Taking Advantage of Technological Advances in 2016

by Infinity Concepts | Sep 8, 2015 | Branding, Creative, Digital

Staying ahead of the game and displaying an innate awareness of the ever-evolving technological landscape allows marketing professionals to flourish and boost their clients’ brands. But, like anything else, getting a solid grasp on which technologies can actually help your marketing efforts can become tedious. Of course, you already know social media is a tremendous technological and sociological advance that can be used for a plethora of marketing purposes, but what other attributes can help play a part in your overall success?

1. Content is King

The advances to the technological landscape, perhaps more than anything, have made establishing a voice in the cyberspace realm more accessible than ever. Anyone with a passion, skill and basic coding ability, in theory, could create their own webpage that allows them to show off their work; and in the case of freelancers, land clients. This makes the creation of good, solid content more important than ever. Content creators – writers, designers, artists – who can properly encapsulate the niche of the market (and create some visually stunning and dynamic material) can do wonders for the face of a brand.

2. The rise of the e-assistant

Statistically, you probably own a smartphone. Most smartphones have the capability to use an e-assistant, like Siri or Cortana, to boost the productivity of the user. Although most folks undoubtedly use their current e-assistants to look up the weather or read text messages, the intelligence of programs like Cortana are already beginning to improve. There’s no telling how helpful the use of an e-assistant can be in any vocation, but in a technological-driven field such as marketing, the upside is evident.

3. Automatize

Marketing automation isn’t exactly a new trend, but its use has increased. Automation allows marketers to handle multiple online channels in a more concise manner, and it preaches efficiency. There was a time when only larger, cash-abundant organizations utilized automation, but it’s far more affordable now, and smaller organizations are encouraged to get on board to stay relevant.

4. Don’t sleep on mobile

Obviously, the use of mobile devices is at an all-time high. You already know this. You might even be reading this article on a smartphone or tablet. But did you know that back in 2014 the number of users connected to the Internet via mobile devices surpassed laptop and desktop users? In fact, according to SmartInsights, it is projected that the average mobile user spends 2.8 hours online per day on their mobile devices in 2015. They only spend 2.4 hours a day online through their computers. This demonstrates that the landscape is growing at a rapid pace. So far, most marketers have been unable to adapt. In 2014, an estimated eight percent of ad spending went toward mobile marketing, despite users spending nearly a quarter of their time on mobile devices. This accounted for a $25 billion missed opportunity. It is estimated that roughly 28 percent of ad spending will be used on mobile marketing in 2015; that’s set to rise to a predicted 66 percent by 2019. Mobile advertising might just seem like the extra little box you check before you submit the final campaign for now, but odds are entire campaigns will be focused on attacking mobile platforms in the very near future.

Staying on top of technological trends can often be the difference in spreading your wings and growing as an organization, or floundering and falling flat. It’s important to stay up-to-date on recent advances in the current marketing realm and use these changes to your advantage.