It is no secret that the marketing world has undergone a number of upsets over the past few decades. Advertising used to be simple – you would take out an ad in the local paper or on the radio and get great results. Video advertising was reserved for those with large budgets.
The unrelenting improvements in technology have changed all of that, though. Video advertising has become a lot less expensive thanks to these improvements. You don’t even need a video camera anymore – all you really need is a halfway decent smartphone, some easy lighting hacks, and you are set.
Video Content
And, with the advent of social media, sharing your videos has become even easier than ever. Video content is no longer even a “nice to have.” People are four times more likely to watch video content than read about the same content.
Traditional television advertising is bound to have an ever decreasing impact as we move forward. While there is still a place for it, it is important that we also look to alternative channels, such as YouTube. There are over a billion YouTube users.
Even more importantly, 80% of your most economically active segment of the population – those between 18 and 49 – watch YouTube videos regularly.
What Does This Tell Us?
In short, it means that people are becoming less likely to respond to written content and more likely to expect video content. Therefore, video is the perfect way to increase the amount of organic traffic you get – 70% to 80% of all search engine users focus almost exclusively on organic results mostly on Google which holds 72.4% of the desktop and 91.82% of the mobile search engine market share.
What are some of the other factors that will impact our marketing efforts and SEO going forward? The SEO below goes into these in much more detail, but, for now, let’s look at some of the main ones.
Customer Service Automation
You might be wondering what this has to do with marketing. At first glance, not much. Think it through though. If your company can automate basic service functions, it can have a positive impact on the customer experience.
With automation, your company can provide that service at any time of the day, whether during business hours or not. All someone has to do is to activate the live chat option. A chatbot can take over things from there.
The customer thinks that the company is on the ball and you increase your chances of making a sale. Is it essential to have an automated response system? Not quite yet, but we are heading in that direction. As more companies institute automated client services, your company risks looking out of date if it doesn’t do the same.
So, while it isn’t a traditional marketing area, it could be classified under the heading of managing reputational risk.
Quick Delivery
Drone deliveries are now a reality in some parts of the United States. While not all businesses will have the budget to add this service, it is important to understand what the principle behind drone delivery is. Sure, it is an efficient way for the company to deliver items, but it is also very fast.
As you will learn in the infographic, in the next 10 years or so, we can expect delivery of around 40% of parcels within 2 hours. How does a smaller company compete? By looking for ways to speed up delivery to clients and by giving clients more shipping options.
Some clients are willing to pay extra to ensure that they get their goods faster. Others are willing to wait if it means less cost. Give your clients a choice going forward to keep ahead of this developing trend.
Consider Innovative Options
Subscription boxes are a perfect example of how successful innovative thinking can be. And, it is a very clever marketing ploy as well. Clients are literally paying to sample the items provided.
Now, naturally, you have to provide adequate value incentives, but these subscription models can make great business sense. You can use them to promote new lines, to get rid of stock that isn’t selling as well as you hoped, or to kindle an interest in a new area that you are expanding into.
It is a non-traditional business idea that has seen the birth of a very successful industry. What other kind of non-traditional ideas can you come up with? Novelty and good value are always a winning combination. How can you add both for your own target market?
What’s The Key Takeaway?
The key takeaway here is that technology is changing the world we live in dramatically. That means adapting our marketing plans to compensate for it. This is not always easy to do, but if you keep an eye on the direction your market is taking and the trends starting to emerge, you will be better able to adapt.
Look at the changing technological environment for what it is – a great opportunity to find better ways to market to your clients.
