6 Massive Changes That Are Completely Overturning Online Marketing Rules

The introduction of
the internet was not only a revolution in terms of information exchange but
also in the area of marketing. Businesses could now start marketing their
products and services right to the customer’s home in ways that TV or
newspapers couldn’t match. Now, marketing is once again adapting itself to
newer technologies and procedures and any business which neglects this shift
will have a very low chance of beating their more informed competitors. In this
post, we will look at six massive changes that are completely overthrowing the
old and creating new rules in the field of online marketing.

1. Artificial Intelligence

The biggest marketing shift that is happening right now is the increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). And just as with any other field, the influence of AI has been making a big impact on online marketing. AI is also being used in e-commerce websites to track customer behavior and to decide how to price a specific product.

For example, if an
AI sees that a specific user (if registered) or a visitor (tracked through
cookies) keep checking out the same product from the store every single day,
then it can decide to act in a way that converts them into paying customers.
So, the next time the person visits the webpage, the AI can display a 15%
reduced price for the product in case they buy it within the next 24 hours. And
after 16 hours, if the person still has not bought it, then the AI can start
adding offers to make the sale more attractive – maybe a gift coupon equal to the
product value might be offered. This will surely get the attention of the
prospective customer.

Additionally,
e-commerce is not the only area where AI is being implemented. In all areas of
marketing like email marketing, PPC ads, social media campaigns, and so on;
most people are switching to AI to get better results. And as stories of
success come through, we should expect more marketers to handover the online
marketing to AIs.

2. Influencer Marketing

This is a massive
change that has been taking place over the past few years thanks to social
media platforms. Individuals who have a large fan following on social media are
generally well trusted by their fans. As such, these people can use their
profiles to recommend and advertise products and services to their fans who
follow their every post.

This is similar to
using celebrities for TV advertisements where the status of the celebrity is
used to evoke trust and confidence among the public towards a particular
product. The difference lies in the fact that influencers are more ‘personal’
with their followers sharing their daily thoughts and activities. And this is
what makes influencer marketing potent.

When an individual
likes and idolizes someone, they usually end up trying to become like their
idol including using products that the idol uses. As such, it is very likely
that influencer marketing will soon grow
into one of the pillars of online promotion and marketing of a business.

3. Virtual Reality

If the internet is
considered to have revolutionized the world, then Virtual Reality (VR) is what
will take it to the next level. The intensely immersive nature of VR provides
huge marketing opportunities allowing businesses to tap into customers’ minds
in never before tried ways.

The internet will
turn from a 2D experience into a 3D experience and so will marketing. All
promotional activities will be aimed at ensuring that the prospective customer
is informed about the product and also that the interests of the customers are
engaged.

And though VR
marketing is only in its nascent stage, once the VR devices become cheaper and
more people start using it, new opportunities for marketing will spring
forward.

4. Personalized Marketing

In the early days
of online marketing, businesses could only publish one single advertisement
aimed at every viewer. This was similar to TV and newspaper advertisements.
However, as web technologies developed, things began to change rapidly. Soon,
businesses were able to automatically customize some areas of marketing to suit
a prospective customer’s interests.

This
personalization of marketing has been going on for the past decade. And this
trend will definitely continue in the future just in a more detailed manner.
Combined with the power of AI, personalized marketing tactics is poised to see
a big boom in the near future.

5. Voice Search Marketing

With Google
introducing Voice Search, the way content marketing is done is also rapidly
changing. While existing strategies focus on writing long articles that span
thousands of words, Voice Search marketing will
trigger the rise of short-form content, two or three lines at the most, that
are aimed at answering the specific questions asked by the customers.

After all, people
who do Voice Search generally want quick answers to their questions. And this
demand for short, concise answers has already started to play a role in how
content is created. As more people resort to Voice Search, marketers will have
to decide on the optimum mix of long form and short form content.

6. Wearable

A significant
technological advancement in the past five years has been the rapid popularity
of wearable tech. Right from fitness trackers to e-watches, wearable tech seems
to have captured the imagination of the public largely thanks to the ease of
use.

However, they also
provide a unique marketing opportunity. Imagine checking a wearable, say an
e-watch, for time and suddenly you receive an offer on the wearable, from the
store you just walked by, which says that you can buy 2 slippers for the price
of one.

Such kinds of
marketing, though very rare as of now, have been successfully tested in many
places with a positive result. And with the increase in wearable tech, this is
one marketing niche that will definitely explode over the coming few years.

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