5 Marketing Trends for 2018

Marketing is always changing, with evolving technology and market sentiment driving the need to keep up to date. While 2017 saw some innovative new methods come to the fore, 2018 looks set to be just as progressive. Here’s a look at some of the trends that we can expect to see in marketing in 2018.

Chatbots

Surveys show the people prefer to use chatbots than apps. Chatbots have developed considerably from when they first arrived on the scene, and are now often indistinguishable from a real person. Chatbot platforms are now able to gain access to expansive databases in just moments, and use advanced algorithms to understand requests and deliver answers accordingly. Not only do chatbots help to improve the experience for the customer, they also help to make things more efficient for the company. Just one chatbot is able to handle multiple requests simultaneously, and can work all day, every day, without a break.

Contextual Marketing

If you know anything about online marketing, then you are probably already familiar with contextual market to a degree. Contextual marketing is basically showing ads to people that have an interest in what you are offering, based on the searches they have performed on the search engines. This is nothing new, but in 2018, we will be taking it further.

If somebody searches for cars, they will currently be shown an ad for cars, which is all very well. In 2018, however, we will be taking it up a notch. Should the person also read online about fuel efficiency and maybe read some reviews about a medium sized model, they can then be shown ads for fuel efficient vehicles such as hybrid cars. Marketers will be combining information from separate searches to show ads that are even more finely tuned to the customers’ needs and interests. Showing ads that are more precisely targeted than ever before will help to make campaigns even more effective.

Purpose Marketing

Something that people are less likely to be familiar with is purpose marketing. In addition to being able to purchase what they and their family needs, consumers also wish to do what they can to give back to the community, and society in general. For example, one common concern among consumers is the environment and the damage that we are doing to it.

With that in mind, should marketers show an ad that helps to address these concerns, then they get the customer’s interest. For example, an ad for a fuel efficient and/or non-polluting car would focus on conservation rather than the car itself. In meeting the customer’s demand for contributing to a good purpose, they are more likely to purchase the product that’s on offer. Those that are already using purpose marketing are already showing excellent returns, and it looks set to grow in 2018.

Participatory Marketing

One of the greatest assets to marketers is the very people that they are marketing to. Viral marketing has, in recent years, shown that with the help of internet users, incredible coverage can be achieved. Participatory marketing uses the same idea of getting online users directly involved. One example is a recent campaign by ford that involved asking people to test drive one of their latest models. These people then posted on blogs and forums online, sharing their review of their experience. With online users essentially doing the marketing for you, there is great potential of campaigns reaching a very large, and highly targeted, audience.

The Future of Marketing Automation is More

Among the most powerful tools in a marketer’s arsenal is information. With the right information, they are able to advertise the right product, to the right people, at the right time. Extracting this information in a meaningful format is not always easy, though, meaning it is often not taken advantage of to its full potential. Automation allows for platforms to recognise trends and other important data, and allows that to be acted upon with ease. Such automation allows marketers to tap into information that can really help to make campaigns more effective. The answers could already be within your databases, and automation will enable you to use that information effectively.