1. The big brands of Chatbots have jumped on board. But the real power of artificial intelligence in marketing is only just beginning.
From Gartner’s forecast: 85% customers instead of engaging with people, will use self-service options and chatbots. Due to the fact that millennials prefer to deal with customer service issues themselves.
When it comes to chatbots, 60% of millennials have used them, 70% of those report positive experiences, and of the millennials who have not used them, more than 50% say they are interested in using them (Forbs).
58% of B2B companies use a chatbot on their website, as compared to 42% on B2C websites.
The most consumers want to be informed if they are using a chatbot (92%) and 91% of all consumers prefer a live agent.
However, this preference follows a downward trend generationally:
- 98% of the Silent Generation,
- 96% of Baby Boomers,
- 91% of Generation X,
- 86% of Millennials
- 83% of Generation Z say they prefer a live agent (Bloomberg)
The good news is, there are several powerful plugins which can help any blogger integrate AI with their blogging routine.
2. The explosion of visual and video marketing
The demand for interactive and video content is growing fast. According to Hubspot, more than 50% of US consumers are willing to see more video content from any brand.
In fact, more and more brands are embracing multi-format visual marketing actively investing in creating advanced image and video assets. Over 50% of marketers are planning to increase video marketing budget.
The key is to find the video marketing solution that will keep you up-to-date with video marketing trends and provide you with affordable video creation and marketing tools.
3. Search without a single click
Search has been adapting to a mobile world. It has also been shifting to accommodate a faster moving one. Google implemented Featured Snippets, for both seekers and providers alike. No longer do you have to sift through long articles or endless web pages for information… it is right there, at the top of the search results.
Now what used to be an occasional find with the right keywords has become commonplace. It has also expanded. Clickless searching is all the rage and Sparktoro reports that it is on the rise.
Mobile no-click (or zero click) searches have grown 11%. Desktop no-click searches have grown 9.5%.
Meanwhile increased paid ad CTR by ~44% on desktop and a whopping ~125% on mobile.
Mobile searches make up a good chunk of that increase in use, as evidenced by the fact that 31% of the 3.3 billion estimated smartphone owners across the globe use voice search, a statistic that is believed to be directly correlated with the increasing number of zero-click searches.
Organic traffic? Branding and reputation? When trying to get your name lodged in the head of potential customers, what better way than to show, that you are the first one with the answer? You may not get a click every time but you are still making an impression that is crucial.
Featured snippets are here to stay and fast answers are the best answers for most. Take advantage by driving the competition to the second, third or fourth spots on the list and reigning supreme.
4. Fragmented and scattered customer journeys
Due to the fast growth of smart mobile devices and assistants, the buyer’s journey has become more fragmented. These days consumers are able to perform on-the-go purchases right from their mobile device.
Furthermore due to the integration of mobile instant payments, mobile experience has caused a boost in impulse shopping. Engaging customers with one site is getting very challenging.
Here’s what you can do:
- Use Content Engagement Tools. Embrace new content engagement tools to get customers to keep interacting with your site.
- Engage your return visitors by performed events and create personalized advertising campaigns.
- Customize your on-page CTAs, offer customers to download the full report after they read half of your blog article announcing it. Or invite them to complete their shopping journey after they have abandoned their cart.
Follow the Entire Customer Journey.
Everyone knows that retaining a customer is more beneficial than acquiring a new one. It is why companies such as Discover Card put so much effort into perfecting their customer service. In fact, they explain it as “the customer experience” and it begins before they even have an account.
Your Digital marketing in general should follow this philosophy. To get a truly successful campaign you have to plan for the entire journey of the customer, from that first spark of recognition to years down the line.
Make efforts in at different point of that journey will improve that experience.
Divide the customer’s journey into 4 segments (Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action or Reach, Act, Convert, Engage) to show actionable steps in each one to capture and retain with maximum efficiency. It helps understand how to make customers fall in love with your brand.
Use also Older tactics like to use social proof to boost your conversions.
5. Consider Marketing as an experience, it is not about advertising
It isn’t enough to tell a potential customer why they should be attracted to your brand. You have to show them and, make them feel it. Interactivity is vital in modern digital marketing, and storytelling is the best way to attract attention.
For instance, to take over a hashtag that was already in use (#visitswitzerland), create a campaign where user generated content – like photos of the country. They take a few photos per day and feature them on their Instagram page.
The results are incredible. 36% increase in their site traffic, showing that their brand is growing, but people were spending 66% more time browsing the site when they were there.
Collaborating with niche influencers is a great way to embrace that experience-driven marketing model. Influencers have already earned your customers’ trust. They are real and authentic, so having them on your side means making your brand’s voice heard.