How Digital Marketing Will Change in Upcoming 5 Years?

Marketing, the discipline as well as the practice, has evolved from having large pictures printed on newspapers, costly billboards, and then racing for finding a place on prime television or a billboard with a great view at enormously expensive rates. But with the rise of the digital world, digital marketing has undergone many changes.

How Digital Marketing Will Change in Upcoming 5 Years

Nonetheless, digital marketers predict that in the next five years, we might not recognize digital marketing as it is today. It will undergo countless changes, they expect. The domain will more be about innovation, integrating technology, and personalizing content for every individual, which is exciting and challenging at the same time.

Some digital marketing services, like social media marketing, SEO, and pay per click (PPC) will change for the better and some may vanish altogether. What’s even more interesting is that some digital services in specific industries will evolve too. For example, if we think about digital marketing for clothing brands, digital marketing for lawyers, digital marketing for retailers, the approach of many agencies will alter.

So, if you are interested in understanding and finding about the changes in digital marketing, read on…

1. The Future of Digital Marketing Lies in Cell Phones.

In 2008, when Apple first launched the iPhone, the world’s first intelligent touch-screen smartphone, it was anticipated that a digital revolution, like no other, will follow, one that will be based around the usage of  smartphones. And, as predicted, that did happen.

But as smartphones become cheaper, their use also spread to all segments of society as its usability has increased a great deal as well, and if used wisely, it has a lot of potentials that can be untapped.

In terms of digital marketing, experts predict that cell phones will play a pivotal role in changing the scope and potential of digital marketing in the next five years.

How? One may ponder.

Think of it this way, better, cheaper and intelligent smartphones are being released in the market, which increases their reach and encourages software companies to develop software (mobile applications) that are compatible with them.

Also, companies are now developing applications that can only be used with cell phones. In addition, they release mobile versions of their websites, since people are likely to use websites that have mobile versions.

According to Google’s mobile-first index, websites that have a mobile version are more likely to get ranked higher on Google searches than those without them.

2. The Future Lies In Voice Recognition

With a plethora of voice-based software in the market, many of that include Google Assistant, Alexa, Cortana, and Siri, the feature is considered the epitome of smartphone intelligence and integral in the future of digital marketing.

It is predicted that within the next five years, most searches on the internet will be made by speaking using voice-aided software.

The voice-recognition feature has countless benefits but poses many challenges as well. Experts predict that up till now digital marketing took place primarily through Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which is a text-based marketing technique. But now, digital marketers must adapt to voice searches to have their pages ranked on top on search engines.

In addition, digital marketers will have to design intelligent apps, those that can recognize and understand different accents, pronunciation, and enunciation styles.

3. Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence Are Future Technologies

Virtual Reality (VR) is all about giving people a three-dimensional (3-D) experience; it allows people to surpass the two-dimensional reality and be able to see and immerse themselves in something surreal, yet so real. Therefore, if brands wish to increase their market value, they must adapt and use virtual reality in their brand campaigns as much as possible.

Artificial intelligence (AI), too, will play an enormous role in the future of digital marketing. Given the technology’s scope, it can be used in many different applications, such as, image recognition, drawing personalized content, handling customer relations, and enhanced pay-per-click campaigns.

4. The Brand’s Public Image Will Be of Great Importance.

In the past, big corporations could get away with all the laws and moral codes they broke. However, with the rise in internet technology and the media, that’s no longer the case.  

Companies are responsible and are held accountable for their decisions and the aftermath of those decisions. This shift in behavior is indicative of the fact that consumers and customers are increasingly getting socially aware and tend to invest in brands that stand for moral ethics and social issues.

Digital marketing will also be impacted with the wave of moralism. Consequently, digital companies must craft advertisement campaigns that reflect ideals of corporate social responsibility. Consumers these days are more concerned about the brand’s commitment to social issues.

5. Conversations Are The Way Forward

Marketing has been impacted a great deal by the smartphone revolution and due to increased social awareness and consumer diversity, it has become increasingly difficult to produce a single copy-written message or a tagline to target a culturally diverse group. And, because of consumer awareness, people like to know more about a brand and what it stands for, images and catchy taglines don’t do that.

Therefore, meaningful, and impactful conversations are the way forward. The best way to indulge in meaningful conversations is by writing blogs and producing podcasts. Digital media has given more power to the people, in the sense that it has brought people closer to each other. Another way to interact with your audience and spread your message to the masses by conversating with people. If, let’s suppose, you own a YouTube channel, interact with people in the ‘Comment Box.’ Make social media accounts on various social media platforms and respond to peoples’ queries whenever and wherever possible. This little activity will showcase you as a responsive marketer and will help you secure a strong customer base.

 6. Make Artistic Videos

Videos are a fantastic way to grab peoples’ attention and get your message across the board. Why? You may wonder, videos are multidimensional, they have an audio as well as a visual part. The audio and visual components complement each other, and they create a magic that can be both fun and informative to increase brand awareness.

In addition, there are a plethora of video-sharing platforms out there, which support both long and short video formats. Many of these platforms, such as, YouTube, Instagram, and many more, allow you to create a channel for your brand and earn money of it or advertise your brand for minimum associated costs.

Conclusion

Digital marketing not only changed the medium of advertisement, but it altered the way consumers and brands interact, and this will likely be the case in five years, and perhaps many years from now.

Therefore, to be close to the latest digital marketing trends, you must indulge in ethical business practices and keep your ear on the ground for the slightest change. It is the smallest things that need the most attention and dedication, they say, and digital marketing is all about caring for seemingly trivial things that change at an exceptionally fast pace.

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