7 Digital Marketing Trends That Will Likely Dominate 2017

Decoding Online Marketing Trends For Business Owners.

Online marketing is a field dominated by those creative and perceptive enough to plan ahead, anticipate changes, and jump on trends before your competitors do, so these trends are important to prepare for and utilize in 2017. You don’t have to use all of them, but you should be at least aware of their existence and learn how to use them if you want to beat the competition.

  1. Introduced by Pokémon Go, we expect to experience the continued use of Augmented Reality (AR). The Merriam Webster dictionary defines Augmented Reality as “an enhanced version of reality created by the use of technology to overlay digital information on an image of something being viewed through a device (such as a smartphone camera);also:  the technology used to create augmented reality.” Augmented reality is the integration of digital information with the user’s environment in real time. Unlike virtual reality, which creates a totally artificial environment, augmented reality uses the existing environment and overlays new information on top of it.

Few people would have predicted that Pokémon Go would have taken off as radically as it did, earning $10 million a day in new revenue during its peak. Enthusiasm for it has largely died down, but the app has had two main effects on the online marketing community; one, it’s shown that users are ready for augmented reality experiences, and two, it’s given marketers a taste of the earning potential here. You can count on seeing more brands coming out with AR games, AR ads, and attempts to capitalize on AR apps that already exist.

Enthusiasm for it has largely died down, but the app has had two main effects on the online marketing community; one, it’s shown that users are ready for augmented reality (AR) experiences, and two, it’s given marketers a taste of the earning potential here.

  1. Live Video Streaming Will Fully Blast Off.

Social media users are beginning to demand more in-the-moment content, giving them a vicarious view into a world (or event) they’d previously been unable to access. Thanks to faster Internet and the pervasiveness of mobile phones, live video has become something of a trend on its own, with more and more platforms and apps giving some kind of “live streaming” functionality; even the first Presidential debate was streamed live, drawing millions of viewers in. Live video has been on an upward streak for the last few years, but it’s widely anticipated to fully take off in 2017, utilized by more brands, individuals and companies than ever.

  1. Data Visualization Tools Will Greatly Expand, As Will The Need for Data Visualization.

Even data analysts frequently have problems understanding exactly what the data is saying; our brains weren’t made to process vast amounts of raw numerical data this way. Now, technology is finally catching up to the “interpretation” part of data analysis; there are dozens of data visualization tools on the market already, but soon, every business is going to want to start using them– the ones who don’t, will be left behind at a significant disadvantage.

  1. Native Advertising Will Literally Explode in Popularity.

Native advertising is on an upward swing; as consumers continue to condemn or ignore most forms of conventional advertising, native advertising becomes a sneakier (yet effective) way to get those consumers’ attentions. Native advertising is paid content that matches a publication’s editorial standards while meeting the audience’s expectations. In non-editorial publications like Facebook or Twitter, Native advertising, is paid content that drives traffic to that content. At times it will contain these or similar words: “sponsored” or “sponsored by” or “paid for” or “paid post” “post by” or “promoted by”.  Some have clear calls to action like “watch …” or “buy …” . We may also see newer, more improved forms of native advertising offered by major publishers, or brands who have previously opted not to offer this method of advertising. A classic example of product placement form of native advertising can be seen in things like the bottle of Red Stripe in the 1993 film The Firm.

Or the Coke cups American Idol judges drink from.

Or the Reese’s Pieces in the movie E.T.

5. Brands Will Increasingly Target Niche Markets Out of Necessity.

Online marketing is becoming more crowded; though the number of available consumers has remained more or less steady, millions of new businesses have flooded into the space for a piece of the same pie. This is especially true in the content and social media marketing spaces. A niche is a distinct segment of a market, like roofing, plastic surgery or extreme sports as a few examples. Targeting the audience or searching for that particular niche is where the advertiser will market its products or services, purportedly to an already interested audience, with the hopes of turning prospective consumers into actual consumers.

