Top 3 Digital Marketing Trends

Consumers have become increasingly distrustful of traditional advertising. Dishonest, unethical, and fraudulent products and services flood the digital landscape, leaving the buyer hungry for honest, transparent, socially conscious businesses that provide value, trustworthiness, and privacy protection. Brands lose business fast when customers feel annoyed or threatened by aggressive marketing tactics. It is essential to be transparent about your digital consumer information gathering and usage. Communicate with customers about what data you are collecting and for what reasons. Make it easy and accessible to opt-out at any point (99designs, 2021).

What the heck are all these cookies?

We have probably all noted that cookie notices and settings are becoming ubiquitous on websites these days. In the EU, the Cookie Law is a piece of privacy legislation that requires websites to get consent from visitors to store or retrieve any information on a computer, smartphone or tablet. It was designed to protect online privacy, by making consumers aware of how information about them is collected and used online (CookiePro, 2022). The U.S. can expect stricter regulation of information gathering in the coming years.

Identity Protection

Consumers are becoming more adept at evaluating the legitimacy of businesses that offer products and services online and they know that they are being bombarded with identity thieves. Providing robust identity protection to customers is a critical factor that companies must not overlook. Strong consumer protection is a top priority for consumers and businesses. Privacy, transparency, and identity protection will continue to grow in importance for e-commerce.

Personalize, personalize, personalize! Data-driven marketing enables us to understand our audiences better and allows us to tailor our strategies in a more personalized manner. Communications need to be relevant to the unique needs and wants of the customer. We can make direct personal connections using cross-channel marketing, building loyal customers.

Segmentation is the Key to Personalization

With segmentation, we can align the right message to the right audience. Taking the time to understand the platforms your audience uses and how they use them means you can create personalized messaging based on each demographic. This will ensure your message reaches the right audience in the way that is most enticing to them will make your ad spend go further, and could lead to increased customer loyalty (99designs, 2021).

How Do Digital Marketers Know What We Want?

The secret behind personalized marketing is algorithms. Every part of digital marketing — social media newsfeeds, display ads, social ads, search engine optimization, and even email — is becoming algorithm-driven. The algorithms all optimize for the same basic thing: user experience (Neher, 2021). Algorithms empower marketers to deliver personalized content to clients and prospects in a more powerful, efficient, and meaningful way than ever before, and that’s what makes them crucial to have in your tech toolbox (McNabb, 2020).

In A Race for Information, Computers Will Always Win!

Computers can process information and problem-solve at a much higher rate than humans. Artificial intelligence has the ability to predict what customers what before they think of it themselves. In recent years, advancements in Artificial intelligence (AI) have led to more intuitive reporting, automating general marketing tasks like monitoring site traffic and boosting search engine optimization for organic reach (99designs, 2021).

Don’t We All Wish We Had A Personal Shopper?

AI acts as the ultimate personal shopper. Based on your past purchases and prior behavior AI can make intuitive suggestions through offers and advertisements. With these insights, you can create more effective customer touch points. Whether you’re engaging in email marketing or providing customer support, AI eliminates much of the guesswork involved in customer interactions (Hall, 2019). This kind of targeting will lead to high conversion rates and the sense that you understand your customers and their needs without being intrusive or overwhelming them with irrelevant targeting (99designs, 2021).

On the marketing side, AI eliminates time-consuming leg work and reduces the margin of human error. It helps marketers streamline and optimize their campaigns on a grander scale, extending their reach. In the competitive digital advertising area, marketers who use AI will remain ahead of the pack.

In the competitive digital advertising area, marketers who use AI will remain ahead of the pack.

References:
99designs. (Dec 2021). 9 digital marketing trends to get ahead of in 2022. https://99designs.com/blog/marketing-advertising/digital-marketing-trends/

CookiePro. (2022). The Cookie Law Explained. https://www.cookielaw.org/the-cookie-law/

McNabb, Sarah. (Feb 2020). Algorithms and Marketing – A Match Made in Personalization Heaven. https://www.gate39media.com/algorithms-and-marketing-a-match-made-in-personalization-heaven/

Neher, Krista. (Dec 2021). Twelve Digital Marketing Trends For 2022 And How To Take Advantage Of Them. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2021/12/07/twelve-digital-marketing-trends-for-2022-and-how-to-take-advantage-of-them/?sh=4bf4bc9c7138

Hall, Jason. (Aug 2019). How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Digital Marketing. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2019/08/21/how-artificial-intelligence-is-transforming-digital-marketing/?sh=77176a4f21e1