What is one marketing trend that will be key in the upcoming years and why?

I am blind myself and use a screenreader software program for accessing the internet and shopping / buying lots of things online – business products and services as well as lots of consumer goods regularly. From my own personal experience and our business expertise the most important thing in relation to ecommerce CX is having an accessible website and an accessible customer service / customer support process and system. Your customers are all aging & needing greater access considerations This ranges from making sure your web developers and web designers adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG standards) when creating your website and marketing / promotional materials but also having a range of customer service / support channels – eg a deaf person might prefer instant messaging to a voice phone support system. I have a personal preference for booking airline flights online rather than over the phone

As organizations compete to engage, promote and convert online audiences, we can expect to see a spike in the use of automation, machine learning and digital platforms. Recent progress with machine learning means we can give work to machines that used to go to our minds. Instead of hailing taxis and booking hotels, people are now finding rides and rooms on digital platforms that they access via their phones, free of charge. These digital platforms collect large amounts of data as customers search for items, access the services and connect with users. By extracting insights from this data and running controlled experiences, organizations are able to create more value for their customers by personalizing and tailoring their experiences with their brand. This shift to platforms will disrupt traditional product-based organizations, but it’ll help those willing to pivot get more sophisticated with their decision-making and data.

The digital marketing landscape is changing at a rapid pace, and new payment methods play a central role in capturing new audiences. Embracing new, revolutionary payment methods is one of the key marketing trends that will become very important in the upcoming years. Advertising and accepting payments in the form of, for example, cryptocurrency and BuyNowPayLater will be the key to maintaining marketing competence in the future.

One of the hottest marketing trends that needs to be followed closely in the upcoming years is related to the content that is released. Marketing is becoming more and more dynamic, and the way people interact with each other has been quick and easy thanks to the online space. As such, PR and marketing agencies have adapted, you can now implement your client’s brand, service, or product into different formats, with audio and video formats predominating, and customize them in order to reach the target audience in their most preferred ways (e.g. YouTube video, podcast, social media post, etc.). This is changing the content that is created, and the more unique and creative you are - the better. Which is why this trend is booming and needs close attention if you want to stay ahead of the game.

As more and more people jump aboard the podcasting bandwagon, we can expect podcasting to become a popular marketing method in the coming years. Podcasts can then drive massive actions like product consideration and purchase, adherence to social communities, and increased loyalty and recommendation. If organizations can successfully learn how to leverage podcasts and create valuable content for their users, it could be a winning strategy. However, successful podcasters recognize the need for tapping into a specific niche. Only then can they target the right kind of people they want to help. The advantage that podcasts have over other forms of marketing is that they can reach people in ways that visual media cannot. People can listen to a podcast in the car but they can’t watch a video and drive, making it a viable marketing option.

Memers and memes have an enormous role in getting anything famous. We don't like simple things but if it's twisted in a fun and humorous way, people simply love it. Anything happens in the world whether it's Netflix coming up with a new film or Will Smith slapping Chris Rock, the next moment you'll notice is your social media flooding with memes over that. And hence, people don't promote it directly but indirectly memes are doing it. The reason why even industries are using memes to grow the audience. And I think it's just going to rise and rise in the upcoming years. Because it's the best and the easiest way to get views and market your products. Yet in a creative way which makes your brand unique.

Video marketing will remain an important part of marketing on social media, but the length of your videos should be shorter. Trends are shifting towards shorter, more digestible video content rather than longer ones that may not keep their attention. Given the massive popularity of TikTok, it’s clear that people are much more likely to stay engaged in videos that are 1 minute long or shorter. Plus, if you focus on shorter videos for social media, you’ll be able to cross post them between platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. User-generated videos have become very popular because they show how their products are being used by customers (versus actors) and why they love them so much. These kinds of videos depict real life versus the more traditional highly-choreographed videos establish social proof and help new customers feel more comfortable making a purchase.

After several years where the popularity of email marketing was overshadowed by the different marketing channels, I expect it to be popular again. With all the GDPR and different cookie updates, there will be fewer options to track, analyze and target people with the standard advertisement, so focusing on collecting emails will become trendy once again. Instead of putting the budget into the PPC, I expect companies to produce more content with a focus on lead generation and the overall lead nurturing process will completely change. Instead of creating sales sequences directly after collecting contacts, the process will be a lot more long-term from the start. This will lead to higher LTV and slower ROI.

Social media has redefined how consumers interact with advertising messages. They expect messaging that is reactive, faster, and on-trend rather than static and centrally disbursed. As chatbots and other conversational messaging tools evolve, I think this will feature more significantly in the marketing lexicon too. If customers expect to have fast, reactive conversations about products and services, companies need to get better at helping consumers to instantly find information that suits their questions. Rather than copywriting for a campaign, conversational writing may be better suited to an omnichannel environment.

