As we all know, digital marketing is an ever-changing industry. In order to be successful, marketers need to be updated on all the trending topics coming their way. And while 2018 may seem like a lifetime away, we’re only weeks away from ringing in the new year. It’s never too early to prepare yourself for the trends you’ll see in 2018. Here are the seven trends we’ll see in digital marketing this year.

AI-Created Content

Content is always the most discussed topic in digital marketing circles. In fact, according to recent studies, 53% of marketers say their top priority is creating content. Creating content takes time and resources, and lots of manpower. Not only does the content need to be written, editors take part in every stage of the creation process.

In 2018, this will change. AI will help businesses create content to take the burden off the marketing teams. Some companies are already using machine-generated content. AI can schedule blog and social posts, create dynamic content, and write content that’s specific to the target audience. With Google pushing websites to produce quality content, AI-created content will be showing up a lot more to ensure this.

Software like Atomic Reach is already available for marketers to use. Atomic Reach can tell you how, when, where, and what to write and publish. For example, this software offers a readability engine that shows marketers exactly how they should be writing to connect with the target audience.

Chatbots

As technology improves, chatbots and the like become more popular. For example, have you ever used the chat option to pay your electric or internet bill? You’re most likely speaking with a chatbot. And this trend will only increase in popularity in the new year.

Chatbots are often used to increase response time and improve the interaction between company and customer. Now, they’re being developed to collect customer information in order to improve marketing strategies. The more information gathered, the better marketers can create specific, targeted campaigns.

Voice Search

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re already aware that voice search is a trend that’s already popping up this year—think of Amazon’s Echo and Google Home. Voice search is predicted to continue as a trend in 2018. In fact, by 2020 it’s predicted that voice searches will amount to over 50% of searches made. But what does this mean for digital marketers?

It means keywords will need to follow this trend. Users search for keywords via voice commands differently than they would type them into a search engine. For example, when searching for a Starbucks, someone may type in Google “Starbucks Chicago,” but say into a voice command, “Where’s the nearest Starbucks?” When creating and choosing keywords, marketers will need to include keyword phrases in 2018.

Personalization

Customers expect more from the brands they love. Instead of being bombarded with the traditional sales pitch, they’re looking for personalized experiences from start to finish—and companies are catching on. Many companies believe that their annual revenue will increase at least 6% as a result of personalization.

You’ve already seen how personalization is making its way into the digital marketing world. Take a look at any email you receive from the brands you use. Automation is used to determine which emails should be sent based on interests and behaviors. This will be taken up a notch in 2018, at which point marketers will personalize the customer journey every step of the way.

Use Amazon as an example. The mogul takes past searches and purchases to determine what may interest you. For example, here’s a snapshot of my recommendations based on my recent Amazon browsing history.

This small added feature promotes brand loyalty by creating an easy customer journey.

Advertising with Video

Video has been trending for years now, but in 2018 it’s only going to get bigger. In fact, 73% of marketers plan to increase their use of video. Video is seen on almost all platforms, and brands can benefit from utilizing video content in their marketing strategies in the coming year.

Social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat are all offering video advertising to get information to users quicker. For example, here’s one of Volkswagen’s video ads found on Facebook:

The more demand for shorter, faster information means marketers will need to invest in video advertising.

Privacy Sells

2017 was a year of privacy breaches—the Equifax breach and the DNC email hack are only two of the many privacy issues that happened this year. Because of this, customers need to know their information is secure in all aspects of their lives.

Government associations are already in the process of putting laws in place that protect the privacy of their citizens. Businesses would be wise to install security and privacy protection at the forefront of their business plans.

Manage Ads with Machine Learning

Machine learning, among the other robotic helpers on the list, is going to be a huge trend in 2018. Managing ads takes tons of money and manpower—but not with machine learning. Machine-learning platforms such as Trapica help marketers manage their ads in a whole new way. The platforms do all the hard work of marketing—such as identifying the right audiences and the right content for those audiences.

Taking It All In

The world of digital marketing is constantly changing. As technology continues to improve, digital marketers will have to keep up. While it may seem overwhelming, brands who take advantage of the new opportunities in the new year will reap the benefits.

Photo Credit: relevance.com