Each year, new technology, social platforms, and marketing tactics arise creating an opportunity for businesses to transform their brand. The organizations that gain the most attention, are those who identify how to insert themselves into evolving cultural trends.
Get a head start on the new year and consider the following upcoming trends as you envision your 2016 marketing plans.
Better Quality Content
The first digital culture change on our list is a no-brainer, but it’s harder to accept and adapt to than it is to recognize. In 2016, average content won’t attract attention. With Search Engine Optimization algorithms that take domain authority into account, only high quality content and content that social influencers endorse will capture new viewers.
High quality content is a generic term, so here’s what we mean. Content that builds an audience by pulling in new users, will have several distinguishing qualities:
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Highly researched → Content that succeeds in 2016 will have research behind it, and it’ll deliver a new perspective or a new insight.
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Strategic creation → Content that succeeds in 2016 will be made with time, meaning and juxtaposition in mind. For example, a blog article won’t just be an idea that fits with the brand. Instead, a blog article will fit within a series of articles that take into account the time of year, the place in the series of articles that the individual article has, and the unique value that the particular article adds to the overall campaign in relation to what competitors are doing.
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Streamlined → 2016’s most effective content will be more streamlined than ever before. It will more specifically target buyer personas and it will more specifically embrace a brand’s unique voice and values. The most successful streamlined content will be recycled content that is remade with a better understanding of what an audience values most.
For more information on how to repurpose content, check out this guide.
Video Content
Given the chance, 59% of executives would rather watch a video than read an article. Video’s popularity now spans all demographics. With affordable tools, including the iPhone, more businesses than ever before will begin uploading video content to their sites.
While access to video recording devices and editing software is widespread, the quality of videos will still vary widely. Regardless of whether a video is professionally edited or not, organizations that take the video leap in 2016 will stay relevant and avoid falling behind digital trends.
The most common style of video will be explainer style videos. However, for organizations with bigger budgets, videos that employ empathetic storytelling to promote a brand will attract the most attention.
More Ads on Ephemeral Social Platforms
Ephemeral social platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat have already attracted large crowds. In 2016, they’ll attract the serious attention of marketers too. While some brands have broken into snapchat and instagram already, 2016 will be the year that mainstream brands attempt to insert themselves into these digital communities.
Instagram ads have already been made available and smaller brands dipped their toes in. In 2016, more marketers will take advantage of Instagram’s ad feature. However, smart lifestyle brands will also take a more subtle approach - they’ll pursue endorsements and product placements from the most admired social influencers.
In 2015, hoards of users flocked to snapchat. Like with Instagram, while some brands experimented with advertising in the new environment in 2015, in 2016 more brands will take the opportunity more seriously.
While what works best on snapchat is still evolving, the most successful marketers will keep their messages brief, and make viewers feel connected to the pulse of popular trends while also making them feel unique. Great snapchat messages will make users feel like they’re receiving a message from a friend.
Wearable Technology - More Data Mining
In 2016, 28% of consumers will adopt wearable technology according to Accenture. The Internet of Things (IoT) is here, and marketers will get an opportunity to communicate with consumers at nearly every point in the day.
In the future, nearly every item we own and have will be connected to the internet and will communicate with other items. For example, roads will have sensors in them that detect if there is ice on the road. If a car approaches, the sensor in the road will communicate to the car that the driver should slow down because there is an ice patch ahead.
Wearable technology such as apple watches and Google glasses will give marketers access to even more data about their customers. This means that marketing data will represent people’s daily habits and will give brands more insight into the behaviors of their customers and prospective customers.
Influencer-Brand Partnerships
Finally, 2016 will be the year of social influencer and brand partnerships. More brands will connect with tight-knit groups of online influencers to capture niche audiences.
As it is, consumers are bombarded with content all day. It’s more difficult than ever before to stand out and be noticed among the many marketers competing for consumers’ attention. 92% of consumers rely on referrals from people they know above all else to find products, services, and even information.
With this in mind, smart marketers will team up with social influencers to broadcast their brand messages.
Be Unique
Above all else, if you want your efforts to succeed in 2016, the key is to be unique. While you try to insert yourself into this year’s hottest digital cultures and adopt the latest trends, remember to hold on to your unique brand voice. Offering a new perspective will help you add to the future of the community you’re helping to create rather than tag along like an outsider looking in.
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