Online Marketing Trends For 2017

I know i should have written that post at January or even better in the last semester of 2016 but better late than ever. Right? But as i am writing this article it’s a bit easier to see now the trends that will dominate in Online marketing in 2017 and offer you some meaningful tips that could help you adjust your strategy.  

Although the basics of Digital marketing will always remain the same an online entrepreneur must keep learning and acquiring new skills because this industry is constantly evolving and new tools and strategies are emerging all the time.

Today all kind of businesses no matter how big or small they are have built their online presence to promote their services and products. The challenges that all marketers are facing will increase and the competition is getting fiercer. One thing is for sure though the digital marketing industry will continue to grow in the next years and if you want to get your piece from the pie you need to keep up with the upcoming trends.

So, here is my list of the online marketing trends you should focus on.

#1 – Mobile users & Marketing

Mobile Internet is not here to stay is here to dominate. The percentage of mobile internet users will only increase in 2017. In 2016 Google announced a mobile-first web index, and also that for the first time mobile and tablet internet usage has exceeded desktop. That simply means that mobile optimization is extremely important not just for increasing your traffic but also because Google will favor mobile friendly websites even for its desktop search results.

All digital marketers should optimize their websites and make them responsive and visible for mobile search. You will also have to make sure that your emails are optimized to look good on mobiles too if you want your email marketing campaigns to be successful. After all, mobile marketing is not just one of the most important trends in 2017 but also for the years to come. 

#2 – Live Video Streaming and visual marketing

Ever since live video streaming was introduced to the public instantly it became a success. In 2016 Facebook launched live videos and so did Instagram, Twitter through Periscope and YouTube. Although video marketing is nothing new and it’s something enterprises and digital marketers have used rather extensively in the past live streaming is actually something new. Live streaming can increase not only your traffic but it can also create a new way the customers engage with your business. The use of video ads is seriously going to increase in 2017 especially on mobile. 

In 2017 live-streaming in social media will continue to grow and increase its popularity. More businesses and marketers will incorporate it into their strategy and use its benefits. With video, it’s easier to deliver your message and people especially millennials prefer it over content. Visuals like infographics and images are also important and can help you draw people’s attention to your website/blog. In the world of video marketing, Snapchat is something everyone should watch out for this year especially since it has surpassed Facebook in total video views.  

Both Facebook and YouTube have also introduced the 360-degree video. More and more people have started using it and it will definitely increase in popularity in 2017 but it’s still at an early stage. It will probably be a major trend in 2018 though. 

 

#3 – Native advertising

Native advertising is simply the merge of the content and the product/service you are selling. Instead of placing a banner inside your content or on the side of your website you can just use your editorial content, for example, a blog post or an infographic with the specific intention to promote your products. This kind of advertising has become more popular recently and 2017 is the year it will take off. Compared to other forms of displaying ads it’s considered to increase engagement with the customers and also trust. It also performs great with mobile users. Ad blockers, people not paying attention of banner ads anymore and social media organic reach and conversation rate being low will make native advertising more effective in 2017. 

Native advertising will continue to grow in the next years too.

 

#4 – Content Marketing

Content and inbound marketing are growing in 2017 and will continue to do so. Using marketing techniques like live streaming, webinars, 360-degree videos, augmented reality a new level of interaction with your audience can be created. An “immersive experience” of content marketing that it was not possible before. That way people can feel that are participating in a way that can produce the best possible outcome for them. Customers are no longer just affected by the product they will buy but they can also affect and alter the product before they buy it. So, make your content more personal and unique. Creating interactive content is what will increase your ROI and we have already seen an increase. 

How you will promote your content is also equally important. If your content doesn’t reach out to the right people it won’t make a difference for you no matter how great it is. Everyone should use a variety of ways to promote their content like email marketing and not just focusing on traffic from SEO. After all, organic search is changing rapidly and SEO will go through some major changes and it ‘ll look very different in the next 3-4 years from what it looks today. 

