2018DIGITALMARKETINGTRENDS SPARXOO.COM

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1 2018DIGITALMARKETINGTRENDS SPARXOO.COM

2 HELLO TRENDSETTER, If2017hasshownusanything,it sthatthemarketing landscapeisconstantlyevolving anditshowsnosignsof slowingdownin2018.witheveryturnofthecalendar, digitalmarketingcontinuestobecomemoresophisticated, strategic,anddata-drivenascustomerjourneysbecome evermorecomplex. Weareenteringanew ageofconsumerism acceleratedby technologicaladvancesforbothindividualsandbusinesses. Powerfulbrandsarefightingforsecondsofatentionfrom thefivemajorgenerationalgroups andtheircombined buyingpower.now morethanever,digitalmarketing campaignsandmessagingmustbemultifacetedand intenselypersonalized.theultimategoal?makeevery consumerfeelasiftheyaretheonlyonewhomaters. 1 THEFUTUREOFCUSTOMEREXPERIENCE(CX) 2 1:1PERSONALIZATION 3 THEPOWEROFINFLUENCE 4 INTERACTIVECONTENTEXPERIENCES 5 MILLENNIALSMAKEWAY 6 UNIFIEDSOLUTIONSSTACKS 7 VOICESSMARTERTHAN US 8 THETECHTALENTWAR So,what snext?how canwebeterconnectwithconsumers andmakethemostofthenext12months?firstthingsfirst: getfamiliarwithyourdigitallandscape.ourteam doveinto thedeependandcompiledthetopindustrytrendsfor2018, includingtipsforimplementingthem intoyourinitiatives. Timefortheknowledgebaltodrop.

3 THEFUTUREOFCX Asexecutiveleaders,we vealwaysbeenobsessedwiththeideaof cateringtoconsumers andengagingprospectstoturnthem into customers.in2018,wehaveanew focus:managingandelevating thecustomerexperience,bothpre-andpost-sale.infact,gartner predictsthatby2018,morethan50% oforganizationswilredirect theirinvestmentstocustomerexperienceinnovations. CATERTO CUSTOMERS By2018,morethan50% of organizationswilredirecttheir investmentstocustomer experienceinnovations. -GARTNER Thereareafew reasonsforthisshift.whileithaslongbeenknown thathappycustomersarethebestsalestool,consumerpowerhas grownconsiderablyoverthelastfew yearsasmoreandmore outletsbecomeavailableforsharingexperienceswithabrand, product,orservice.withanear-instant,andhighly-publicfeedback loop,companieshaveseenthepositiveimpactthatgreat,honest reviewsandwide-reachingreferralscanhave.we vealsoseenhow oneperson snegativeexperiencecangarnerthousandsof impressionsandtarnishabrandinthemindsofmilionsof consumers justaskunitedairlines. CXrepresentsthelargest,andperhapsthemostdauntingbatlefield forbusinessesin2018.manycompaniesarealocatingfundsand preparingtoinvestbothtimeandresourcesintothis game-changinginitiative.so,ifyouhaven'tshiftedyourmindsetand yourstrategytofocusonimprovingyourcustomersexperiences,it s timetostart. TREND01

4 1:1PERSONALIZATION We'vealexperiencedit thoseonlineadsthatseem topredictthe futureandcatertousonanuncannylevel.thatcoffeemakeryou werejusttalkingabout?itmagicalyappearedasanadinyour FacebookNewsFeed.OryourfriendsoveratAmazonrandomly recommendedpuppytrainingpadsthedayyoubroughthomeyour firstdog.today,bigdataalignsacrossdigitalchannelstosource informationaboutyou(andpeoplelikeyou)toserveup advertisementsthattheyknow you'llove evenifyoudon'tknow it yet. Theseseeminglypsychicadsareaproductofpersonalization,which isaidedbybothartificialinteligenceandalgorithm-generated audiencesthatpopularplatformsusetoplaceprospectsinto bucketsforrelevanttargeting.thisenablesus,asadvertisers,to speakspecificalytoagroupwithcommontraitsandhobbies.2018 wilmarkapushpastthesegenericaudiencesascompanieswork tocreatemore1:1conversationswithindividualcustomers. However,ultra-personalizedmessagingcanbeaminefield,somake suretoproceedwithcaution.ifa1:1messagehitsthewrong prospectitcanbeseriouslyoff-puting.haveyoueverreceivedan addressedtosomeoneelse?additionaly,thereareunexpected risks,likegetingittoorighttooearly.doyouevergetcreepedout thatacompanyknowsyournamethefirsttimeyougototheirsite? Justlikewithanyrelationship,youshouldn tgivetoomuchaway whencourtingyourprospects,evenifyouhaveresearchedthem beforethefirstdate.inordertosucceedwiththesepersonalized pathsforconsumers,weneedtoengageconsumersinteligently,but ontheirterms. MAKEIT PERSONAL 71% ofconsumersprefer advertisementstailoredto interestsandshoppinghabits. -ADLUCENT TREND02

