Looking to the future might be inspirational to many, but it is essential to the marketer. Only by the implementation of progressive strategies can a marketer fulfill the ever-changing needs of consumers and stay on top of digital marketing trends. Here are three marketing trends that could be crucial in the coming year.

Breaking the digital ice

Trying to engage your consumer in real-time? It might be more difficult than you think. In the world of instant gratification, 42% of people expect an immediate response when interacting with a brand (within 5 seconds), and 36% expect one within 5 minutes. Sounds impossible? This is where conversational marketing steps in. Conversational marketing engages customers in real time to connect them to solutions, and while it has historically been through live chat or phone support, it is now rapidly heading towards chatbots and AI learning. If you’re trying to keep your customers happy, it might just be time to start looking at automated responses that are fast, smart, and personalized.

The future is artificial

It’s no secret that understanding your consumers’ wants and needs better is crucial for a loyal brand audience. However, the Internet produces over 2.5 quintillion bytes of data a day, and keeping track of that information can be incredibly difficult! Luckily, AI powered data management can help the rate at which marketers can process information, identify patterns, interpret digital marketing trends and make good recommendations. From lead scoring to persona insights and customer segmentation, AI can help to streamline data consumption and enhance activities across all digital marketing organizations.

Online friends are real too

Give your brand a playground and your audience a place to come together by diving into community marketing. Now, you can allow your consumers to discuss shared interests, answer common questions, and build relationships by using platforms such as social media groups and online forums. Research from Facebook has shown that groups are seeing a lot more engagement than Pages as the former enables members to start conversations more seamlessly in a space that feels private. By making your group informative, posting regularly, and giving your audience access to exclusive content, you can maximize your brand reach.

Keeping marketing trends in mind is vital to success – and it’s safe to say that we won’t be seeing any of these trends slowing down soon. Which one will you be trying next?

Source: Wagoner, Chris Van. “Seeing 2020: 4 Digital Marketing Trends You Should Be Thinking About.” The AdRoll Blog, 13 Nov. 2019