I am nearly 6 weeks in UK, trying to complete the necessary bureaucratic procedures in order for the company to move forward to a new era. In a more civilise and entrepreneur-friendly environment as UK is.
Within 6 weeks I manage to identify 6 major digital-uplift trends that will be the hot potato in 2016. No, my “discovery” did not occurred only through reading the various digital marketing blogs, but furthermore, through discussion with “marketing” people.
That is the reason I chose to move on, professionally, in UK.
Identity-Based Pay-Per-Click Marketing
When I was Senior Product Manager in Cosmote Hellas (leader in mobile telephony in Greece) I said that the best way to capitalise from your subscribers database is through advanced targeting. Creating the platform that advertisers could promote their clients brands through a highly sophisticated and efficient advertising tool. Google has nailed that, at last!
This xmas, the Santa will give to Advertisers another communication weapon for their arsenal. Identity-based PPC. Target people with specific ads based on their phone number or email. An awesome way to direct ads or content, that exactly answers a need or want of a targeted individual.
Facebook Search
One of the major adversary of Google is Facebook. If some do not think of that way, is because Facebook did not do anything… yet, to compete Google in its core product, Search.
Well at the moment Facebook is working on a test for a search engine that will have superior search capabilities. They will try to make a search engine within the social media that will manage to boost those brands that invest on advertising.
Moreover, through Facebook Messenger, 600M users will have the opportunity “to create and share content with third-party tools, and communicate directly with businesses rather than calling or emailing them.”
Content remains the King!
Ok! You are getting a little bit frustrated that this title is once more part of an annual trend. Well, I understand your frustration, but get over it! Content will be many times in that position, because it’s something dynamic. It alters in every little update of a search algorithm. It gives even more opportunities to marketers and a vast diversity views to readers.
Brands, above all, have a lot to say about that. Digital marketing will be the major tool to use, in order to target and communicate.
Video Ads Dominion
Well, it is not news that Video Ads have managed the last 5 years to become a good alternative to TV and get a great portion of advertising budget. But this is not the trend that I am writing about. I am writing about embedded videos in the search results. Bing & Yahoo test it in their own search machines and Google will follow soon. If we consider, the positive results of auto-play videos in Facebook & Twitter and Advertising videos, you can imagine the potentiality of that tools in branding.
You don’t just search for a commodity, you can actually have the choice to see the updated communication spot of various brands.
Customer Experience
It’s not a trend. It is a must-have by the brands. They need to be more personal towards customers and marketing departments are moving from non-interactive communication to a more intimate one. The aforementioned trends are part of that status, that soon is going to be a status quo.
Brand ambassadors will get the position that they deserve in the marketing plan. Effectiveness, engagement and collaboration will be the main characteristics in the “communication process”. That all, through digital.
Because of that, we will stop talking on social media strategy but rather social media channel. A true and needed upgrade.
Omnichannel marketing
…or seamless experience. You may consider that is a tool designed for the previous trend I mentioned. It is! But is much more than a way to succeed customer experience. It is the opportunity of consumers to engage with a brand in a physical store, on an online website or mobile app, through a catalog, or through social media. However, through omnichannel marketing the consumer’s experience should be consistent and complementary.
If you still wonder why potential customers did not convert, may be it is time to consider investing on the creation of omni-channel process:
- review the experience of your customer
- monitor and measure everything within the experience funnel
- analyse the data and segment your audience
- create the proper message
- listen, acknowledge the request and then respond. But do it fast!
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[team-member name=”Nicholas Zartaloudis” image=”http://www.cityneversleeps.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/008-300×200.jpg” title=”Marketing Consultant, City Never Sleeps” social_twitter=”http://www.twitter.com/CNS_CC” social_facebook=”https://www.facebook.com/1CityNeverSleeps” social_linkedin=”http://gr.linkedin.com/in/nicholaszartaloudis/”]
Nicholas is an experienced Digital Marketing Professional. He is in the telecoms market the last 13 years. For full CV, please do not hesitate to visit his LinkedIn Page or contact him!
UK: +44(0) 7758 66 7472
GR: +30 697 7653 553
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