5 THEPOWEROFINFLUENCE GO TO THE GURUS 30% ofconsumersaremorelikely tobuyaproductrecommended byanon-celebrityblogger -COLLECTIVEBIAS Asadvertisingplatformsbecomemoreadvancedandaccessiblefor businesses,consumersgrow increasinglyaversetothemass-blast, generictargeting.whileincreasedpersonalizationand1:1 experienceshelptodevelopasuccessfulcustomerjourney,today s consumersareexposedtomilionsofmarketingmessageseach month.companiesarestilstrugglingtostandout,leadingtoa continuedriseinadvertisingcosts.asmorecompaniesfloodthe marketandcompetitionintensifies,advertisingbidsandexecution costsinflate. So,in2018it'salaboutwinningfriendsandinfluencingpeople. Influencersarethefutureofmarketing.Influencermarketingenables brandstopromotetheirproductsandservicesthroughthevoicesof popularandrespectedindividualsacrosstheweb.activatingthese influencersalowsyourbrandtobepresentedorganicalytoyourtop targetswithinthecontextoftheireverydaylives,andfrom avoice theyalreadyfolow. Thekeytosuccesswithinfluencermarketingisnailingyourtarget andyourtarget strueinfluencersinapersonalizedway.spending yourentirebudgetonasponsoredpostbykendaljennerjust becauseyou retargetingmilennialwomenisn'tgoingtocutit.break downyouraudiences interestsandhobbiesonagranularlevelto identifytherespectedexpertswithintheironlinecommunities. TREND03

6 INTERACTIVECONTENT In2018,contentis(stil)king.However,thebarhasbeen raised.it snolongerjustagameofebooksand infographics.today sconsumerscravemoreinteractiveand engagingexperiences.from gamificationtolivevideoto virtualreality,thecontentplayingfieldhaschanged,and companieswilneedmoretoolsintheirarsenalthisyear. Oneofthebiggestprioritiesforinteractivecontentinthe comingyearisasolidvideopresenceacrossdigital channels.infact,videoispredictedtorepresentover80% ofalinternettrafficby2021 andthat snotjustcatvideos andrecipes.videohasalreadybegunplayingamajorrolein salescycles,with65% ofexecutivesreportingthatthey visitedabrand swebsiteafterviewingavideo.perhaps mostinterestingabouttheriseofvideo,isthatconsumers areactualyaskingforittobeservedtothem,unlikesome ofourotherchannels.hubspotrecentlyreportedthat43% ofpeoplewanttoseemorevideocontentfrom marketers. Whetheryourinteractivecontentgoalsareloftyorlimited, 2018markstheyearwheretheyarenolongeroptional.It s timetobeginengagingconsumersinnew,innovativeways orriskfalingbehindthecompetition.areyounew tothe videoscene?grabyouriphoneandsometrustyresources from industryexpertslikewistiaforadiyapproach.if you rereadytogetserious,considerturningtoanagency withtalentandequipmentattheready. ENGAGEYOUR AUDIENCE Videoispredictedtorepresent over80% ofalinternettraffic by COMSCORE TREND04

7 MILLENNIALS MAKEWAY ACT THEIRAGE GenZconsumersarecomingof ageandtheycommand$44 bilioninbuyingpower. -FORBES Milennialsrevolutionizedeverythingfrom thewineindustryto avocados andthey'renotgoingawayanytimesoon.however,just whenitseemsthatwe vestartedtogetahandleonhow tomarketto milennials,thegenerationalmakeupofconsumersshiftsagain.in 2018,milennialsbegintomakewayforyounger(andolder) generations. Whilemilennials,arguablythemoststudiedgenerationinhistory, havebeenthemainfocusofmarketersoverthepastdecade,2018wil catapulttheiryoungercounterpartstotheforefrontofconsumer researchandstrategy.generationz,orthepost-milennials,arejust startingtheircareersandtheironlinehabitswilbegintoguideour new marketingstrategies(ahem,influencers).ontheotherendofthe spectrum,babyboomerspendingwilevolveasmanymembersofthis generationtransitionfrom workinglifetoretirement,whichlends itselftoashiftofprioritiesandopensthem upastargetsinnew marketswithnew messaging. Now wemustcatertoatotaloffiveconsumergenerations,including the(somewhatoverlooked)generationxandthetraditionalists.we needtounderstandeachofthem,includingtheirhabits,interests,and preferences.ourjobistoanticipatetheirneedsandwantsand engagethem withinthecontextoftheirgenerationaldifferences. TREND05

