Marketing Predictions for 2016
Here we finally are in December and 2015's end is rapidly approaching. Outlets are now moving beyond their looks back at experiences throughout this past year – and toward how those will transition into trends we might see in 2016. Will they be immensely different than what we saw this year? Forbes author Yoav Vilner takes on this question and looks at four possibilities in his recent article. 1. “Snapchat is here to stay” This social platform is one that still confounds a number in the marketing world. Allowing you to take short videos on your mobile device and send
them to individuals or to subscribers, the point may get lost on many. Nevertheless, the app is beginning to make its way into the marketing world in a big way thanks in big part to its immediacy. Says Vilner,
“’Realtime’ is a particularly effective aspect attracting the younger generation of consumers. Brands now have the ability to deliver campaigns that make users interested now. The fact that these videos of exclusive content have an expiration date draws users in even more. Snapchat has the ability to make consumers feel a unique connection to each other.” Snapchat is making waves in the U.S. presidential campaigns and will likely continue to do so well into the main race next year. Content creators and networks are even beginning to use the app as a platform for creating original entertainment.
2. “Advanced search will lead to a unified social experience” We have looked at Google’s efforts to delve into the social network scene before in an effort to tailor its searches and users’ behaviorial data more completely. Where Google admitted defeat when they decalred the death of Google+ a few months ago, Facebook is determined to succeed. Facebook’s version will be entirely on their site and implement a number of features designed around the personal information they have on existing users. Says Vilner,
“By blending advanced search capabilities, internal payment methods and the social incentive that drives sites
like Twitter and Facebook, users will be able to make purchases, tell their friends exactly what they bought and then post it to their profile for all to see.”
3. “Ad optimization companies are taking off” Ad blockers are another topic we have looked at before here. In 2015, this software became much more widespread and had made a significant impact on the revenue of online advertisers. This, in turn, has led to the sprouting of numerous services designed to maximize the revenue from each ad. Says Vilner,
“There are new, creative methods that continue to push the envelope of what is to be expected. The year 2016 will be filled with tools to optimize the old and tired methods of online advertising and increase your ad earnings.” Rather than reforming the way online advertisers reach their customers, as our previous article was pointing them towards, these companies are instead finding new ways to utilize and squeeze the most out of the existing ad system.
4. “Mobile commerce is a retail outlet in your customer’s pocket.” As more businesses throw into the mobile app ring, customers expect an improved user experience and any product they desire to be available from the screens in their pockets. And for the most part, this is becoming a reality, and will continue to do so throughout 2016.
Vilner ends by pointing out that, right now, purchases made on mobile devices “only make up 11% of sales. That number is expected to jump to 15% by 2020.”
What trends do you see in the forthcoming year? Will there be a significant change from 2015? Join the discussion and let us know! https://www.tradove.com/