By Hallie Braunstein
Digital Marketing Intern
Digital marketing is disrupting traditional business practices for the better, and here is how it looks like it will change in the future.
- Interactivity
This advance moves away from traditional marketing and toward interactive content through digital media. It’s self-explanatory: interactive content has the consumer directly engaging with a product or brand. These users learn about their own lifestyle and preferences through this technique. Interactive content is seen on social media, paid media, websites, and platforms that best suit the brand. This content includes shoppable posts on Instagram, quizzes on websites, or contests.
Not only does interactivity increase engagement, but it boosts customer experience as well. By engaging one-on-one with the brand, interactivity offers a unique aspect – instantly building trust along with a more enjoyable experience due to direct contact. Interactivity takes customer preferences into account which adds value and credibility to the brand.
- Personalization
This strategy focuses on the needs and preferences of the target market, but rather than focusing on the whole consumer base, it emphasizes the individual. Personalization has been a big focus of major brands already, but with more accurate algorithms and technology, it continues to provide companies large scale advantages. This enables more relevant product exposure for the consumer, and can include unique messages and reminders through email lists, newsletters, or ads on social media.
Do users share personal data in order to receive this specific content? It has been noted that many users are willing to share their information and receive personal updates about brands they love. For example: when users have existing accounts on web platforms, if they have a few items in their cart and exit, later that day the brand may send an email notification to the customer. This acts as a reminder to follow through and purchase these products. With that being said, it is important to respect the privacy of users through regulations and policies. If there is too much outreach, a user may be inclined to “unsubscribe”. The point of personalization is to keep customers engaged, not drive them away. This strategy, when used successfully, adds value to the brand as it focuses on the individual user.
- Voice & Visual Search
Voice and visual search are digital channels that have been found to increase revenue. Voice search involves users speaking commands into their smartphone. This facilitates research from any location. Visual search involves users clicking or taking pictures of objects, and also enables search with images rather than words. This simple task requires no energy, which is an appealing search method. These channels are predicted to increase digital commerce due to a heightened focus on simplicity and search made easier.
Along with simplicity, this technology offers a glimpse into the future. It provides a modern shopping experience with finding products on different social platforms. Using voice commands or images, this AI technology enables consumers to find what they are looking for with more incentive to purchase their products, increased image recognition, and web traffic.
So, what may come from these changes? This is just the start of modern tech. Research shows increased efficiency, accuracy, and customer engagement. Digital marketing is becoming more and more prevalent in the world today, and will continue to thrive in the future.