I always enjoy this time of year. It’s a time to reflect on the year just passed, but also to forecast my digital marketing predictions for the year to come. And I’ll let you in on a little secret… the latter is by far my favourite part!
Every year I get my head together and write a blog post on my SEO predictions for the following year. And this year, I’ve decided to do the same for digital marketing trends. I’ll warn you – my predictions have been known to cause quite a stir amongst the LinkedIn community! Some of my predictions for SEO trends for 2015 had digital CEOs from around the world in disagreement. Yet one year on, my predictions came true. Now let’s see if the same applies for the 2017 digital marketing trends below.
It’s a fairly new concept, and put simply, it’s the emergence of marketing products and services in the first person. Snapchat spectacles are a fantastic example of this. For those who are unfamiliar, the device allows the user to record videos directly from the camera function within the glasses. Think of them like a GoPro for your eyes, but with the ability to be uploaded almost instantaneously. I predict that next year, brands will harness this approach to create unique ways of marketing in the first person. Even more specifically, I think that the food industry will benefit from this the most. Imagine watching a cooking tutorial in the first person – how engaging and unique that would be.
However, as with all new technology, the initial appeal will soon wear off for users and brands will have to be even more creative in capturing their potential customers’ attention in 2017.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, augmented reality is a direct, or indirect view of a real-world setting which has been manipulated by technology. The most popular example of this in 2016 is the mobile app game Pokémon Go. Though the setting you see on screen is the same as the world around you, the Pokémon have been digitally added. During its peak, Pokémon Go was downloaded over 100 million times, making $10 million in revenue daily. I predict that digital marketers will replicate the success of Pokémon Go by using augmented reality in 2017. Pokémon Go has shown that users are ready to consume content in a new kind of way, and also the huge earning potential for brands in doing so.
So far, live streaming videos have been used fleetingly by brands and individuals alike. I think it’s fair to say that Periscope never really took off, and it’s still a rare occurrence to scroll down your newsfeed and be met with any more than one or two Facebook live videos at most. In my view, that’s all about to change. Just as videos as a form of content have exploded in popularity on Facebook in 2016, 2017 will be the year for live streaming videos. This is already being hinted at – recently Buzzfeed did a Facebook live video that amassed 800,000 views at its peak. The topic… “How many rubber bands does it take to burst a watermelon?”.
So there we have it – my top three predictions of trends that will change the digital marketing landscape in 2017. Trust me when I say I could write about this topic for hours, but I felt these were the strongest three to summarise in this post. The very nature of digital marketing means that things are constantly changing – that’s what makes it such an exciting and innovative industry to be working in. Digital marketers have to be chameleons of change – and I for one can’t wait to see what 2017 will bring.
If you’re interested in working with us at Mantra or just have a general question about digital marketing, don’t hesitate to get in touch.