The founding of tech companies like Google and Facebook has allowed the digital community to flourish and evolve. These communities gave marketing a new platform, and after some time, digital marketing became a necessary tool for businesses as it allows them to promote and advertise where the people are.
With the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the horizon, SEO, social media, PPC, content marketing, and all aspects of digital marketing are bound to witness a dramatic shift. In 2019 and beyond, new technologies will be introduced, and the industry will continually see improvements.
According to the World Economic Forum, this will include mobile reach expansion, cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence, and Internet-of-Things, but still, many others will be launched. All of these are expected to automate processes and disciplines in digital marketing, bring better connectivity and multiple touchpoints, and help marketers design more holistic and targeted campaigns.
For marketers, it’s now more than ever essential to get up to speed with the inevitable changes in the industry. Marketers should learn more about the technologies that are bound to transform digital marketing, so they would know which tools and systems to utilize and to guarantee the same success in 2019 and the future.
Big Data gave both small and big businesses the power to gather as much information about their customers and prospects to help them target these people accurately with personalized ads. Aside from that, it can also be used to measure the effectiveness of the ad—to know what worked and what didn’t, so plans can be adjusted accordingly.
Future applications of big data include the creation of attribution models to determine the most effective marketing channel and refinement of data gathering through in-video interactions.
Some of the other technologies included in this list can be classified as derivatives of AI, and it’s safe to assume that it will continue to be applied in any upcoming marketing efforts such as email marketing. For instance, as it can better predict trends and perform customer profiling, it can be utilized to create more sophisticated personalization strategies.
Find out more about the projects harnessing Blockchain and AI in 2019 by reading this article by LiveTiles.
To keep up with the surge of voice search, marketers need to amend their strategies and optimize their websites based on conversational words. That means optimizing keywords based on both the keywords users may type when searching and how they will verbalize it, which can be completely different from one another. Creating content that is on the more conversational tone may also help.
The current application of AR and VR is still noteworthy—some companies utilize AR in recruitment and training, while brands like Sephora and eBay have allowed customers to peek inside their store or have them try some products before purchasing by using these technologies.
But it is true that, right now, AR and VR aren’t well utilized when it comes to ads or promotions, especially since the tools needed aren’t readily available to everyone. However, once every person or household has the capacity for it, marketers can easily apply both when producing content, allowing for a more interactive ad experience.
One of the future applications of IoT and wearables is in healthcare, specifically through activity trackers or smart watches that can detect its wearer’s physiological information. Someday, healthcare providers will be able to monitor patients remotely through their web-connected activity trackers.
For marketers, biometrics may also soon be used in understanding the audience’s thoughts and opinion toward a brand and its products. Instead of relying on their words, biological reactions will be used as indicators of how they honestly feel, allowing companies to measure the effectiveness of a campaign.
When retailers understand how shoppers navigate their stores, they can use the information to find out which elements they like, and which aren’t working. The data can also be collected to optimize the customer experience and create targeted messages for every buyer, one that will land directly into their mobile devices.
In addition, determining the buyer’s location will allow the brand to direct the shopper to other places or their online store if the product they want isn’t readily available in their current location.
5G is beneficial for both consumers and marketers. Faster connectivity means less to zero load wait, which is good news for both groups. But for marketers, this means low bounce rate and increased CTR and ROI. Since page loading or streaming can be unrestrained, video ads can be utilized more and can even appear crisper. As mentioned, this may also indicate the use of VR or AR for ads.
This evolution may even give birth to many other technologies that will be useful for years to come. As earlier mentioned, AI allowed chatbots to come into prominence. It won’t come as a surprise if something like this would happen again, especially considering the creativity and innovation that the modern marketer has.
All these changes may seem overwhelming, especially since it’s not always easy to learn and become adept with new technologies. However, some of them are still in their infancy; therefore, marketers have time to adjust and study everything they need to learn. Make sure to test them to know if that technology will be beneficial for the organization.
Read the infographic below, which comes courtesy of Spiralytics, to learn more about these ten technologies and how they will disrupt modern marketing in the coming years.
With the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the horizon, SEO, social media, PPC, content marketing, and all aspects of digital marketing are bound to witness a dramatic shift. In 2019 and beyond, new technologies will be introduced, and the industry will continually see improvements.
According to the World Economic Forum, this will include mobile reach expansion, cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence, and Internet-of-Things, but still, many others will be launched. All of these are expected to automate processes and disciplines in digital marketing, bring better connectivity and multiple touchpoints, and help marketers design more holistic and targeted campaigns.
For marketers, it’s now more than ever essential to get up to speed with the inevitable changes in the industry. Marketers should learn more about the technologies that are bound to transform digital marketing, so they would know which tools and systems to utilize and to guarantee the same success in 2019 and the future.
Big Data
The introduction of cloud computing and the technologies that made it possible gave birth to Big Data, which simply refers to the collection, analysis, and application of copious amounts of data—in this case, consumer information.Big Data gave both small and big businesses the power to gather as much information about their customers and prospects to help them target these people accurately with personalized ads. Aside from that, it can also be used to measure the effectiveness of the ad—to know what worked and what didn’t, so plans can be adjusted accordingly.
Future applications of big data include the creation of attribution models to determine the most effective marketing channel and refinement of data gathering through in-video interactions.