 

#5 – Social Media Marketing

The power of the social media is well known and well established. For this year though you should expect major changes and new trends. What everyone really wants is to increase their conversation rates. In 2017 social networks will focus more on providing the right tools to help businesses and marketers target more accurately their preferred audience and increase their sales. Social commerce is on the rise and don’t be surprised if you see more “Add to Cart” buttons. 

Social media marketing will grow this year and many brands will increase their presence. One big social media marketing trend that is expected to grow significantly this year is expiring content. Snapchat (i told you before to watch out for them) is one of the pioneers in that field. Expiring content proved to be so successful Instagram adopted the model. You shouldn’t be surprised if more platforms copy the model this year. 

Social media conversion will increase so make sure to create the necessary budget to get in the action. 

 

#6 – Search Algorithm

That is something we no longer have to guess about. Fred (Google’s latest update) was released on March 8th and many bloggers and website owners noticed some big changes in their rankings and traffic. Although Google didn’t reveal much information about it the update was targeting websites with low-quality content and backlinks. This will probably won’t be the only change we are going to see this year from the search engines. Google is focused on providing the best results to their users and websites that offer high-quality, informative content that is also up to date. 

Don’t ever buy backlinks and stay away from easy to get links. Build your links naturally by connecting and creating relationships with other bloggers and websites instead of reaching out just to get links. 

 

#7 – Niche Markets

Targeting a more specific niche (narrowing down your niche) is a very effective way to attract customers and generate profits faster. It’s also easier to rank higher in the SERPs and become an authority in that particular niche. But if you believe that you can put your feet up and relax you will have to think again. Small niches will be targeted this year from brands in an effort to increase their ROI. So don’t be surprised if the big names start appearing in your niche and force you out from the first page of Google. This will happen out of necessity and probably won’t stop in 2017.

Online marketing is getting more crowded by the day and if you want your niche site/sites to remain profitable you have to work towards more targeted, specific and personal content. 

 

#8 – Big Data & Visualization

Big data’s importance is increasing and it will continue to do so for the next 3 years. New ways on how to use data are appearing and especially on how to use them to help you personalize your customer’s experience. Marketers will use data (small or big) to increase engagement and grow their businesses. The correct usage of data will also make possible to release the right message at the right time, on the right channel to the right person.  

New tools that can help you collect and integrate data from different sources are appearing. They can help you judge the effectiveness of your campaigns across different channels (social media, PPC) faster.  

 

#9 – Online Advertising

Since the digital world is getting overcrowded and the amount of new content getting published every day rises being noticed on the social media or via the search engines using free ways to promote your website will get harder and harder. This year online paid advertising will become more expensive. Business and marketers will try to remain in the first positions of the SERPs and that will drive the prices up. The competition is getting tougher and the demand for the top advertising spots will also increase. Everyone wants to be read and get their content in front of as many people as possible. 

I can’t tell you if PPC will die in the next years like some people suggest but new advertising methods and tools will emerge for sure. And yes they will not be free of cost. You will have to “pay to play”.

 

#10 – Augmented and Virtual Reality

Augmented reality last year with the Pokemon Go app showed everyone how powerful it can be. We should expect more brands this year to launch AR games and apps. The ways to use AR are really limitless. Virtual reality is also one the biggest trends and it can create the ultimate immersion experience for the user. 

Although there is significant progress in this technologies they are still only available to the big brands. So, i don’t believe they will fully develop in 2017 but it’s definitely something to watch out for in the near future. 

 

Conclusion

There are certainly many more trends that we will see developing in 2017 like the Internet of Things, chatbots, influencer marketing, wearable devices, email marketing automation, interactive email, and machine learning (AI). But for me, the ones mentioned above are the ones that will affect online marketing on a bigger scale this year. 

What do you think are the biggest trends in Online marketing? In what areas will you focus more this year? You can always leave me a comment below sharing your thoughts with me and if you liked what you just read share it with your friends.