Now the first month of the year is out of the way, we can start to generate more accurate predictions on what and how the marketing world will change or grow in 2018. Marketing is a fast changing discipline, so who knows what the new year has in store, but here are a few general predictions for how certain areas will change or evolve…
Augmented reality
The use of augmented reality on mobile devices allows marketers to reach their audiences in different ways. For example, augmented reality allows marketers to tell their story using more creative platforms such as games, bringing users into the experience, whilst enhancing the quality of the display.
New marketing tools such as virtual tours within physical shops create unique experiences for customers, as they are able to see the product they are interested in before buying, allowing them to learn more about the product, as well as have a fun experience. These new ways of reaching out to customers will only continue to grow in the coming year.
Targeted Ads
The use of targeted ads has increased consistently year on year, but with even more progression in technology and development, 2018 could be the year that all targeted ads work on all platforms, without the need for individual optimisation. At the moment, different platforms often have specific requirements for what ads should and shouldn’t feature. For small businesses in particular, this can be extremely time consuming, not to mention keeping track of where and how long each ad is being shown for.
This is where SeeLocal can help. SeeLocal is an online advertising platform, which allows businesses of any size, from any industry to control and keep track of all their ads from one easy to use platform, choosing who sees them, target locations and specific postcode areas. Campaigns enable companies to show ads onto all available advertising networks, and spend is protected so if the campaign begins to underperform it is instantly paused and optimised before being relaunched at no extra cost.
Customer Relations
Communication between business and their customers is essential, and there’s no better way to create that relationship than with a marketing campaign. Perhaps you want to promote a special offer or just increase your brand recognition, either way the best way to open up the relationship between your business and target audience is through a marketing campaign. Marketing is a very customer focused discipline, and will continue to be so into 2018 and beyond. It’s all about telling a story and getting people interested in what you have to offer.
Live Videos
The development of live videos within social media platforms has been revolutionary for marketers, allowing businesses to put a face to their name by running live videos in the form of announcements, competitions, or even just showing off new products. This level of interactivity between customer and brand is a real step up in terms of marketing and I have no doubt that they will continue to be as popular as they were in 2017, if not even more.