8 UNIFIEDSOLUTIONSSTACKS Overthepastfew years,we veanxiouslymonitorednew technological toolsandtrendsthatcanhelpuselevateourstrategiesandtactics. Manycompaniesspendvastamountsoftimeandmoneycolecting softwaretoolsliketrinkets.in2018,thechalengebecomeshow to unifythesesystemstocreateasinglesourceoftruththatdrives customerinsights,acquisition,experience,andretention. Criticalcustomerinformationisoftenstoredinsiloedsystemsthatare beingusedbyseparatedepartments.forexample,acrm anda marketingautomationsystem.whilethesetwodisparatetoolsare meanttobeamatchmadeinheaven,theyoftenendupfunctioning likeadivorcedcoupleco-parentingtheirsales&marketingchildren. SalesprimarilyusestheCRM system,butcomplainsthatthedatais low qualityandthattheirgoodleadsreceivetoomanymarketing messages.ontheotherhand,themarketingteam primarilyusesthe narketingautomationsoftware,grumblingconstantlyaboutthelackof dataenteredbythesalesteam tofacilitatereportingandexecute nurturecampaigns.althewhile,theseissuesdistracttheteamsfrom theprimarygoalofprovidingacohesivecustomerexperience. Inordertoefficientlyandeffectivelyadoptnew technology,companies needtodevelopstrategiesforsyncingbothsystemsandprocesses acrossdepartments,ultimatelyprovidingtherightinformationtothe rightprospectattherighttime.thisinvolvesunifyingdatafor comprehensivereportingandholisticdashboards,aswelasmapping outintegrationpointsandhandoffsbetweendepartmentswhere necessary. SYNCSALES& MARKETING 68% ofmarketingexecutiveswil spendmoreonmarketing technologyin CONDUCTOR TREND06

9 VOICESSMARTERTHAN US Smarthometechnologytoppedmost2017holidaygiftguides,andhas becomemoreaccessiblethaneverwithproductslikegooglehome MiniandAmazon sechodotcominginatunder$40forhome consumers.asaresult,moreandmoresearchesarebeingconducted byvoice withanestimated50% ofalsearchesbecomingvoice searchesby2020.how doesthatimpactyourmeticulouslymapped SEO strategies? SAYIT LOUDER Anestimated50% ofalsearches wilbecomevoicesearchesby CAMPAIGN Whenconductingavoicesearch,aprospectismorelikelytolandin morespecificlong-tailedkeywordsandquestion-phrases,ratherthan simplerdescriptiveadjectives.forexample,whentypinginasearch engine,acustomermightplugintapasrestauranttampa,whereas onvoicesearch,they laskwhat sagoodtapasplacenearme?or whohasthebestsmal-platesclosetowork?thisisapartofthe largermovementtowardalthingsgoingonline.somebrands,like PurinaandtheAmericanHeartAssociation,areevengoingsofaras developingalexa-exclusivecontentthatis100% audioandvoice driven. Whileyoushouldn tfocusalofyourenergyonoptimizingforvoice searches,youshoulddefinitelyfindthebalancebetweenshort, punchykeywordsandlonger,moredescriptivephrases.in2018you l needtoconsidernotonlyhow yourbrandlooks,buthow yourbrand sounds. TREND07

10 THETECHTALENTWAR Inordertopushyourbusinesstothenextlevelandimplemental these2018trends,you lneedtherightpeopleonyourside.it stime tosuitupforbatleasthetalentwarwagesonthisyear.while recruitingandretainingtoptalentisanobviouspriority,it seasiersaid thandone.recruitingneedsarebecomingmorecomplex,especialy withinthemarketingprofession.candidateswhomeetalyour qualificationsarehardtofind,andretainingthem isevenmore difficult. Today scandidatesmustbemarketers,strategists,technologistsand analysts.theymustunderstandcomplexcustomerjourneys,and activatethestrategiesandtechnicalrequirementsneededtosucceed. Theseuniquelymulti-facetedcandidatesareessentialyunicorns: seeminglyimpossibletofindandquicklyscoopedupassoonas(or before)theyappearonthejobmarket. FINDYOUR PACK That swhycompaniestodayhaveanew imperitivetoprioritizetheir companycultureinordertoretaintheirtopteam membersandhelp lurenew talent.areyoupromotingacultureofengagement,flexibility, andgrowth?areyougivingyourteam althebenefitsand opportunitiestheyneedtolearnandsucceed?cultivatinganenviable culturewilboostengagementandwoothoseunicorncandidates. 40% offirmshiringtechtalenton Indeedarenottechcompanies -INDEED TREND08

11 GETTO IT Welookedintoourcrystalbal,andnow we relookingatyou.readyto applyyournewfoundunderstandingofdigitaltrendsforasuccessful 2018?Hereareafew keyitemstoaddtoyourlistofresolutions: Makeyourfirstforayintotheworldofinfluencermarketing Prioritizeinteractivecontent runavideoadinsteadofastatic image Experimentwithincreasingadpersonalization Makesureyourmarketingtechnologysolutionsarecooperating effectively Re-evaluateandimproveyourpost-salecustomerexperience Takeahardlookatyourcompanyculturetodraw inandretain amazingpeople SOARTO NEW HEIGHTS Gooutthere,amplifyyourteam,andsoartonew heights webelieve inyou!

12 ABOUTSPARXOO We reaninc.5000digitalpowerhousewhere badasstalent,inspiredthinking,andwow results leadthepack.ourtrendsetingteam connects ideastoperformancetoaccelerategrowth. SPARXOO.COM