AI sees that a specific user (if registered) or a visitor (tracked through cookies) keep checking out the same product from the store every single day, then it can decide to act in a way that converts them into paying customers. So, the next time the person visits the webpage, the AI can display a 15% reduced price for the product in case they buy it within the next 24 hours. And after 16 hours, if the person still has not bought it, then the AI can start adding offers to make the sale more attractive – maybe a gift coupon equal to the product value might be offered. This will surely get the attention of the prospective customer.
Additionally, e-commerce is not the only area where AI is being implemented. In all areas of marketing like email marketing, PPC ads, social media campaigns, and so on; most people are switching to AI to get better results. And as stories of success come through, we should expect more marketers to handover the online marketing to AIs.
2. Influencer Marketing
This is a massive change that has been taking place over the past few years thanks to social media platforms. Individuals who have a large fan following on social media are generally well trusted by their fans. As such, these people can use their profiles to recommend and advertise products and services to their fans who follow their every post.
This is similar to using celebrities for TV advertisements where the status of the celebrity is used to evoke trust and confidence among the public towards a particular product. The difference lies in the fact that influencers are more ‘personal’ with their followers sharing their daily thoughts and activities. And this is what makes influencer marketing potent.
When an individual likes and idolizes someone, they usually end up trying to become like their idol including using products that the idol uses. As such, it is very likely that influencer marketing will soon grow into one of the pillars of online promotion and marketing of a business.
3. Virtual Reality
If the internet is considered to have revolutionized the world, then Virtual Reality (VR) is what will take it to the next level. The intensely immersive nature of VR provides huge marketing opportunities allowing businesses to tap into customers’ minds in never before tried ways.
The internet will turn from a 2D experience into a 3D experience and so will marketing. All promotional activities will be aimed at ensuring that the prospective customer is informed about the product and also that the interests of the customers are engaged.
And though VR marketing is only in its nascent stage, once the VR devices become cheaper and more people start using it, new opportunities for marketing will spring forward.
4. Personalized Marketing
In the early days of online marketing, businesses could only publish one single advertisement aimed at every viewer. This was similar to TV and newspaper advertisements. However, as web technologies developed, things began to change rapidly. Soon, businesses were able to automatically customize some areas of marketing to suit a prospective customer’s interests.
This personalization of marketing has been going on for the past decade. And this trend will definitely continue in the future just in a more detailed manner. Combined with the power of AI, personalized marketing tactics is poised to see a big boom in the near future.
5. Voice Search Marketing
With Google introducing Voice Search, the way content marketing is done is also rapidly changing. While existing strategies focus on writing long articles that span thousands of words, Voice Search marketing will trigger the rise of short-form content, two or three lines at the most, that are aimed at answering the specific questions asked by the customers.
After all, people who do Voice Search generally want quick answers to their questions. And this demand for short, concise answers has already started to play a role in how content is created. As more people resort to Voice Search, marketers will have to decide on the optimum mix of long form and short form content.
6. Wearable
A significant technological advancement in the past five years has been the rapid popularity of wearable tech. Right from fitness trackers to e-watches, wearable tech seems to have captured the imagination of the public largely thanks to the ease of use.
However, they also provide a unique marketing opportunity. Imagine checking a wearable, say an e-watch, for time and suddenly you receive an offer on the wearable, from the store you just walked by, which says that you can buy 2 slippers for the price of one.
Such kinds of marketing, though very rare as of now, have been successfully tested in many places with a positive result. And with the increase in wearable tech, this is one marketing niche that will definitely explode over the coming few years.
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