What better time than the end of a year to reflect on the past and plan for the future?
The pandemic has caused numerous challenges in 2020 and 2021. The internet has not only created a lot of opportunities, but also innovations, accelerated technology trends and a transformation of the way brands and customers interact.
It is impossible to predict the future of marketing, but we can be certain that it will be interesting.
Facts And Stats That Point To The Future Of Marketing
1. 93% of All Online Experiences Start With a Search Engine
This one isn’t totally new. Most online experiences begin with a search engine, according to Forbes. If you want your business to succeed, you need to start taking search engine optimization seriously.
The world has become increasingly digitized over the past few years. If brands don’t focus on driving traffic through organic search, they will probably become invisible.
Most marketers are recognizing the important role that content plays in their plans and strategies.
The Statista survey found that the majority of marketers have increased their reliance on content like social media posts, blogs, and videos since the start of the pandemic.
People are increasingly using the internet to find out about brands, and they are using search engines as their starting point.
Although offline strategies are still relevant, brands that want to gain new customers will need to make sure they can be found on Google.
2. Video Will Account For 82% of All Online Traffic by The End of 2022
If content is king, then video is the crown that sits on top of it. Cisco states that by the end of next year, 82 percent of all online traffic will be video. Video content is also the most preferred by consumers.
Some exciting video marketing trends are starting to show up because of what consumers are asking for. 2020 has been the year of jumping on the video marketing bandwagon For brands that are marketing to customers, 2020 has been the year of jumping on the video marketing bandwagon.
This is because things like live video, social media stories, vlogging, and smartphone-produced videos are not new for Gen-Zers or influencers. It’s a whole new world.
Video is a great way for brands to connect with their customers and show off their personality.
Even traditional boring brands can use video to show customers their products are valuable.
Take industrial giant, 3M, for example. In May 2020, 3M launched their Science at Home series featuring their scientists, engineers, and product developers who walked through science experiments kids could do from home during the pandemic.
Kids are excited to watch content from a brand that specializes in the likes of PPE and insulation materials. The magic of great video marketing in action.
3. 71% of Consumers Prefer to Conduct Queries by Voice Rather Than Typing
Hey Siri? We all joked ten years ago when Siri first arrived. Do people think they would start carrying around their phone and talking to a bot instead of a person?
Well, here we are in 2021 — talking to our cars, TV remotes, in-home speakers, and of course our smartphones. We’ve come a long way since the days of just talking on the phone. Almost three fourths of people prefer to use their voice to search instead of typing it in.
So, what does this mean for content marketers? What does this mean for the future of marketing?
Brands will need to optimize their content for voice. Here are a couple of ways to do it:
- Target question keywords – “How” and “what” are the top two voice search trigger words. In your keyword strategy, target questions that customers might ask when they’re looking for products and services you offer.
- Make content conversational – People search like they talk when they’re making a voice query. Align your content with this style of searching by using filler words like “the,” “to,” and “for” to make complete phrases and sentences.
- Use long-tail keywords – People get more specific when they use voice search because it’s quick and easy to do so. Using long-tail keywords that are longer and more detailed can help you rank for these types of queries.
4. 86% of Buyers are Willing to Pay More For a Better Customer Experience
In the future, the most successful brands will be those that provide their customers with a complete and optimized experience. The pandemic has led to more options, better convenience, and deeper interaction than ever before for consumers.
Brands have upped their customer experience by using omnichannel commerce, AI-powered customer support, and uber-personalized communication.
Now that the product is here, customers’ expectations will only continue to rise.
Most buyers are willing to spend more on products or services if it guarantees a better experience. Brands that have relied on competitive pricing in the past will need to find new ways to keep customers in the future.
5. 65% of Influencers Are Micro Influencers (and 77% of Brands Prefer to Work With Them)
Unless you have been living under a rock, you are aware that TikTok is not just for teenagers anymore.
More than half of the platform’s users are older than 30. TikTok has become a popular way for brands to connect with customers, and influencers are making a lot of money promoting their products.
While you might assume that the most trusted influencers are those with the most followers, you would be wrong. The most trusted influencers are actually those with much less followers, in the micro category of 100K followers or less.
Micro influencers have a much higher rate of engagement with users than mega influencers who have over a million followers.
Major brands are recognizing the value of micro influencers, with 77% stating that they prefer to work with micro influencers over other types of influencers. The reason for this preference is because micro influencers are much more engaged with and relatable to their audiences.
There are micro-influencers on every social media platform, but they are most prevalent on TikTok. On this platform, product promotions are seamlessly integrated into video content in ways that appear genuine.
In today’s world, where online users can spot an advertisement almost immediately, it is no wonder that brands are increasingly relying on micro-influencers for a new approach.
6. Forget 4Ps, Welcome 4Es
If you’ve spent years learning marketing theories to help you build a value proposition, this isn’t something you want to hear. They are not valid anymore. Famous Product, Price, Place, Promotion from Marketing Mix are not effective anymore.
With the help of technology, marketing has changed and developed rapidly in recent years, so the old marketing mix is no longer able to keep up with the times and meet the needs of consumers.
OK, so what do we have instead 4Ps now? Welcome to the new way of providing customer value, which focuses on engaging the customer, providing them with a great experience, making them feel special and creating an emotional connection.