  1. We’ll See the Rise of ‘Immersive Experience’ Content Marketing.

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are two technologies driving this mentality forward (and I’ve already mentioned AR), but don’t forget other ways of providing this immersive experience. You can offer 360 videos to make your users feel like they’re living in a moment, or host live workshops and webinars to get people to engage with you. Hence, the audience immerses itself in the event and the audience participation encourages a connection to the seller as well as the product & services being marketed.

  1. ‘Dense Content’ Will Become Essential to Cut Through the Content Noise.

Attention spans have fallen to goldfish-like levels, and we’re only going to grow more impatient and demanding as technology progresses. The potentially infinite scrolls of social media news feeds and endless streams of content from almost every brand and individual we follow have forced us to filter out the majority of messages we see as white noise. For example, text messaging has grown to almost eclipse email marketing. In response, more marketers are going to learn that dense content is key, making every word and every line count.

Conclusion

These are some of the upcoming trends based on the current information available, including last year’s trends, the introduction of new technologies, and how I see and hear marketers talking about marketing in 2017.

LocalAd Connection
1700 E. Sunrise Blvd # 1213
Ft Lauderdale, Florida 33304
Call Us Today: (USA) 1-954-266-0078

Call Us For More Info: (954) 266-0078

 

 

 

Copyright Disclaimer:  Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Guide To Attract New Customers In 2017

OUR INSIGHTFUL “TRIPTIK” TO HOW YOU WILL ATTRACT NEW CUSTOMERS IN 2017

  • Opinions and Original Research Matter– Don’t be afraid to break through clutter with room splitting statements.
  • If You’re Not Doing Mobile, You’re Way Behind– Get the mobile help you need, because it’s no longer a question of if you’re doing mobile, but how well you’re doing it.
  • Live Video is Critical– Facebook is prioritizing video in its feed and users are 10x more likely to comment on a video than other forms of content. All video will become more and more important as time goes on.
  • Make Sure Your Data is Precise– Data isn’t just the end product, on the contrary, it needs to be carefully built from the beginning to result in robust insights.
  • Strategy is Essential, But It Doesn’t Have to be Complicated– Follow Matt Brown’s straightforward advice to ‘Have a plan, know the plan, do the plan.”
  • Win the War for Talent– The key to success is people, not technology or strategies. Attract the best people by helping them grow and emphasizing purpose over profits.
  • Social Media Continues to Drive Awareness and Engagement– Though you should never build on rented land, a strong social strategy of teaching and selling will result in engaged audiences.

Along with marketing as a whole, SEO is transforming in 2017.

Instead of focusing on keywords, marketers should be thinking about User Experience (UX), integrated marketing, and audience-focused content for great SEO results. The Essentials.

Over the years, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has slowly, but surely, transformed into more than just optimizing for the search engine result pages (SERPs). From the days of spamming and jamming, to the rise of mobile and voice search, SEO has evolved and continues to change every day.

While Google’s algorithm updates are never-ending and often mysterious, there are some notable trends in SEO that you’ll want to take advantage of come 2017:

User Experience (UX) Will Continue to Grow in Importance– Both On-Site & Off-Site

In 2017, there is no doubt that user experience (UX) is going to be atop of most companies’ marketing initiatives. With mobile usage representing 65% of digital media time– a number that is only going up– site speed, easy navigation, and responsive web pages are becoming more significant than ever.

On-Site:  Along with mobile optimization becoming a priority, navigation and above-the-fold content have their fair share of the digital pie. For example, easy navigation and a trail of breadcrumbs give returning customers an easy shopping experience, which likely leads to a higher conversion rate.

Those new to the site, though, will likely want to learn before they buy. With educational content above-the-fold, and without the in-your-face CTAs, users will be more inclined to learn and then buy and less inclined to bounce from the site.

Quick Takeaways: Educate, Identify and described the problem, and then sell the solution. The search engines guided these users (and potential customers) to you, don’t lose them right away!

