Five Striking Trends in Online Marketing

Technology is developing at a rapid pace, and keeping up with the trends is becoming increasingly challenging. More and more companies are realizing that it’s almost impossible to continue operating “as they used to.” Here are five online marketing trends that we’ll be seeing a lot of in the near future.

Trend #1 – Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
Both are indispensable technologies in the digital marketing world. AI, simply put, consists of intelligent systems that can adapt and, to a certain extent, act like a human. AI includes machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, and speech recognition. What can you do with it? For example, automating tasks that are normally done by humans, analyzing data, recognizing patterns, and predicting outcomes.

Machine Intelligence (MI) is actually a subset of AI. MI focuses on creating intelligent systems that can perform specific tasks. Think of recognizing objects in images or understanding natural language. The goal is to make machines function like the human mind. This requires information—a lot of information. Based on this, the ability to learn, make decisions, self-learn, and act can be developed. What can it be used for? Personalizing offers, predicting customer behavior, and developing targeted and effective marketing campaigns.

Trend #2 – Customer-Centric Approach
Extensive personalization based on the individual, also known as hyper-personalization. Digital marketing will increasingly focus on personal adjustments and providing unique experiences to customers. A shift towards Customer Centricity. Companies are increasingly using advanced technologies, such as AI and ML, to analyze customer preferences and behaviors and provide them with personalized offers and communication. Let’s clarify this with two examples.

Spotify
A good example is Spotify’s “Spotify Wrapped” campaign. This campaign, launched annually, gives Spotify users insights into their listening behavior over the past year. The campaign focuses on personalizing the music experience for each individual user by providing insights into their listening habits, such as their most listened-to artists, albums, and tracks. This creates a sense of personal connection between the user and Spotify and strengthens loyalty to the platform. This connection can also lead to positive word-of-mouth advertising.

Preventing Customer Churn
Imagine you are a customer of Organization X and you use multiple services. However, you have been dissatisfied for some time. You have contacted them several times but were not properly assisted. You search the website for the steps to cancel your services and possibly other specific actions that other customers have also taken before leaving Organization X definitively. If patterns can be detected in certain behaviors, a trigger could be set off indicating that the customer might intend to leave. Targeted action can then be taken, such as involving a human representative to ensure that the customer becomes and remains satisfied.

“Many companies have forgotten they sell to actual people. Humans care about the entire experience, not just the marketing or sales or service. To really win in the modern age, you must solve for humans.” — Dharmesh Shah, CTO & Co-Founder, HubSpot

Trend #3 – Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality
Increasing adoption of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR): AR and VR will be used more frequently in digital marketing to present products and strengthen brands. AR and VR are two technologies that enhance or even replace reality.

What is the difference between Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality?
AR enriches reality by integrating digital information into existing environments. Think of a smartphone camera or special AR glasses. In games, for example, virtual characters and objects can be displayed against the player’s existing, “real” background. VR, on the other hand, creates a completely virtual world in which the user is immersed. VR glasses or headsets allow you to walk around and interact with virtual characters and objects. The player is, of course, still in the physical world.

In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the use of AR and VR in various industries, including the events industry and product marketing. Viewing a car in different colors and configurations without having to visit a showroom? Yes. Enhancing brand experience by adding an extra dimension that strengthens the connection with a brand? Absolutely. And also advertisements. Creating interactive and immersive ads that have more impact than traditional advertisements.

Trend #4 – Influencer Marketing
One way to influence consumer behavior and decisions is through the influence of others, also known as influencer marketing. Influencer marketing has gained popularity in recent years.

Within influencer marketing, there is a distinction between traditional influencer marketing and micro-influencer marketing. Both are ways to influence consumer behavior and decisions through the influence of others, but there are differences between these two approaches. Traditional influencer marketing focuses on collaborating with large, well-known influencers who have a large number of followers on social media. The goal: to reach a large audience and increase brand visibility. Costly collaborations with extensive reach.

Micro-influencer marketing, on the other hand, focuses on collaborating with smaller influencers who have a specific, targeted audience. Micro-influencers often have a more specific audience, a niche. Think of sports enthusiasts, parents, or travelers. Engagement is often higher, as is the interaction with their followers. This can make it a more effective way for certain companies to influence their audience. Micro-influencer marketing is cheaper than traditional influencer marketing and focuses on achieving targeted and genuine engagement with the brand.

In short, traditional influencer marketing focuses on large-scale reach and visibility, while micro-influencer marketing focuses on targeted engagement and trust. Depending on the organization’s goals, both approaches have advantages and disadvantages.

Trend #5 – Sustainability
More emphasis on sustainability and responsibility: companies will increasingly need to focus on sustainability and responsibility, including in strategy development. This includes using environmentally friendly technologies, promoting sustainability in production and shipping processes, and communicating their responsibility and societal contributions. Everyone needs to contribute.

Digitizing processes can also be categorized under sustainable business practices. No unnecessary paperwork, receiving documents by email instead of by mail.

In Conclusion
All these (mainly technological) developments offer companies endless opportunities to set up unique and interactive marketing campaigns and provide a valuable experience. However, certain technologies are still under development and not always easily accessible. Staying informed is never a bad idea. What might seem like a distant possibility now could become very valuable for your business in the future.