It’s officially summer vacation season for a lot of people, but the world of digital marketing is always on-the-go and changing. Here are a few digital marketing trends to pay attention to as we head into the remainder of the year.
1. Visual Marketing: Expect more videos, more Augmented Reality and visual search. With many people utilizing Instagram and Pinterest as their main social channels, brands will need to enhance their visuals on these channels and optimize them for search marketing.
2. Increased Privacy Concerns: According to the U.S. Consumer Privacy Index 2016, 92% of US internet users worry about their privacy online. This will only increase with the recent news about net neutrality. Expect users to seek out companies that they can trust not to sell their personal browsing data.
3. Increased Focus on Mobile First Strategies: With Google’s “Mobile-First index,” sites without a mobile version of their website will see their search engine rankings decline. Be looking for redesigned sites and updated mobile experiences for all users.
4. Taking a Step Back: We live in a very fast-paced world and online marketing is no different. Marketing executives will need to learn patience to figure out why certain marketing isn’t working immediately. In the “want results now” type mentality, you’re not focusing on the customer, you’re focusing on your ROI. Take a step back and remember the customer isn’t thinking about your ROI. They are thinking about seeing your messages on their phones, tablets, tv, blogs, etc. They may start something on a phone and finish it on a desktop. Customers don’t shop on your schedule. Slow down and let the marketing work.