Off-Site:  While UX is usually associated with on-site content, Google’s UX can often be overlooked or underutilized. In the SERPs, users are looking for easy searching and quick answers. Attracting searchers with compelling titles and meta descriptions might be enough now, but taking advantage of schema markup and rich snippets will make your listing stand out against competitors.

Not only can schema render reviews in your listing or provide a quick answer from a piece of your content, it will provide search engines with a better understanding of your site, allowing it to rank even higher.

Quick Takeaways: Start implementing schema sooner than later. It will not only increase your click-through rates, but also your overall rankings!

Need for Customer-Centric Content:  Ever since Google’s Panda Update, SEO and content have become inseparable. Quality content, paired with solid SEO strategy and keyword research, can drive rankings up and, thus, drive users to your site. Are your strategies aligning with your target audience?

Creating customer-centric content while taking advantage of perfect moments to reach your audience paves the way for great opportunities. Aligned content, written with the right keywords and in the context they are being searched for, connects companies with users on an even greater level. With varying degrees of search intent, optimizing for semantic search has become extremely important.

Google is continuing to put more resources into understanding the intent of a searcher and how they are searching, especially with the rise of voice search. Going forward, content needs to be written in the right conversational contexts and aligned to the searchers’ who, what, where, and how questions.

Quick Takeaways: SEO and Content teams need to work closer than ever if they’re not already. Optimizing for your specific audience and the context they are searching for is key going forward.

  • SEO Collaborates Well With More Than Just Content

While SEO already performs well when paired with content, it is often still a storehouse to the other teams. Having an integrated marketing approach not only aligns a consistent message across your marketing channels, but it also allows you to tap into and utilize resources already at your fingertips.

  • Sharing Your Newly Optimized Content Through Your Social Channels

As stated above, integrating your marketing efforts across digital channels sends a unified message and brand experience to your customers. This integration leads to social sharing across platforms and, in turn, links to your site, giving you more brand exposure. If the content you’re sharing is customer-centric and being pushed at perfect moments, it will drive even more sharing and exposure.

While it is still a mystery whether social shares have any true value or not, there is speculation that they may become a ranking factor in 2017.

Quick Takeaways: Utilize your social connections. Pushing out relevant content to users will not only generate another medium to expose your content, but it will exponentially drive links and build| up your online presence in the SERPs.

  • Leverage Your Paid Media Efforts to Improve Your Organic Presence

With both SEO and PPC teams performing keyword research every day, why not take advantage of collaborating together? A unified keyword strategy gives you an integrated approach across both channels.

This provides ample opportunity to take ideas from PPC specialists such as LocalAd Connection.  For example, who are testing ad copy every day and utilizing the insights to best optimize the click-through rate on your site’s organic search results. Not only will your agency show a unified approach, but you’ll be better utilizing your resources and even optimizing your team’s time.

Quick Takeaways: If you are utilizing both SEO and PPC, why not let them collaborate? Leaving them in silos will only take away the potentially great opportunities to having an integrated strategy going forward.

Ever since Google’s Panda Update, SEO and content have become inseparable. Quality content, paired with solid SEO strategy and keyword research, can drive rankings up and, thus, drive users to your site.

Creating customer-centric content while taking advantage of perfect moments to reach your target audience paves the way for great opportunities. Aligned content, written with the right keywords and in the context they are being searched for (remember, voice searches are becoming more common) connects companies with users on an even greater level. If the content you’re sharing is customer-centric and being pushed at perfect moments, it will drive even more sharing and exposure.

In Sum,

Heading into 2017, the SEO landscape may head in the direction we’ve envisioned, or it may follow in other mysterious surprising ways. We can not see what the future holds, but we can give you a road map of tricks and tips to start planning for the trip ahead based on the evident foreshadowing of trends today.

