7 New Trends in Digital Marketing and Technology

We are starting a new year, a time to start planning actions and achieving the objectives we have set for ourselves. Regardless of whether they are treated, there is something that we cannot ignore: Technology evolves and marketing makes use of it to improve.

These are the 7 Trends that, based on our experience as a Digital Marketing and Technology consultant, we believe will be relevant to companies.

7 Trends in Digital Marketing and Technology

1- The 3 V's

The 3 V's are, in English: Video, Voice, Virtual reality. These 3 trends are gaining strength and, it seems that they will grow powerfully. Video, voice and virtual reality have one element in common: the need to generate increasingly natural digital communication.

- Video

We saw how the video was making a foothold and was gaining a lot of ground, but this year, its presence will be even more noticeable on social networks. The trend is for it to evolve, more and more, towards the dissemination of videos in real time. Facebook live, Instagram Stories or streaming on YouTube are examples of this.

A noteworthy fact, Facebook video shows an average of 135% more organic reach than images.

On web pages, more and more audiovisual content is being included; while the appearance of Youtube videos within Google search results it has been increasing.

- Voice

Voice recognition technology, together with artificial intelligence, have evolved a lot in recent times, but in 2017, widespread use has not yet been achieved.

In the mobile environment, Google Know (OK Google), Siri or Cortana will revolutionize the way you search, and therefore, the way you do SEO. The keywords will be longtail for voice searches. Los virtual assistants Fixed, more focused on domestic use, such as Alexa or Google Home will gain weight and presence in 2018. Little by little, the integration of these technologies with other products (IoT) will be gaining ground. An important fact, Alexa was the third most sold product on Amazon United States during Black Friday.

- Virtual Reality

It was already a prediction for 2017, although it seems that it was not correct. Virtual reality has not yet finished fitting in among users. It seems that this year it will have more impact, especially on the tourism and real estate sector. We will follow the evolution.

2- Mobile First

It's a fact: the smartphone has become our inseparable travel companion. It was last year, but with the only difference that in 2018 what will probably change will be its use: purchases through this device will continue to grow.

But you can't forget about optimize your website for mobile because otherwise Google may not pay attention to your page and it may not appear among the first results of the search engine. El Mobile First Index it's already a reality.

3- Security and Privacy

On the one hand, Google will begin to treat better web pages that are secure, that is, that have implemented the HTTPS protocol.

It is also very important, if your company uses any personal data of both customers and workers, to adapt to New European Data Protection Regulation (LOPD) so as not to receive any economic sanction.

4- Chatbots

Companies have realized that user experience is key and one of the best ways to be able to serve both their customers and potential customers is through Chatbots. These virtual assistants allow companies to offer personalized attention to their users.

This year, the trend is that the Livechat service through bots, it becomes much more present on corporate websites.

5- Personalized Experiences

We must be clear that today's customers don't want to buy things but experiences. Companies must generate and integrate emotional stories into their products and services for their customers.

Users are more likely to return to a site that is recommended to them and suggests personalized products or services based on their experience. In fact, 66% of consumers say they are very likely to switch brands if they feel like a person and not like a number.

6- Social Networks more focused on sales

It's obvious that organic reach has been drastically reduced on most social networks, but where it has been most noticed has been on Facebook. The business model is changing, if you want to have greater visibility, you'll have to go through the checkout.

There are different studies that state that if the publications we make are not promoted, the reach can be only 2%, reaching a maximum of 15%. On the other hand, if we promote the publications, apart from our fans, we will reach potential customers thanks to Facebook segmentation. The number of people reached will depend on the investment made.

Although it seems obvious, companies should not be on all social networks, they should only have a presence where their potential customers are. How many companies are on all networks but don't update content, or have no interactions?

7- Business Intelligence

Perhaps this is the most important trend for companies to consider. They will need to be able to collect data from their customers and know how to interpret it to turn it into valuable insights.

This is where the importance of knowing how to analyze the data collected in order to implement personalized strategies and actions comes into play.

One of the greatest benefits of Social Intelligence is that it allows companies to generate a competitive advantage.

As we have been able to see and experience in recent years, The digital world is constantly changing due to rapid technological advances. B2B companies are experiencing it year after year, they are seeing that they must constantly adapt to new trends if they don't want the competition to advance them.

In the end, not all trends work for everyone. Every company needs to identify which applications and technologies are best suited to their products or services in order to offer the customer what they really want and need.

The most recommended thing is research and analyze the results of the actions that are being taken to promote a tailor-made digital strategy and adapt it according to the company's objectives and the needs of your customers.

On January 30th, the seminar on Digital Marketing Trends for 2018 took place at our offices in Barcelona. The seminar was given by Asger Laursen (IT architect) in English. In the seminar we talked about potential that these trends may have, which ones are best suited to your business and which ones we should invest in.

Every month we hold a face-to-face seminar at our offices in Barcelona where we explain the latest developments in the world of technology and Digital Marketing. If you want to be informed about upcoming seminars and industry news, we invite you to subscribe to our Newsletter.

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If you need more information, do not hesitate to contact us.