The ever-changing landscape of digital marketing often leaves businesses wondering what the future of digital marketing holds. Luckily, the marketing industry has been around long enough that we can predict (and even see) how it will change over the next few years. Here are five predictions on the future of digital marketing to help you stay ahead of the competition and dominate your niche!
1) Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a strategy that’s used by companies to make their sales process more efficient. CRM systems are designed to manage leads, customer service and marketing campaigns all in one place, which can help businesses generate new customers and build stronger relationships with existing ones. Understanding how CRM systems work can help you make informed decisions about which software is right for your business. Here’s what you need to know about customer relationship management.
2) E-commerce becomes even more customer centric
For many years, e-commerce has been focused on satisfying shoppers on websites, but now there’s a new emphasis on satisfying shoppers in mobile. For example, Amazon is pushing new updates to its app that makes searching easier and includes tools like Save for Later and Wish Lists. Of course, these changes aren’t just about making shopping easy—they’re about keeping customers engaged with Amazon longer.
3) RPA (Robotic Process Automation) takes over mundane, repetitive jobs
In 2018, RPA (or robotic process automation) will continue to come into its own as a form of digital labor. RPA is software designed to handle tasks that are relatively simple, but repeated often—things like customer service calls or approving expense reports. The software takes over these basic processes, enabling workers to focus on more important tasks. This efficiency technology has been one area where artificial intelligence has truly shined in recent years, and it’s expected to grow by leaps and bounds in 2018.
4) Advances in A.I. lead to increased customer satisfaction
The use of virtual agents and intelligent machines will continue to grow as companies realize their ability to provide stellar customer service at all hours and on a worldwide scale. If a company’s representative is available 24/7, people are going to be much more likely to buy from them—and stay with them!—than they would if that same company’s hours were restricted to 9-5 Monday through Friday.
5) Mobile optimization improves website speed
Mobile optimization is a must. Google’s increased focus on mobile search will force businesses to get serious about ensuring their websites are speedy and mobile-friendly. A recent survey found that 46% of consumers expect a website to load in 2 seconds or less, and 46% abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load! If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you could be losing customers before they even land on your page. This is especially true if you run an ecommerce business—more than half (51%) of shoppers who begin shopping online with one retailer end up purchasing from another retailer because their site was too slow. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you could be losing customers before they even land on your page.
