The Top 10 Digital Marketing Trends of 2018

Carrie Hinton Ritchie
December 12, 2017
From chatbots to consumer security, there will be a whole lot changing in the new year—so much that it was pretty painful to cut our list down to just 10 tips!

As 2017 comes to a close, it’s time to start laying the foundation for your marketing plans in 2018. To help get you started, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 most important digital marketing trends to keep in mind when making those plans. From chatbots to consumer security, there will be a whole lot changing in the new year—so much that it was pretty painful to cut our list down to just 10 tips!

1. Video

Focus your creative power on video this year! Did you know YouTube is the second-biggest search engine after Google? That will make it an even more important platform for advertisers. Video will also continue to be a key driver in Facebook’s algorithm, meaning video content is generally more likely to get your audience’s attention.

2. Chatbots & Social Marketing Messaging

Leading brands like Kayak, Trulia, and Burberry are already making great use of this technology, with many more close on their heels. Enabling automated (but personalized!) experiences through platforms like Facebook Messenger will be key in 2018, whether those experiences are geared toward sales or general customer delight.

3. Personalization & Automation

In 2017, MailChimp opened up its automation platform to everyone, making marketing automation accessible to more businesses than ever before. Abandoned cart e-mails, reminder e-mails, and lead-cycle nurturing are marketing tactics that you can (and absolutely should!) prioritize in 2018. (Pssst: This is a core service that Good & Gold offers—hit us up and we’ll set up your automations to run like a well-oiled machine!)

4. Search Engine Result Page (SERP) Optimization

The main component of the SERP is the listing of results that are returned by the search engine in response to a keyword query, although the page may also contain other results such as advertisements. This subsection of SEO is becoming more important across Google, Bing, and their competitors. The ability to interact and learn things about your brand before or even without going to your site is becoming increasingly important, with AdWords Messaging Extensions and Bing In Search Chat Bots leading the way.

5. Machine Learning & Targeting

The major ad and retargeting networks will continue to invest heavily in giving advertisers more options than ever to target and retarget customers. Facial, voice (more on that later), and other types of recognition, as well as incorporating how your customers interact with the Internet of Things are all going to get bigger in 2018. The robot revolution is coming, people!

6. Consumer Rights, Security & Privacy

A multitude of battles over the rights of consumers are expected in 2018, and they’re worth watching. But with the government engaged in widespread deregulation, these battles are being waged by the corporate world. Apple already made it more difficult to serve remarketing ads through Safari in 2017, and Google is planning to severely punish non-secure websites in 2018. (If your website uses http instead of https, make installing an SSL certificate an immediate priority by early 2018).

7. Amazon

Right now, 43% of US online retail sales happen through Amazon, and the marketplace is becoming more competitive by the day as a result. 2018 will mark a time for many brands to refocus their efforts here. Be sure to invest time controlling your branding, content, and products effectively on Amazon (as well as competitors like Walmart and Jet), which can be a little tricky. (This is another service we’re proud to offer. Get in touch to find out how we can help!)

8. Engaging Content

Not only from a branding or social reach perspective, but from an SEO perspective, setting up successful content-driven campaigns will always be an integral element of any marketing plan. (If you need help with content strategy or content development, give us a shout!)

9. Instagram

Instagram Stories have already leapfrogged Snapchat, and the platform is growing at a much faster clip than many other social media services. Setting up successful organic and paid campaigns on Instagram will be vital in 2018, particularly for e-commerce brands.

10. Voice Search

Siri is going to be eight years old next year, and thanks to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, voice search is finally gaining the foothold many thought it would years ago. Optimizing for voice search will inevitably be the next frontier for SEO.

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