The advertising world can be a bit like the Hunger Games. We’re just a bunch of kids fighting for our lives in a forever changing landscape. Survival of the fittest, right? You either adapt or you die. We need to continue to come up with new and innovative marketing strategies so we can engage our audiences. We have to grow in efforts to stay ahead of our competitors. There’s been a few technologies released recently that are strongly affecting the market and the companies that are providing these innovations are appearing at a rapid rate, forever changing the advertising world we once knew.

And while there are still a few months left in 2018, utilize this time to reexamine your marketing strategy for next year. We’ve gathered a list of some of the most powerful marketing trends that will not be going anywhere, anytime soon.

Virtual and Augmented Reality

So what are the two things that users want? I’m glad you asked! Engagement and to play an active role in brand messaging. Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR and VR)  are the perfect opportunities to satisfy these consumer wants. When you allow consumers to engage in more profound ways through immersive experiences, they are better equipped to find what they are looking for which ultimately leads to their satisfaction.

Getting users to set foot inside of a specific physical location isn’t always doable, VR and AR provide greater flexibility and reach through integration with mobile apps. Home Depot is empowering potential buyers to literally picture themselves owning their products by simulating your potential reality with their app. The app helps users visualize their products in their space by presenting high-definition, true-to-life 3D models.

Virtual and Augmented Realities are becoming increasingly commonplace as a marketing tool for brands. You’re supplying  customers with that pre-purchase info they crave, but minimizing the effort they usually have to make to get it.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic in marketing and the technology is still taking shape. Most people just imagine Skynet without fully understanding AI’s capabilities and limitations. But as AI continues to prove itself useful for simplifying data-based experiences and improving user experience, confidence in it has increased.

The most common implemented form of AI are chatbots. Chatbots are an affordable way to aid brands in improving customer service. Chatbots are faster than humans in providing  data-related answers as well as taking requests. They can be funny, have personalities, and offer personalized service to customers in need, at any time. Chatbots can be integrated with a website, an application, and even with a social media platform. They also have the ability to gather user information that can later be used to better tailor marketing strategies.

KLM has done a great job with this, creating a plug-in with Messenger that streamlines everything from booking to check-in and flight status updates. It’s a win-win for both sides: travelers get to access all their travel info from anywhere, and KLM can supply it to them without tying up personnel.

The chatbots trend is not going to leave the digital marketing industry without making its mark in the coming years as AI research improves.

Voice Search

Almost one third of the 3.5 billion searches performed on Google every day are voice searches, with personal assistant devices leading the way.  Everyday more and more people are using Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant. Their capacity for recognizing human speech has improved greatly, they are so helpful in both searching for information on the Web and doing things around the house.

You can even order a pizza without lifting a finger. Domino’s has done well here, teaming up with Amazon Echo to let customers order pizza hands-free. Allowing people to interact with you via voice search makes their life easier, and offers a chance to incorporate brand personality and tone in the way you respond. The dynamics of voice search also present a challenge for digital marketers, therefore, tailoring your SEO strategy for voice search is crucial.

Voice recognition technology is only expected to grow and to improve. It will bring a significant disruption to the marketing world. Before we always focused on SEO and optimization of UX and UI, but with no screen, these aspects become irrelevant. How will businesses adapt to these changes? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

So which of these hot new digital marketing strategies do you plan on implementing?

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