2016 Digital Marketing Trends to Watch

We all know digital is becoming more and more important in the marketing world. One huge reason is that digital marketing gives you the ability to reach new customers in your target demographics all over the world with a comparatively smaller price tag. Digital marketing also differs from more traditional approaches because it allows you to keep track of your campaign’s results and ROI.

Below are five digital marketing trends that are expected to flourish over the course of 2016 and beyond.

Social media ads. Advertising on social media is expected to increase. SocialTimes reports that 28% of all online activity is dedicated to social networks. Advertisers are noticing this development and acting appropriately. According to a recent survey, 66% of marketers view social media as an essential aspect of their company’s business. Emarketer predicts that 2017 will see spending for social media ads climb up to nearly $36 billion.

Weise’s take: Social media ads are particularly effective because they are a smart spend and highly targetable. Plus, ads that are integrated into content on your news feed are more relevant and easily seen.

Videos. For the foreseeable future, the popularity of video appears to be unstoppable. Certainly for 2016, it’s the visual content marketing avenue of choice. A recent survey of 350 B2B marketing professionals reports that 73% of respondents say video has proven to be effective in terms of ROI. Why is video so popular and effective? Videos get people’s attention and are super engaging.

Weise’s take: When employing video on your company website, remember to utilize it as a complement to the content already being featured. For instance, to really bring home a major point about your product or service already mentioned on your site, consider using video to illustrate and add detail.

Mobile. Mobile surpassed laptop and desktop usage in 2015. Look for this pattern to continue. According to Statista, 75% of those gaining access to the Internet in the U.S. in 2015 used their mobile phone. That number is expected to grow. As a marketer, if being mobile-friendly isn’t a top priority in your digital strategy, you’re on the wrong side of this trend.

Weise’s take: At a minimum, make sure your company’s website is mobile-ready. There’s nothing worse than using a mobile device to access a site and having to wait for it to load or putting up with inaccessible features. Let’s face it, most people will avoid the hassle and simply leave the site.

Apps. Business owners are expected to make more use of apps in the near future. It’s no secret that consumers appreciate the convenience that apps offer. For businesses, apps are a great way to spread awareness.

Weise’s take: Although apps are incredibly popular, avoid the urge to create one just for the sake of having an app. When creating an app for your business, make sure it solves a problem for your target audience. This will make it useful in their eyes. Additionally, make sure any bugs are dealt with before releasing it to the public by having a beta testing period.

Wearable technology. It is predicted that wearable devises such as the emerging smartwatch will grow considerably in popularity throughout 2016. It’s only logical to assume that the closeness of wearables will make it even easier for consumers to stay connected to their favorite brands.

Weise’s take: We especially like wearable technology because it presents an excellent opportunity for marketers to make an even more personal connection with customers than that offered by mobile.

Are there more up-and-coming digital marketing trends you can think of that aren’t on this list? Please leave a comment below!

Looking for more ways to improve your digital marketing efforts? Check out 5 Tools to Help You Monitor and Learn From Your Competitors and Ten Tools to ‘Up’ Your Social Media Game.