According to a study by PwC, 46% of consumers abandon a brand if its employees are not well informed. Not to mention that a bad attitude of employees prevents visitors from converting. Never forget that your team members are the human face of your business. Highlight their expertise by inviting them to write articles for the blog, interview them in videos, present their profile on social networks, etc.

When it comes to e-commerce, voice search is likely to become a trend — and very soon. Statista predicts that 75% of US households will have a smart speaker by 2025. Seeing that there has already been an increase in mobile orders in ecommerce throughout 2020 and 2021, we can expect a synergy between mobile orders and voice commands in the upcoming years. This means that businesses will soon have to think about voice commands integration to their websites and ordering platforms. It also means that the next search optimization frontier might be ranking on platforms like Amazon Alexa, Google Nest, and Apple Siri.

One that stands out is the rise of influencer marketing. Influencers are individuals who have a large social media following, and are often trusted by their followers to recommend products and services that they believe in. This type of marketing is becoming increasingly popular because it allows brands to reach a wider audience without spending a lot of money on advertising. Influencers are often willing to try out new products and endorse them, which gives their followers a sense of trust and credibility. Additionally, this type of marketing allows brands to tap into a community of like-minded people who are motivated to share the product or service with their friends. This can create a powerful word-of-mouth marketing campaign that can result in significant ROI.

Link building often happens behind the scenes, but it's such a huge huge ranking factor in Google's algorithm that many businesses still either ignore, or simply get wrong. With more and more spammy websites being indexed by Google each day, I predict that link building and backlinks are going to have an even greater importance in terms of overall authority signals than ever before, as Google is going to need them to understand who is spam and who isn't (and try to separate those 'gaming the system' from those who are legitimate as marketers and business owners).

Over the past years, websites like Google and Pinterest have released visual search features allowing users to search using images. It's vital that both online and in-person businesses optimize their online presence for visual searches in the coming years. As AI developments improve and optimize this software, more people will use visual searching to find products from images posted by friends, influencers, and other random posters on the internet. Businesses need imaging AI to recognize their product, so customers can find them over their competitors. This trend correlates with the popularity of influencers and social media. When people spot influencers wearing or using certain products that aren't explicitly advertised, visual searching reveals where to find them. If businesses want customers directed to them first, they'll need to capitalize on this trend in the future.

Green marketing will continue to be vital as we see marketing strategies across industries adapt to conserve the natural beauty we have left of our planet. I've noticed my favorite coffee shops offer cups and straws made out of bamboo instead of plastic, and some don't include a lid on the cup unless specifically requested. Sometimes it can cost businesses more money to implement packaging and products that are more environmentally friendly; however, consumers appreciate these small changes for good and increase client rapport. Green marketing is the trend to watch as we continue to figure out how we can keep living as an advanced society with the least amount of damage to our planet.

Every company seems to say they have a community these days. They say 'welcome to our community' when a new user signs up, or when some content is downloaded. But what most of them really have is a mailing list. A genuine community - where a narrow bunch of people with similar interests interact daily and help each other with their challenges at work - is incredibly difficult to build. But if you do, and you own the airwaves, it's orders of magnitude better than any other nurture tactic. You put your brand at the centre of their lives and make it so sticky that you'll always be considered if they're in market. Now you just have to build it, and keep it running ...!

Content plus consent will be the new king in marketing. With more and more consumers becoming more informed about their right to privacy online; and regulatory bodies enforcing policies to protect consumers’ rights, marketers will have to shift into building first-party data collection and consumer databases instead of relying on the platforms. Their contents must be interesting or helpful enough to make potential customers consent to give their information. Otherwise, personalized marketing will be difficult once the web phases out cookies and authorities fully implement online data privacy policies and restrictions.

Social media is here to stay, the landscape may change and some people may slowly opt-out due to rising fears over the mental health aspects. But the vast majority of the developed world will still be using social media. This means that influencers will continue to influence people and their buying decisions. Influencer marketing is providing huge ROI for many brands. Micro-influencers appear to be 'the long-tail' and there is huge room for brands of all shapes and sizes to capitalize on these influencers. Influencer marketing also offers a great opportunity to capture 1st and 2nd party data as the trend seems to show that 3rd party data is being resigned to the past.

One marketing trend that will be key in the upcoming years is content marketing. This is because content is one of the most effective ways to reach and engage customers. Additionally, content marketing is a cost-effective way to market to customers, as it does not require a large budget to produce quality content.

People working from home all day aren't working from home all day. The Gartner group estimates that by next year, the ad impressions television and streaming media channels deliver during the 9-to-5 hours will increase by 60% as a result of the shifting workforce. The change in media consumption upends the pre-pandemic model where premiums were placed during early morning and evening programming. As a result, advertisers may discover decreases in both volume and the type of customers their brands target in those two time slots. Savvy marketers will strive to determine new viewership patterns as a result of the prevalence of hybrid workforces and program accordingly.