A Round-Up of 2017 Marketing Trends: Part 2

From influencers to live streaming, 2017 has been the year of pushing the boundaries for content and social media further than we have ever seen before. Before we jump into exploring more of the major changes we have seen in the digital marketing world, we think it is important you understand the popularity of specific devices. Research by We Are Social has shown that 51% of web visits are now mobile and this is increasing by 25% year-on-year. Further, laptops and desktops are decreasing in use by 19% year on year, but still retain 43.4% of the percentage of the most popular devices used to browse the web. Now is a better time than any to ensure your web page is optimised for mobiles as surfing the internet on mobile phones is only exponentially increasing.

Personalisation

Coca-Cola made a splash in the marketing world when they introduced Share a Coke in 2013; they selected popular names in the UK and replaced their famous logo with consumer names. Coca-Cola claims that it “sparked a sharing frenzy across the nation and quickly became one of our most successful marketing campaigns”. Mass customisation has now taken a turn and is transforming into personalisation. More and more businesses this year have been finding ways to make their brand individual and personalised, from using client names in email headings, to writing personalised thank you notes with orders. Social media has also become far more personalised, such that these platforms are used to engage with customers and not shout sales at them. By using analytics to track consumer habits, brands have been able to create strategies to help them close more and more sales – this is a trend that should only continue to grow in the next year.

Disappearing Content

It sounds counter-productive, but with the latest generation’s shorter-than-ever attention span, it is true that people are finding it more and more appealing to be able to send content which will disappear within a certain timeframe. Take, for instance, the booming popularity of Snapchat and Instagram Stories. The idea of ‘look now or miss your chance’ is difficult for brands to master, but when they do their content becomes a whole lot more engaging. We believe that come 2018, Instagram Stories will be bigger than ever in helping brands integrate terminating social content into their marketing toolbox.

As technology grows, we too must grow with it and change our efforts of digital marketing and communication. 2017 has been an exciting year in terms of growth in the marketing world, and 2018 should be no different.