LocalAd Connection
1700 E.Sunrise Blvd Ste 1213
Ft Lauderdale, Florida 33304
Call Us Today: (USA) 1-954-266-0078


 

 

What Are The SEO Trends For 2017

 

If an internet marketing agency wants Google to quickly understand it’s client’s websites and landing pages to rank higher in the SERP, then the changes in or progression of these existing trends are a must for successful SEO.

Video Content

Video content has been on the rise for a little while now, and it’s not going anywhere in the foreseeable future. In fact, a high power at Facebook even stated that video will become the main type of content by 2020. Although it’s hard to predict – as for right now, written content is still the norm, but that doesn’t mean that it will always be. It also doesn’t mean that you should have variety in your content either.

However, as new technologies keep developing, Snapchat, Vine, Periscope, and even Instagram, video is not going anywhere in 2017. Even Google is experimenting with video ads in the search results. There are numerous types of video content that you can implement into your search marketing strategy – webinars, hangouts, step-by-step tutorials, expert Interviews, Q &As, etc.

Experiment with a few videos in your content, maybe as an addition to one piece you already have and see how it does. If it performs well, which we at LocalAd Connection think it will, you’ll discover it would be wise to placing more importance in video.

Mobile First Index

Mobile has already dominated the search marketing world. In 2015, mobile searches surpassed desktop searches for the first time ever. With this, Google said that mobile and desktop were equal. However, that’s not true anymore.

Google has since stated that it wants a mobile experience across all types of devices. Google recently announced it’s mobile first index. This is huge for the industry because now Google will crawl the mobile version of your site or responsive mobile version first, before the desktop version, and use that content to place you in the search results.

This shouldn’t be a problem if you use a mobile responsive version of your website. Also, there’s no need to start panicking right away – Gary Illyes, a Google engineer, has confirmed this update is still a few months away. However, this is something that everyone needs to be aware of and prepare for.

Voice Search

For a while, voice search was something that was floating around out there but wasn’t really playing a huge part in the search marketing industry. However, as mobile continues to increase and technology advances, voice search is gaining momentum. Today, 55% of teens say that they use voice search on a daily basis – with 56% of adults saying that they enjoy using voice search.

This trend is just going to continue to grow as we progress in 2017. Why is this? As we stated earlier, with technology advancing, voice search is just another way that technology can make our lives simpler. Isn’t just talking to your phone a lot easier than typing, especially when you are on the go or trying to multi-task?  (i.e. Don’t text and drive).

What makes this a technology to become familiar with, use and optimize is that voice searchers are not going to be entering the same phrases or keywords as someone who is typing on a computer or smart-phone. Since voice searches are more like spoken word, you want to make sure you understand the searchers intent and market to that. Use question words like who, what, where, when, why, can, how, etc. Hence,  you need to optimize differently for voice search versus the written text searches. Try reformatting your headlines into questions that include these question words.

Structured Data and Schema

Structured data really hasn’t been talked about as much as everyone  thought it would be lately, but it is a very important aspect in the SEO world. According to Search Engine Watch, structured data is information formatted in a way that can be universally understood. Through this structured data, search engines are able to understand a website easier and therefore gives them better SERP rankings.

Schema.org is structured data that was developed by Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Yandex, and it is a code that you can add to your website that allows all search engines to define it. While webmasters have been using this for a while, it’s been recently that Google has started to really use it to help crawl sites. Since it’s making their jobs easier and helps them to display rich snippets in the search results, structured data and schema are going to continue to gain importance in the SEO world.

Look for structured data and schema to start playing an even bigger part in websites now in 2017 and beyond. Search engines want to be able to crawl your website faster and easier, and with the advancements in this technology, they should start to implement it more.

Conclusion

Being mindful of these four trends will help you be more successful in your SEO efforts in the upcoming year. Make sure you optimize your search marketing strategies to account for these changes and use the professionals at LocalAdConnection.com for your online SEO marketing needs.

