Smart technology, wearable technology,
Big Data and the ‘Internet of Things’ are all vying with each other for the center stage when it comes to identifying the biggest influences shaping the current year
and also the next decade
We examine important digital
marketing trends in 2016.
Personalization & Dynamic Customization
“All fingers are not the same”
and so are you customers!
We need to take cognisance of
this fact and deploy advanced and dynamic ways of personalizing campaigns. Campaigns
could ask customers to select their favourite movie or TV series and then
trigger messages tailored to their choice, building familiarity and a bond with
the brand based on what the customer is passionate about.
Dynamic customization is another strategic
tool that could be implemented in 2016 as it covers a wide area but you can use
it to personalize email content according to given and observed customer data.
Examples include location, weather-based content, webscrapes, personalized
images, including live stock levels in your ecommerce emails. This sounds Simple but is very effective.
Automation & tracking engagement within automated campaigns
According to the 2015 Email Industry
Census, 54% of marketers surveyed believed they were not coordinating email
automation to their satisfaction, while 29% wanted to focus on this tool this
year. At its core, automation provides a narrative that takes prospective
customers on a personalized and logical journey, from showing an interest to
being a satisfied + repeat customer.
Tracking engagement within an
automated campaign can also help to determine where interest appears to be
significant enough to warrant a call from your sales team. It could also be a
way to identify and group loyal or extremely engaged subscribers and tailor
your messages with the goal of converting them. You know they already open and
click in every single email, test to see what would make them purchase.
Device optimization
In 2015, Google announced that
mobile traffic had overtaken desktop in ten countries including the United
States and Japan. Mobile is now the device of choice for both personal and
business email viewing.
 |
| Device optimization is the key to reaching your customers |
And according to recent census, 61%
of participants are already optimizing campaigns for mobile, while 27% are
planning to. How can you take mobile optimization to the next level? In 2016,
think about creating specific campaign versions for mobile that automatically
make them shorter and easier to navigate. Also, time your campaigns according
to when your prospective customers are using their devices, to suit different
times of the day and hardware.
Wearable technology & BLE Beacons
Wearable technology will be the
next game changer: By 2019, analysts predict vendors will have shipped more
than 168 million wearable devices! Therefore it make sense to get tech savvy
now and plan the customer experience.
Geographic-specific and highly-targeted campaigns for
wearable technology – For example, send an email voucher to a customer’s
wearable device as they walk past your store, or as they pass by sensors like
iBeacons.
BLE Beacons - a hyperlocal marketing
initiative : Beacons are low-cost
transmitters that use Bluetooth Low Energy to provide Bluetooth smart devices a
new level of proximity awareness. Retailers or general brick-and-mortar
locations can install beacons throughout their stores and venues then hyper target
their audience with offers and marketing messages through apps and mobile
devices.
Because of their widespread acceptance, low-cost entry point, and
ease-of-use, 85% of the top 100 Retail Locations in USA will be equipped with
Beacons by end of 2016; that’s about 3.5 million unique locations. Estimates
for total beacon deployment continue to skyrocket, and worldwide deployment is
projected at 400 million beacons by 2020.
Beacons can be used in a variety of ways including
navigating users through a store map virtually via their phones, serving users
pop-up notifications when they are near a retail display, acting as a virtual
docent as they navigate through an exhibit hall or museum, and by providing
timely arrival and departure information when they are near a bus or train
stop.
Social media
Email marketing is delivering directly
to the customer’s inbox, while social media platforms provide compelling
content to draw the customer in. When coordinated in tandem, the outcome can be
very effective. Customers often have preferred channels for getting the
information they want, so you need to reward your email recipients to sign up
to your social media channels and vice versa to strengthen their relationship
with you.
Messaging
Messaging is huge in the digital
world. Expect digital marketers to make it even bigger.
The 5 most popular messaging apps
feature 3.5 billion monthly active users, according to Statista, and marketers
are beginning to take notice. Facebook has integrated branded campaigns into
Facebook Messenger and plans to do more of this come Spring 2016. Whatsapp is
opening up their platform for business accounts. Snapchat has introduced
Snapchat Discover and the option for any advertiser or individual to create
their own geo filter with Snapchat on Demand.
Video and Live streaming
Facebook Live, Periscope, and Meerkat,
are rapidly becoming more relevant – people want their information in real
time.
Regardless of new technology in its various avatars, customers would always
want that personalized touch! You might need to even go beyond personalized and
mobile-compatible content and respond to a customer’s environment and behaviours.
Knowing your prospect’s online habits and social preferences – even
their location – can enable dynamic, real-time marketing strategy geared to
giving that personalized touch.
Ultimately, it is all about establishing the real bonds between customers and your
business, brands!
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