Are you ready to catch up?
There is a massive shift, thanks to the pandemic. Boomers who went from only using Facebook to keeping up with friends and family to becoming influencers. Boomers now join their children in the latest TikTok challenge. Some interesting times we are living in.
During the Pandemic social media was one of the easiest ways to get in touch with loved ones. Since then, Social Media adoption rates have exponentially increased. Social media influencers use the platforms as the go to place for information, how to videos, news updates and as a business tool.
The pandemic has proven how important the internet is in our daily lives. From delivering connection, information and enabling people to shift their lives online for survival. The shift allowed greater access to resources, for example, groceries delivered to their doorstep, support programs and delivering medicine to the doorstep.
The following trends emerged from the rapid and essential growth of the digital world.
1. Privacy over everything
2. SEO becoming automated
3. Signal vs Noise
4. Content skills or subject matter expertise
Privacy over Everything
Users want to know exactly who can access their data and how they use it.
Google has taken a stance on data collection and made it impossible for their user’s data to be accessed without their permission. Advertisers and marketers had to adapt quickly and shift fast to be able to reach potential customers online. This leaves space for opportunity. It is time to reimagine how we do marketing to attract potential customers.
Facebook AKA Meta has given even more power to their audience base. Starting 11 April users will be able to select more topics they don’t want to see ads for. This role will be accessible on both Facebook and Instagram. Advertising experiences will be more personalized and enable people to discover products and services from small businesses that may not have the ability to market to them. In addition, the advertising experience will be more matched to the evolving expectations of how ads reach the intended audience on the Meta platform portfolio. Read more
SEO becoming automated
Search Engine Optimization has been a vital part of every good digital marketing strategy for years. Now that everyone is doing it the question of automating the process takes center stage. Cutting time on optimization of the website using software is the conversation in the SEO space.
This is the first step into creating exceptional user experiences on and offline and how the two interact with one another. In the future time will be spent more on user experiences that enable your target audience to interact and engage with your brand online. Therefore, diverse high impact, relevant and intentional content will be the key commodity to be able to stand out in the noise. Spending hours on hand researching keywords and building links will become outdated like the keypad on your iPhone or Samsung device. Read more on Automating SEO
Signal Vs Noise
In 2022, organizations put even more importance on creating digital content and content-driven experiences. More content does not always mean more value.
Creating a content marketing strategy feels like shouting into a hurricane these days. We can look to artificial intelligence to ease the challenge of content production and distribution. It may even intrude into the content creation stage. Imagine a day when AI can produce an article like this one – and tens of thousands of alternative versions designed to increase its performance across diverse audiences at different times. But all this content is both signal and noise. My noise drowns out someone else’s signal, and your signal quiets someone else’s noise.
Read more on how to create more ‘conscious’ content experiences.
Content skills or subject matter expertise
Like it or not, influencers have become synonymous with the world of digital marketing. Whether they are advertising a company’s offerings or collaborating with a brand on a new product range, they are here to stay. What is the best course of action to take? Teach or find content creators? Teach content creators to become subject matter experts and technical knowledge, or find creators with the subject expertise and technical knowledge? Teach content skills around a subject matter or find skilled creators? As much as influencers are a good investment in reaching new audiences and gathering data. Are we ready for the content challenge imposed by their content creation skill and our brand voice and visual representation?
Read more here
Catch up is on. We need to start creating campaigns that include experiences that your customers can engage in and share their thoughts with brand. Encouraging the clients to post videos of their purchase or even write and share a product review. The digital world is constantly evolving at a ferocious rate and so are its users. It’s not about catching up anymore. The question that lingers in the hallways of digital marketing is: Are we able to keep up with technology, the demand from consumers and the evolving marketing industry?
Successful brands need to keep an eye on the latest trends and keep up with the emerging challenges posed by this environment and its consumers. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to be innovative in your campaigns. Those who dare, win.