People don’t buy only products.
They buy experiences and emotions instead. Instead of thinking about what product you should sell, or how you should sell it, you should instead focus on why you want to sell the product. Emotional branding is what makes a business stand out.
The best brands provide more than just physical goods or services, they offer positive experiences, emotions, and a relatable story. Disneyland and Coca-Cola make people happy, Adidas and Nike give people the courage to follow their dreams, L’Oréal sells beauty, and Apple sells the challenge to the status quo.
7. Artificial Intelligence
AI has already been here for while. Marketers use various tools on a daily basis, including email marketing, content, and analytics. The AI within these engines is what decides, filters, and suggests solutions.
At the same time, more and more consumers are being presented with proactive, AI-driven solutions in conversational interfaces. These interfaces help guide consumers and remind them of personalized solutions or products. It’s common knowledge these days.
We are seeing a trend of voice assistants and voice interactions emerging.
We’re familiar with Google Assistant, Siri, or Amazon Echo, which help us run daily chores. Voice interactions appear to be on the verge of becoming commonplace in business, where they will help us navigate menus, get acquainted with FAQs, provide assistance, or simply manage a service.
Then, the main competition will be between AI solutions that bond best with consumers.
In other words, the development of AI in marketing is something that happens naturally. The main reason why businesses are using AI is because it is the most effective way to gather information about customers. This is important because customers expect more personalized and convenient experiences.
If you want to keep up with AI in marketing, you need to familiarize yourself with the term “martech.” Martech refers to the connection between marketing and technology.
As technology advances, marketers will need to be familiar with AI-powered tools in order to be successful.
8. Most Consumers Would not Care if 73% of Brands Disappeared for Good
Acknowledge that three quarters of all brands would not be missed if they stopped existing tomorrow.
If consumers are unhappy with a brand, they will easily switch to another one. Even though there are many different manufacturers, brands, and services, they can all work together to provide what is missing.
Nowadays, people expect brands to show that they care about their emotional wellbeing, give back to both local and global communities, and stand up for causes that they believe in.
Brands should not only connect with us on a deeper emotional level, but also make sure that every part of the customer experience is uniquely awesome, including the most important part – the product.
When people are considering whether or not to purchase a product, the brand, its stories, and values are important factors.
In the end, the product is what’s most important. Even if a product has a great story or is for a good cause, that won’t make up for poor quality. If a product doesn’t meet a consumer’s expectations, they will quickly choose a different product.
9. Digital Media Monitoring and Analytics The Goldmine of Insights
Every business, no matter what sector it is in, needs to have a strong online presence in order to be successful. This means having a well-designed website, being active on social media, and having a good reputation online.
There are a number of businesses that operate primarily online and whose customers are also online. The majority of conversations about their brands and products happen online.
Consumers talk about brands and products on social media, and experts in the industry publish reviews on news sites. Meanwhile, competitors post updates about their latest products. Online buzz refers to the conversations and discussions happening online about a certain topic or brand.
This can be used as business intelligence, as it allows you to see what people are saying about your brand and how you can improve.
People talking about business-related topics online can give businesses helpful information about how to improve strategy, control how people think about their brand, learn more about other businesses in the same area, get ideas about new products, and understand what consumer trends are emerging.
This is where media monitoring and analytics come in as a way to collect and analyze all this information. Tools that monitor the media aggregate all content that is publicly available and contains predefined keywords.
They read online content in real time, including websites, blogs, discussion forums, review sites, and social media. They also listen to podcasts and read newsletters.
There are a bunch of analytical functions in media monitoring and analytics tools to help you understand the data. It is a tool that allows you to see what online users are saying about businesses, products, services, competitors, trends, and consumers.
As more businesses embrace the internet–a trend which has been amplified by the pandemic–media monitoring will become an increasingly valuable tool.
10. Build Intimate One-To-One Relations
The one-to-many marketing model was very effective in the past. The process was easy. Marketers conducted extensive research on their target audience, defining a persona and its basic characteristics.
After that, they created a method of communication and corresponding messages to send to their desired audience. Although conversion rates were not high, the model was effective.
With the digital media growth this model evolved slightly. The Internet has allowed us to gather information about users so that marketers can target their message to people with similar interests, demographics and habits.
It is more accurate way to reach out to consumers; however, it is not as effective as it used to be a few years ago.
Cloud computing revolutionized marketing communication. These days, data enables us to collect detailed information about consumer behavior, their preferences and interests. Use it to create marketing messages that are targeted to individuals.
You will need to take a step further if you want to make your brand stand out among others and develop a base of loyal customers.
This means that businesses must provide a level of customer service that is personalized and intimate in order to be successful. Their appreciation for when a brand provides exceptional customer service goes a long way.
If you want to keep your clients, it’s important to show them that you care. Building strong relationships with your clients is essential to keeping them loyal to your brand. The most important thing is to make your relations personal.
Music Plays a Big Role in Marketing and Advertising
There’s no doubt that music plays a big role in any successful campaign.
For many years, music has been an important tool in marketing and advertising. It helps brands to connect with their target audience emotionally, so they identify strongly with the brand and remain loyal customers.
It is a language that lets us communicate our thoughts, views and opinions with global audience. It has tremendous impact on our moods and feelings. Use that!
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