Over the past few weeks, tech giants have announced a series of new products and features that have shaken up not only news feeds but also the digital marketing market.
Today's announcement of Facebook's forecast of a decline in profits for next year has raised alarm bells among investors, but at the same time, it makes us wonder what Mark Zuckerberg and company are planning to once again circumvent the negative estimates.
We can't forget that Facebook faced a similar situation in the past and turned things around by investing in mobile devices. The strategy was so successful that mobile now accounts for no less than 84% of the company's advertising revenue. But beyond Facebook's uncertainties, some bets on the future of digital marketing are much more accurate.
Check out 5 digital marketing trends to keep an eye on in 2017:
Marketing and everything for social
The awakening of political and social consciousness is a growing phenomenon and has impacted all sectors of society. According to Trendwatching reports, the crisis ravaging Latin America is largely responsible for this, making consumers more discerning about the brands they buy and companies' stance on pressing social issues.
The trend is that even if the crisis eases, people will remain engaged and critical of the reputations built by companies. So in 2017, as important as promoting offers will be strengthening brands by appealing to social responsibility initiatives. Large corporations have already done this, and the bet is that this initiative will become the norm, at least for those who want to grow and stay ahead of the competition.
Campaigning for equality and the environment, creating landing pages encouraging donations, adopting charities, and increasing transparency in business are some actions that can help your consumers bond with your brand.
Content remarketing
Content marketing has been booming in recent years, and the trend for 2017 is content remarketing. Remarketing, previously widely used in e-commerce ads to encourage customers to repeat purchases, is taking a new direction in content marketing: instead of taking users back to a purchase page, it directs them to the best content on your website, recapturing leads and encouraging them to return to the customer journey.
The Mobile Domain
Mobile access has become so significant that it has even changed search engine ranking criteria, so mobile continues to be a trend in 2017. If your company wants to gain traffic, conversions, or whatever the objective of your marketing strategy is, responsiveness will be the key word.
If you don't know what wearables are, it's time to find out.
Bracelets, glasses, watches, and "wearable technology" or wearable devices are the evolution of mobile technology, and creating apps for these devices is a trend for 2017. Even with consumers still reluctant, it's estimated that the industry sold 171 million units of devices like smartwatches, which should encourage the industry to invest even more in this segment. Apps for wearables can be a good channel for reaching a more segmented and connected audience.
Multichannel shopping
In 2017, the main market trend will be total synchronization between all communication channels. Websites, social media, and apps should have their own language but maintain the same identity, and the online customer experience should be aligned with the physical store's service. This is important because next year, the goal is for these channels to work together and become part of a single experience. Customers can choose on the website and pick up in-store, or even interact on the fan page and accumulate discounts that can be used in the online store, for example. The idea is for all channels to be a link in the customer loyalty process and generate brand adherence.