Call Us Today:
LocalAd Connection
1700 E.Sunrise Blvd Ste 1213
Ft Lauderdale, Florida 33304
(USA) 1-954-266-0078

Call Us For More Info: (954) 266-0078

 

 

 

 

Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Best Marketing Tips For Boosting Business After The Holiday Season

 

The holiday season usually provides a big sales bump for a lot of small business.

How can you boost post holiday sales? Here are some useful tips.
The holiday season usually provides a big sales boost for a lot of small business. After the presents have been exchanged and the parties have come to an end, those sales often slow down significantly.
Still small businesses don’t have to just accept that
post-holiday slump.

Indeed, there are plenty of ways you can take advantage of that extra time after the holidays have wrapped up to increase your sales
throughout the year.

Here are a variety of useful tips for enhancing your sales after the holiday season:

Include Post-Holiday Coupons
Since more customers make purchases during the holidays, that offers businesses a unique opportunity to get more sales after the holidays as
well. To leverage those holiday shoppers, you can  include coupons with holiday purchases that people can only use after Christmas or the New
Year. And if you didn’t start that type of promotion during the holidays, you could potentially send out a coupon or discount code via email.

Be Ready for Returns
The post-holiday season is also usually full of exchanges or returns. And you can also just provide people with a good experience when making
returns so that they’re more likely to come back throughout the year.

Show Your Appreciation
Since the holidays are so busy for many businesses, you might not have had a chance to properly thank your most loyal customers or clients.
But when sales slow down, it can be a perfect time to host a thank you event for loyal customers, offer an exclusive deal via email or do something really special for those who helped your business a lot
over the past year.

Follow Up With Holiday Shoppers
You can also simply follow up with anyone who made purchases with you throughout the holidays. Send out an email asking about their experience
and then include any new products or promotions
as well.

Improve Your Online Reviews
When following up with those holiday shoppers, you
should also use it as an opportunity to improve your
online reviews on sites like Google, Yelp and Facebook and any specially tailored Citations and Directories. Simply remind those who bought from you that they have the opportunity to share their experience,
give their feedback to allow you to better serve your customers in the future or correct any unpleasant experiences and then provide them with links. Then if you get more positive reviews from those holiday
shoppers, you can potentially benefit from that throughout the rest of the year.

Keep Holiday Campaigns Going
In addition, your actual holiday campaigns don’t have to stop just because Christmas is over. There are plenty of people who might have some last-
minute purchases to make or who want to spend some of those holiday gift cards. So keeping the holiday promotions going for an extra week or so can potentially help you squeeze even more sales out of the holiday season.

Host a Fun Contest
Your business isn’t the only one feeling the post- holiday blues. Consumers could also use a bit of fun after the season. So hosting a fun contest where you ask people to submit holiday photos or plans for the new year could be a great way to increase engagement or even sales.

Put Extra Profits to Good Use
You could also use those extra dollars you made during the holidays to good use. You could run some advertising campaigns or invest in other
marketing activities to keep your sales up throughout the rest of the year if you have extra money.

Start a Retargeting Campaign
For online businesses, one way you can really take advantage of the increased holiday traffic after the fact by launching a remarketing campaign. So you can target those who made purchases or visited
your website at some point throughout the holidays.

Stock Up on Content
You can also take the opportunity to simply tackle some marketing activities that you might not have time for throughout the rest of the year. You can spend time creating social media and blog posts that you can stockpile while business is slow so that you don’t have to rush to create that content when you’re busy later in the year.

Create Unique Visuals
Or you could focus on creating a series of unique visuals for your marketing campaigns throughout the new year. That way you can make sure they’re all cohesive and set toward your main business goals for the year.

Start a New Social Media Campaign
The new year is also a perfect time for you to try something new. Since many people see it as a fresh start, it will seem natural for you to introduce new branding or a new style for your social media
posts. You could even launch a new campaign aimed at increasing your engagement or followers so you can continually boost your sales throughout the year.

