2017 is going to be an expensive year in digital marketing. Costs of advertising are going to go up and it’s going to be even more important that you’ve got a solid brand story that can break through. Along with a good story, you’ll need a really strong content strategy to support the organic side of the house to ensure you aren’t 100% relying on paid media.
Here are our top 5 predictions for the upcoming year:
- Bolder Storytelling: Consumers will increasingly care about the companies they do business with, their mission, and values. Digital marketing will need to be bolder, it shouldn’t be afraid of repelling the timid and attracting the like-minded. In 2017 we will see consumers want to align with the brands they purchase, so a bold story will be important.
- Niche Market Targeting: Competition for attention is getting more and more tough. Multiple devices, videos, music, apps, everything at the same time. Brands will need to go after small, very niche (qualified) markets in order to break through. As digital marketers, it will be increasingly important to find audience insights into potential customers.
- Mobile First: mobile was a huge focus for 2016, but we will see it totally take over in 2017. Digital marketers will have to prioritize mobile search and conversion paths over desktop.
- Online advertising will become more expensive: ok, this isn’t really a prediction but more of a safe bet. The impact of this will be seen throughout marketing tactics though as brands will need to find ways to speak to the right audience, at the right time, with the right message. The cost of online advertising will drive the need to creative marketing strategies in 2017.
- Conversion Rate Optimization: As brands fight harder and harder for each site visit, spend more to get people to the site, and improve targeting/audience qualifying, brands will focus more on converting those people than paying more to get more traffic. Of course we want both, but as budgets get allocated we will see more focus on converting the qualified site visitors than on driving more traffic due to the magnitude of impact CRO can have.