3 Marketing Trends You Can No Longer Ignore

Media consumption is constantly evolving, and marketers must have increasing ROI to justify marketing investment. Keeping up with marketing trends is key to being able to do so. Below are three digital marketing trends that marketers can use to their advantage.

1. Artificial Intelligence

Forward-thinking B2B marketers are already using artificial intelligence, and soon, you will be at a disadvantage if you are not employing AI. Ironically, many marketers fear artificial intelligence as they see it as a threat to our careers. The truth, however, is that machines are powerful, but they cannot do what humans do. In fact, machines have the potential to make brands more human. Marketers + machines = the future of marketing. 

Artificial intelligence is an overarching term for a multitude of elements including, machine learning, and deep learning, AI offers the ability to create a truly buyer-enabled B2B customer journey that is just as personalized as the consumer experiences provided by B2C leaders. AI learns customer preferences from data on their activity, behavior, and purchases. Then, it customizes and personalizes the buying experience. WTWH Media is using machine learning to drive ROI for AI-based b2b marketing programs. By leveraging a customer data platform we can better understand our users and align their content affinities with advertiser messaging to deliver the right message, to the right person, at the right time. If you would like to learn more about AI for marketing, you can register for our upcoming webinar.

2. Video

The amount of time spent with digital video is expected to grow 25% by 2020, resulting in an average watch time of 84 minutes each day. Videos are a perfect way to stop the scroll and get consumers to pay attention to the message you’re sending. They help drive engagement and boost conversion rates, seeing that consumers are more likely to take action after watching a video. Having a video on a landing page is a great way to increase conversions.

Video has become the preferred form of content, but it is still important to make sure you are sharing relevant, quality content. In addition to generating interest around a product or service, a video has the ability to educate consumers about a specific product. Video drives consumer response and guides purchase behavior, but it is also a great tool for storytelling. Marketers need to be on top of video trends if they hope to stay competitive.

3. Voice Search

Alternative search methods have taken off this year, with voice search already making a huge impact on marketers. Voice search allows consumers to browse the web without actually having to scroll through sites on desktops or mobile devices. And this new technology may be the key to successful brands in the future.

According to Forbes, by 2020, 30% of all website sessions will be conducted without a screen. With voice search, because users are speaking into a device as opposed to typing keywords into a search query to generate results, marketers must be sure to optimize content for voice, and not just traditional SEO. Here are some great tips on optimizing for voice search. Voice-based technology is growing, and its importance is only beginning to be realized.