5 Hot Marketing Trends for 2016

The basic needs of internet marketing are now considered established. To be taken seriously as a “real” business you need to have a responsive website with a robust local listing campaign. The social media trend is still sifting out the career players from the practice squad, but is undoubtedly here to stay in some capacity. But what is on the horizon?

Every year we look ahead and project out the up-and-comers for the coming year. A few trends will flash and go, but some will be excellent concepts to consider for marketing going forward. Here are 5 things you should consider doing in 2016.

1. Social Media and In-App marketing

Social media and In-app marketing spending is slated to more than double in the next 5 years. This spending will enable innovative approaches to marketing following the same trends we’ve seen in 2015. Informal ads – disguised as user-generated – will continue to flourish in the social media realm. Apps will continue to build-out additional marketing revenue streams as users bilk paying for apps.

2. Mobile

It isn’t a new concept that mobile access will eventually become the standard, but many companies are still adjusting to the idea. Some are still in denial. The slow adopters are only hurting themselves as the trends are clear. In 2016 mobile companies will continue to get onboard with mobile technology as users will also

3. Online Video ads

While the general concept of video ads is not new – think of all the pre-video ads out there. I’m glad YouTube doesn’t have an easily accessible ad count statistic. But video advertising will explode in 2016 and begins with Google announcing in-SERP video advertising. This is a sign that users are now more accepting of video ads. Netflix is continuing to test pre-video ads. And Facebook is leading the charge with the first 360-degree video ads.

4. Location-based marketing technology

Marketing at events and for showrooms is evolving. Historically, event marketers relied on pen and paper to gather information from prospective clients, usually through contest entries. Most of the information was marginal at best for re-marketing due to people using 2^nd and 3^rd tier spam mail accounts.

A new concept called Geofencing that will hit the market in 2016 involves a radio frequency identification (RFID) that provides exhibitors or showrooms with the ability to detect and track devices with certain apps or identifiers. The information can be used for re-marketing or delivering messages to the prospective client.

5. Content Marketing Strategy

Content Marketing is about to get a major revival. The initial secret sauce to Google’s relevancy model, we are reminded by user-feedback data that content keeps users engaged. The rise of beautiful and responsive websites led design agencies into the web realm, but many companies are realizing the need for content. More than 50% of companies have a specific content marketing strategy in addition to creative design strategies.

These five trends could shape the landscape of the online marketing in 2016. Is your brand ready to leverage these ideas and generate positive conversions?