The internet has had a huge impact on the advertising industry, and this transformation will only accelerate as new tools and platforms become available.

According to Halli Bruton, content and social media account executive at Burdette Ketchum, “online advertising has become a double-edged sword.” Despite the proliferation of advertising opportunities, one marketer noted, “Consumers are being shown so much advertising throughout the day that it requires something exceptional to attract their attention.”

In order to cut through the noise and reach your target audience, an advanced digital marketing technology is essential. In this article, you’ll find out how various technological developments are impacting the ways in which businesses of all kinds interact with, and ultimately win over, new customers.

9 digital marketing trends that are here to stay

Your business can acquire an edge in the marketplace by implementing some of the following digital marketing methods.

Automation and programmatic advertising

Automatization is a staple of the modern internet, and the advertising industry is no exception. There is no way for marketers to manually go through the vast amounts of consumer data available on the internet in order to identify their prospective clients. The analysis and application of this data need algorithms.

Advertising departments that need to create and maintain ongoing ad campaigns can benefit financially and time-wise from using automated advertising platforms. Programmatic advertising, in which commercials are sent to specific people rather than being broadcast to everyone, is sometimes used to describe these kinds of campaigns.

To determine which advertisements are more likely to result in a sale, automated tools analyse collected data. Obviously, you limit the total amount that the service can spend on advertisements. You can configure these automated platforms to run until your digital marketing campaign has generated the ROI you’ve specified.

Algorithmic platforms like Google AdSense can automatically sell ad space for websites, suggesting that both ends of this process are automated. The Interactive Advertising Bureau estimates that twenty percent (and rising) of all digital advertising transactions occur between machines.

Sophisticated email marketing

The already impressive effectiveness of email as a digital marketing tool is amplified by precise targeting. The most effective email marketing software has already implemented cutting-edge capabilities that enable identification of consumer segments that are more likely to buy specific products than others. Keep in mind that inundating clients with email is counterproductive, and that there may be more effective ways to get your message out, such as new technologies that move your email to the top of recipients’ inboxes.

Here are some examples of these innovations:

• BIMI: This is an authentication technology that helps reduce brand spoofing and indicates to recipients that your email is legitimate.
• AI: Artificial intelligence tools are making their way into email marketing through features like send-time optimization.

Tip: There is such a thing as too much of a good thing when it comes to email marketing. Avoid flooding consumers’ inboxes and instead focus on producing engaging email campaigns that bring in new business.

Social media and mobile

In 2021, 72 percent of all adults in the United States will have used some type of social media. Advertising on social media platforms is a no-brainer. Facebook and Twitter, two of the most popular sites, both have extensive advertising infrastructures. WordStream reports that an astounding 80% of social media users engage in activity on mobile devices, highlighting the importance for businesses of adapting their marketing strategies to this channel.

The most effective social media ads are hyperlocal, targeting individuals in a specific area by using the geolocation features of mobile devices.

Consumers’ attention can also be captured through video advertising, which is rising rapidly. Neil Patel claims that the level of interaction with social media video ads is far higher than that with static images. Advertisements on YouTube have a 1.4 higher chance of being viewed and shared by mobile users. One common form of online video that doesn’t necessitate speakers is subtitled and so suitable for viewing in public spaces.

It’s not enough to simply advertise on the most popular social media sites. Mobile app advertising is big business, and companies like Nanigans are helping brands cash in on the potential success of apps like Flappy Bird and Angry Birds.

FYI: Social media platforms regularly make changes to how they work, so keep an eye out for any updates that may affect how you reach out to new audiences.

Native advertising

The phrase “This show has been brought to you by…” is making a comeback, thanks to the advent of native advertising, in which commercials are embedded with popular content sites. Especially with the proliferation of ad-blocking software, traditional advertising may be ineffective depending on your target demographic. Brands need to go outside the box to reach their target audiences and encourage people to pay attention to their messages.

Sponsored articles that look and feel like the rest of a platform’s content are becoming increasingly common as more advertising networks provide “native advertising” packages.

Whether or not users are aware of it, “everything” online is branded, as Bruton put it. It has been demonstrated to be more efficient than alternative online methods. Advertisers should produce material that is interesting and informative to their target audiences.

Advertisements designed by native advertising firms like Adyoulike blend in with the aesthetics of their host sites and platforms rather than interrupting consumers’ experiences.

Progressive web apps

Pronounced “app-in-a-browser,” or PWAs for short, these websites bring mobile functionality to the online. This not only solidifies mobile’s position as the most popular way to access the web, but it also guarantees a seamless consumer experience regardless of the device they use to purchase your goods or use your services.

PWAs are gaining popularity because they place a premium on the user experience, which can be negatively affected by even a moment of delay. With PWAs, it’s much simpler to put a premium on rapid load times, intuitive interfaces, and clear communication.

Augmented reality

The term “augmented reality” (AR) refers to the integration of digital content into the physical world. The augmented reality (AR) game Pokemon Go uses the device’s camera to show the game’s characters onto the player’s surroundings.

Bruton predicts that there will soon be a “huge burst” of augmented reality as phone makers begin manufacturing AR-capable smartphones, opening up a “great window of untapped opportunity” for advertising.

The augmented reality (AR) photo filters available on Snapchat are growing in popularity, and brands are beginning to use them to promote their products. Businesses can benefit from AR’s wide range of advertising possibilities.

Although mobile is currently the most popular online platform, advertisers are likely already investigating wearable technologies like the Apple Watch.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is having a profound effect across the board in business. Marketers can use AI systems to try out ads before committing real money to them. The AI marketing assistant Albert, for instance, may conduct predictive analysis of PPC ads.

Voice search

The advertising industry is increasingly reliant on cutting-edge technologies. In order to keep up with the competition and broaden their customer base, marketers must master new technologies.

Marketers should get ready to reach people who use voice-activated search tools, according to advice from the Search Engine Journal. Marketers should optimise their pay-per-click (PPC) ads to show up in searches initiated by voice assistants, as their use is projected to rise. Voice-activated searches tend to be more detailed and comprehensive because of the increased length and number of terms used.

Chatbots

Chatbots have becoming increasingly common in customer support settings, but they also have use in advertising. A chatbot is a computer programme that simulates human communication with a user in real time by generating questions and responses automatically. Chatbots can be used by businesses, for instance, to determine a customer’s taste in cosmetics or film.

No popular software, platform, or device, no matter how small or fleeting, should be overlooked because of its potential for advertising. Advertisers have to change and adapt since younger generations are increasingly ignoring old forms of marketing.

Looking to the future of digital advertising

As the internet and related technologies evolve, advertisers must adapt, but at the core of every successful campaign will always be its originality. The message will still get across if there is good, efficient advertising. If the advertisements themselves are subpar, then it won’t matter how advanced the underlying technology is.

“The internet has made it easier than ever to discover and track the target demographic for best effectiveness,” Bruton said, adding that this has made good, innovative advertising more successful. However, “targeting” an audience effectively means nothing if the advertisement itself is subpar.