In 2020, many industries were at a standstill due to the Covid-19 pandemic. To help keep businesses afloat and their brands relevant despite these uncertain times, marketers were forced to embrace technology.
Since there were lockdowns and safety measures, companies reached out to their target audience, who were safely at home using new tools and technologies for marketing. Potential customers could still engage on social media, research products, and even purchase items online without leaving their homes.
Good marketing helps raise brand awareness and trust, generate traffic, and increase revenue. Knowing its importance in the company’s growth, marketers had to quickly adapt to the situation’s needs and revolutionalize their marketing strategies.
Now that the world is slowly reopening, you can tap into proven ways to boost your marketing tactics. You can also apply the following latest technology trends that can usher in new digital solutions and reduce the uncertainties brought by the pandemic.
1. Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) may sound like it’s for the big leagues, but smaller enterprises can take advantage of its personalized customer experience and voice assistant features. When marketers use AI for market analysis, they can save time, become more efficient, and make sound decisions.
An AI-supported marketing model can predict risks and launch evolved PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns. It can also create chatbot-generated and well-targeted email marketing campaigns. This marketing tool can help predict user requests and gather helpful information on customers’ buying patterns. AI-generated analytics can provide insights that can create a more personalized consumer experience.
2. Shopping through technology
During lockdowns and strict protocols, many businesses used online shopping, mobile scheduling, and mobile technology to facilitate contactless shopping. This approach allowed people to browse and research products in the comforts of their own homes. They can even schedule a delivery or curbside pick-up or talk with a customer service representative any time of the day.
Consumers appreciate these conveniences and, together with mobile payments, will remain at the forefront of how people will do business. Many retailers are now adjusting to these technologically-advanced scenarios by revamping their online and offline stores. The presence of mobile payment terminals, QR codes on all products, and touchless transactions can draw customers to the location.
3. Influencer marketing
Consumers appreciate authentic and sincere advertisements from people they trust, like an influencer. Having instant access to recommendations and reviews through social media can provide them with the information to decide which product to purchase. Influencer marketing allows your brand to connect with its target audience and create a niche through technology.
To make influencer marketing work, you need to understand your business needs and research thoroughly to find the influential people within your industry. It’s not always about the number of the influencer’s followers. It would be best also if their lifestyle reflects what your brand stands for, and their message can reach your target audience’s hearts and minds.
4. Geolocation
The pandemic prevented marketers from staging events in various geographies. It became impossible to bring many people together to experience brand campaigns first-hand.
Geolocation allows companies to know the location of a person’s internet-connected device. It can boost customer engagement even without meeting them in a physical area. The data gathered can help customize advertising, social media, and email content.
Geolocation is also a vital marketing tool to enhance business intelligence and customer service. It can provide insights into the target audience’s activities and interests to help marketers generate fresh marketing ideas.
5. Extended reality
Extended Reality, or XR, is an automated technology that allows people to experience virtual immersion. Interaction is possible through tablets and smartphones. There are three types of reality used for marketing and business.
- Augmented Reality (AR)
Digital and interactive content is added to the real-world or live environments through a tablet, a headset, or a phone.
- Virtual Reality (VR)
It allows users to interact with objects and people within a simulated environment.
- Mixed Reality (MR)
It blends digital and physical worlds using graphics, input systems, and computer technology.
These three types of interactions can attract customers and influence a potential customer’s product perception. Marketers can use them to hold exhibits, initiate product launches, organize virtual events, and provide virtual tours. People don’t have to be in an actual store to look at a product closely. XRs can be used to create ad campaigns with 360-degree videos for a completely immersive experience.
6. Mobile-first campaigns
Google’s mobile-first indexing took effect on March 2021. Since then, businesses have aimed to make their sites and online products mobile-friendly. Optimization of content for mobile devices has become an essential marketing strategy. Companies that do not have mobile support and responsive campaigns will have difficulty ranking in search engines.
Customers prefer brands with optimal mobile functionality for a more convenient and time-saving browsing experience. After researching on their phones, most consumers usually contact businesses from the same device. Customers may not return to a website with a poor mobile presence.
7. Blockchain technology
Blockchain may be a relatively new player in the marketing industry, but more businesses welcome this innovation. It allows you to distribute and store digital data without worrying about data breaches. It also enables transactions within the blockchain system without third-party verification.
Although blockchain is making waves in finance and cryptocurrency, it can also impact digital marketing. As marketers, you can leverage this decentralized technology to gather more accurate leads that you can use for ads and campaigns. All parties involved in a transaction get to also reap the benefits of maximum transparency—a feature that customers would appreciate.
8. Internet of Behaviors (IoB)
Internet of Things (IoT) may have been the buzzword for the past few years, but the Internet of Behaviors (IOB) is the new tech in town. IoT refers to a system of things that interconnect, exchange, and gather data within the web. IoB works the same way, but the disciplines of behavioral science and data analytics are added to the mix.
Making sense of human behavior or what makes people tick is IoB’s goal. It demystifies why people buy a particular product or follow a specific influencer. It can also track certain movements through sensors or telematic devices to determine behavioral patterns. The data collected can provide vital insights that can help personalize marketing campaigns.
9. Highly-engaging visual content
In the following years, businesses will see the rise of visual content as a major player in marketing technology. Since most social media and website users prefer visual content, engaging them with video and graphics would be best. Visual marketing strategies can include VR, Facebook live videos, and Twitter video plays.
Instagram Stories is also an effective way to grab a target audience’s attention. A study reveals that 50% of survey participants have gone to a website to purchase a service of products that they saw on Stories. Narrative style and interactive stories work best to get engagement from your audience.
10. Business intelligence
Business intelligence is an automated marketing technology and app system that facilitates data collection. BI marketing tools aim to analyze business processes that can help in enhancing and planning the company’s goals and strategies. Marketers have welcomed this technology since its easy to use and does not require programming skills.
Data science and sophisticated artificial intelligence are the foundations of BI software. It can immediately process and organize details about a search result so that business leaders and marketers can eliminate issues and make informed decisions. Some software features include predictive analytics, natural language processing, and built-in intelligence.
11. SMS marketing
SMS marketing involves sending transactional or promotional messages to people who have agreed to receive text messages from a business. These messages aim to communicate alerts and updates, and other time-sensitive product offers. SMS is known to have a high open rate, but you can also take advantage of this feature if the contacts agree to receive text marketing campaign messages from you.
You can use SMS to send promotions and coupons to drive people to your physical store or website. Include your company’s name and a link to your site or social media page. You can also use SMS to send urgent updates about your customers’ orders or any changes in company events.
The Future of Marketing is in Technology
As marketers and business owners, you need effective strategies to keep up with these changing times. Marketing technology trends can play a vital part in ensuring that your customers still get the information and service they need, whether at home, at work, or on the go. Tech-assisted shopping, extended reality, and mobile-first campaigns are safe and convenient approaches for the consumer.
On the other hand, marketing trends such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, business intelligence, and geolocation can provide you with accurate data to help you create the best marketing strategies. Correct data from your target market can be a good foundation for personalized and cost-efficient campaigns.
Since businesses are still reeling from lockdowns, there’s no room for trial and error. Marketing technology can help ensure you’ll hit the bullseye as you let the world know you’re open for business.
