Top Technology Trends Shaping Digital Marketing
The technology landscape is always in flux, with innovations and disruptions always popping up. As a marketer, it can be difficult to keep up with all the changes — and know which ones are worth paying attention to.
While technology is meant to free up human efforts and ensure more seamless processes, it can also have the opposite effect when you don’t know what tools to use or how to deal with the disruptions caused by the technology.
Today, digital marketing is the way to go for any brand that desires to make a lasting impact on the target audience’s subconscious, encouraging it to transform from a fan to a follower to a customer. With so many tools available, as a marketing leader, one needs to not only be aware of what’s currently working but also have a thorough understanding of which tools are likely to match the expectations and maturity of their brand’s target audience.
Knowledge is key to any successful decision, and thus to help the marketing leaders select the best means (read — the means that promise not only high ROI but also returning happy customers!) for their digital marketing efforts, we dug deep and discovered the key technology trends that are shaping the digital marketing landscape today. A mix of these would definitely work for you!
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence is one of the most talked-about topics in the tech world today — for a good reason. AI has the potential to completely transform how we interact with technology, as well as how businesses operate. For marketing leaders, this means that AI can be used to automate repetitive tasks, such as email marketing or social media posting. It can also be used to provide more personalized experiences for customers and create more targeted and effective marketing campaigns.
Using AI means businesses can complete tasks more quickly and efficiently — freeing up human resources to focus on other areas. It also allows businesses to gather more data and insights, which can be used to improve marketing strategies.
2. Virtual Reality (VR)
While VR has been around for a while now, it is only recently that the technology has started to gain mainstream traction. VR provides a completely immersive experience that can transport users to another world. For businesses, this technology can be used to create more immersive and engaging customer experiences.
In marketing, virtual reality is being used to create more realistic and interactive product demonstrations and to provide customers with a preview of what they can expect from a service or product. This technology can also take customers on virtual tours of locations or give them a behind-the-scenes look at how a product is made.
3. Big Data
Data has undoubtedly become one of the most invaluable commodities in the modern world. Businesses that collect and analyze large data sets can gain a competitive advantage by understanding their customers better and developing more targeted marketing strategies.
Big data is also changing how businesses operate, as they can now make real-time decisions based on the collected data. This is especially valuable in marketing, as it allows businesses to test and implement new ideas quickly.
The rise of big data has also led to the development of new tools and technologies, such as data science and machine learning. The biggest result of machine learning and big data is chatbots. These tools simulate human conversations allowing users to communicate digitally with business. They can be used in marketing to provide product descriptions or recommend similar products to customers during the interactions.
4. Social Media Marketing
Social media is a powerful tool for marketing, especially in today’s highly competitive environment. It provides marketers with a way to reach their target audience directly and allows them to measure the success of their efforts.
Social media has become an essential part of marketing strategies for businesses, large and small. Many companies have embraced social media because they understand how it can help them reach new customers and increase sales. With so many different channels available, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be using social media as part of your digital marketing strategy.
The strength of social media lies in its ability to reach out directly to consumers’ friends and family members. If a friend posts a link on Facebook that contains an offer for your product or service, you’ll notice people begin to look at it more frequently than normal. This is called ‘social proof,’ and it makes people feel more confident about making a purchase decision based on the actions of others who have already done so!
How Marketing Leaders Can Survive Tech Trends
Marketing leaders must have a solid understanding of what is happening in the digital marketing world, especially regarding new technologies. Some techniques to survive the disruption by technology includes:
· Have an open dialogue with the decision-makers of your organization. Ask them what they are looking for regarding the use of technology in marketing, how it can help the business grow, and how it will make them more efficient.
· Make a plan that will allow you to gradually adopt the tech changes in your marketing efforts. While the marketing space is competitive and the pressure to absorb all the technology at once is high, it could lead to a major shift which can be damaging. Therefore, start with one thing at a time and scale with time.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, technology plays a significant role in shaping the marketing landscape. Today, technology gives marketers better insights through data to develop strategic campaigns. However, it can also be disruptive, and leaders need the right techniques to survive the trends and benefit from them. Knowledge is empowering, so a lot of effort should go into R&D before any decision is made.
