5 Predictions of Marketing Change in 2018

Reaching your target audience through a content-cluttered landscape – and their ad blockers – will be harder than ever in 2018. Fortunately, new technologies and marketing tactics are on the rise.

When you work in marketing, you are getting used to change. This world of marketing is not only faced-paced but also exciting – if you like change that is.

If you like exploring emerging technologies, 2018 will be an adventurous year. The way, we get our messages out and track ROI is going to change…again.

1.      AI loves the quality. So do humans.

Quick, quick, coin, coin. That mantra might have worked for you in the past. Wake up to a crowd that is flooded with click-baits and other rubbish content. People want to consume content that is relevant to them. And only that. There is just too much choice out there. For free. AI loves . And it will figure out very quickly who spins article, who employs to smash out SEO articles and who puts in the effort to write substantial, informative and genuine articles. For humans. Be one of them. AI will reward you.

2.      Customer Journey is more important than ever.

If you want to stay on top of your game, you will need to have a good look at where your content lives, how your customer / is finding and consuming your content. Is your website structure up-to-date? Is your content easy to find? And attractive enough to read? Is it a good experience for your audience to browse through your channels? Are they getting you? What message do you want to get across? If you want to keep a loyal audience or intend to build one, you will need to deliver better and better than ever.

3.      Beyond content strategies.

2018 will be a year of content. But not necessarily your own content. Brand-controlled messaging will continue to deteriorate. People can see through that. Easily. It becomes more important what other people say about you. The reviews, the stars, the recommendations, the endorsements that mirror what your marketing department wants to get across. Customers are going to continue to look for unbiased opinions at critical points in their customer journey. Everything is connected.

4.      Recycle content. Same, same, but different.

Let’s face it. It takes ages to come up with good content. That’s why every marketer is recycling content wherever and whenever they can. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing will change in 2018 – besides, we will add some more channels to the marketing mix. Convert your eBook into an Instagram story and your Insta story into a Q&A on Facebook Live. The marketing message stays the same, the medium changes. Same, same, but different.

5.      Time – the most precious commodity in the world.

You can have the most amazing marketing, videography, copywriting. People will always only have a limited amount of time. Cause they are busy, Besides, checking their Instagram, changing their Facebook status, networking on LinkedIn, writing emails, Snapchatting in the lunch break, downloading a whitepaper for work and following some email sequences, they also need to pick their favourite Spotify list and make sure they won’t miss another episode of their favourite series on Netflix. You get the idea. We are all digital nomads. And 2018 will be the battle for time. It will be more challenging than ever to win hearts, mind and wallets. Stop thinking like advertisers. Start thinking media companies.

What do you think will change in 2018?