Artificial Intelligence
AI applications are one of the most prominent today—from face tracking on a smartphone camera to personalized YouTube and Netflix recommendations. It studies behavioral patterns to gain consumer insights and eventually predict their upcoming actions. Search engines also utilize AI when interpreting search queries to present relevant results.Some of the other technologies included in this list can be classified as derivatives of AI, and it’s safe to assume that it will continue to be applied in any upcoming marketing efforts such as email marketing. For instance, as it can better predict trends and perform customer profiling, it can be utilized to create more sophisticated personalization strategies.
Find out more about the projects harnessing Blockchain and AI in 2019 by reading this article by LiveTiles.
Machine Learning
ML is closely related to AI, as the technology allows systems to learn, identify patterns, and make decisions without the need for human intervention. It is currently being used in segmentation and data analytics, but it also aids in discovering organizational opportunities by identifying valuable data.Related: Instagram Uses Machine Learning Technology to Track down Bullying in ImagesHowever, its most remarkable opportunity lies in content creation. In the future, it’s possible that ML can have the capacity to generate content in different formats and even improve them in real time. As systems gather information on the performance of every piece of material put out, it will also automatically change the ones that are doing poorly to match those that are performing well.
Bots
Another AI subset, chatbots are programs that simulate human conversation either through text or voice. Its practical use is currently in customer support, but it’s also useful in gathering information, mainly through the queries or commands entered by its users.Also Read: How to use Facebook chatbots to boost your business (infographic)Chatbots have quickly become the preferred mode of communication of businesses and consumers and is also expected to be the primary communication channel in five years. Because of this, the global bot market has seen a 24% growth annually. Soon enough, it may also be used to remind buyers to replenish their products, completing the task with help from virtual assistants.
Voice Search
With the advent of virtual assistants, voice software is being utilized more than ever for search; in fact, almost 1/3 of the Google searches daily (which is around 3.5 billion) was done through speech. Because of this, paid and organic search will likely see a shift in the near future.To keep up with the surge of voice search, marketers need to amend their strategies and optimize their websites based on conversational words. That means optimizing keywords based on both the keywords users may type when searching and how they will verbalize it, which can be completely different from one another. Creating content that is on the more conversational tone may also help.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
The multiple layers of digital environment produced by AR and VR offer consumers a visceral try-before-you-buy experience. The senses and emotions they experience as they learn more about the product and engage with the brand help them in deciding whether to purchase or not.The current application of AR and VR is still noteworthy—some companies utilize AR in recruitment and training, while brands like Sephora and eBay have allowed customers to peek inside their store or have them try some products before purchasing by using these technologies.
But it is true that, right now, AR and VR aren’t well utilized when it comes to ads or promotions, especially since the tools needed aren’t readily available to everyone. However, once every person or household has the capacity for it, marketers can easily apply both when producing content, allowing for a more interactive ad experience.
Internet-of-Things and Wearables
According to Statista, the number of connected devices or wearables and IoT would reach 75 billion by 2025. With a web of connected devices in the future, marketers will have another way to acquire consumer information in bulk.One of the future applications of IoT and wearables is in healthcare, specifically through activity trackers or smart watches that can detect its wearer’s physiological information. Someday, healthcare providers will be able to monitor patients remotely through their web-connected activity trackers.
For marketers, biometrics may also soon be used in understanding the audience’s thoughts and opinion toward a brand and its products. Instead of relying on their words, biological reactions will be used as indicators of how they honestly feel, allowing companies to measure the effectiveness of a campaign.
Blockchain
Blockchain refers to a group of verified transactions linked to create a shared record of these exchanges. This record is stored in decentralized locations with no central intermediary. Marketers can use blockchain to make audiences interact with ads by leaving some feedback or tagging other people.Related: How to Market Your Blockchain Startups in the Age of Information Overflow [Infographic]Its decentralized nature also has the potential to support new cooperative economies and disrupt Apple’s and Android’s integrated app platforms.
Beacons
These small devices use Bluetooth to transmit information to nearby mobile devices and are commonly placed around stores to gather information about the customers, including their movements and current position.When retailers understand how shoppers navigate their stores, they can use the information to find out which elements they like, and which aren’t working. The data can also be collected to optimize the customer experience and create targeted messages for every buyer, one that will land directly into their mobile devices.
In addition, determining the buyer’s location will allow the brand to direct the shopper to other places or their online store if the product they want isn’t readily available in their current location.
5G
The fifth-generation mobile network boasts higher spectrum chunks and carrier aggregation, as well as beam-forming and tracking capabilities. All of these can significantly improve throughput and efficiency, making 5G 100 times faster than 4G.5G is beneficial for both consumers and marketers. Faster connectivity means less to zero load wait, which is good news for both groups. But for marketers, this means low bounce rate and increased CTR and ROI. Since page loading or streaming can be unrestrained, video ads can be utilized more and can even appear crisper. As mentioned, this may also indicate the use of VR or AR for ads.
Understanding the Future Today
Many of the technologies mentioned are already in use not only in marketing but also in other disciplines. This doesn’t mean that they’ve already reached their full potential. For as long as there’s a gap that needs to be solved, marketers will continuously push these technologies to evolve.This evolution may even give birth to many other technologies that will be useful for years to come. As earlier mentioned, AI allowed chatbots to come into prominence. It won’t come as a surprise if something like this would happen again, especially considering the creativity and innovation that the modern marketer has.
All these changes may seem overwhelming, especially since it’s not always easy to learn and become adept with new technologies. However, some of them are still in their infancy; therefore, marketers have time to adjust and study everything they need to learn. Make sure to test them to know if that technology will be beneficial for the organization.
Read the infographic below, which comes courtesy of Spiralytics, to learn more about these ten technologies and how they will disrupt modern marketing in the coming years.