Launch a New Product or Service
It’s also the perfect time to work on launching new products or services. Since you’re not likely to be as busy during this time, it can be easier to work on new product launches. And those new offerings can
also lead to sales increases. Think About New Year’s Resolutions
During this time of year, many individuals also decide to try new things or set new goals. And for some businesses, there’s an opportunity to market
products or services to those customers who are focused on specific new year’s resolutions. For example, if you sell an app or product that could be
used for tracking fitness activities, the new year is a perfect time to market to goal setters to increase sales.

Budget for the Year Ahead
You can also use the end of the year as an opportunity to look back at your finances throughout the past year and then make plans for the year
ahead. Creating a budget for the year might not increase your sales notably right away. But it’s an essential activity that can help you optimize your marketing efforts throughout the whole year.

LocalAd Connection
1700 E.Sunrise Blvd Ste 1213
Ft Lauderdale, Florida 33304
Call Us Today: (USA) 1-954-266-0078

Call Us For More Info: (954) 266-0078

 

 

 

 

Copyright Disclaimer:  Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

How to decide which is better, SEO or PPC?

WILL SEO OR PPC STOP OUR MARKETING MONEY GOING DOWN THE DRAIN?

Our cutting-edge, targeted solutions help you attract the right customers, convert leads and grow your business. How do you know your marketing program is efficient and cost effective? A premier Internet marketing and SEO agency, creates measurable marketing campaigns — tracking every click, every call, every lead — so you know that your advertising dollars are working hard to bring you more business.

Experts in professional local SEO, PPC management, display advertising and email marketing, local online marketing specialists, the most advanced call tracking technology available, E-commerce traffic and revenue generation experts.

A highly transparent Internet marketing company — in both work and communication.

Employing the latest Internet marketing and Web design strategies and techniques. Ideal reading for company leaders and in-house marketers wanting a high-level understanding of critical online marketing issues.
For example, we are often asked: “Which is better, PPC or SEO?” We probably hear this question more than any other from companies trying to figure out how to best spend their Internet marketing dollars. It would be great if there were a simple answer, but there are way too many variables for that to be the case. Here are some questions to ask about your organization that will help you zero in on the right answer.

How patient is our organization?

SEO usually takes months or longer to succeed, especially in competitive verticals. In contrast, PPC can obtain results very quickly — at a price, of course. Some company cultures have a difficult time waiting for results; if this sounds like your business, you may be fighting an uphill internal battle getting the level of commitment for SEO necessary for success.
How are your competitors succeeding?

Are your top competitors tearing it up with PPC, or are they noticeably absent? It could be that if competitors are shying away from PPC, they have already determined it’s not a good avenue. Instead of recreating the wheel, you can piggyback on their experience and avoid a flat tire. Same logic can apply to SEO.

Can you budget for both?

A very sensible approach is to implement a long-term SEO campaign while running PPC campaigns concurrently. If you can succeed on both fronts, you will tap into what are usually the two largest and most important sources of online leads. But can you afford to excel in both?

If you spread your budget too thin, you will not succeed in either PPC or SEO, and end up with a lose-lose instead of a win-win.

Still not sure which avenue is best for your company, contact us: www.localAdConnection.com

 

 

LocalAd Connection
1700 E.Sunrise Blvd Ste 1213
Ft Lauderdale, Florida 33304
Call Us Today: (USA) 1-954-266-0078

Call Us For More Info: (954) 266-0078


 

 

 

Copyright Disclaimer:  Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

10 Trends To Define Digital Marketing in 2017

Learn What’s Changed about Digital Marketing

As the role of online marketing continues to expand, it’s more challenging than ever to keep a pulse on what changes are occurring in the field. Continued learning is critical, and if you’re not taking the time to keep up with industry news and marketing trends, your efforts may fall flat.If you’re worried you might have missed something major this year, we have you covered.
Read on for 10 trends that propelled the biggest changes in digital marketing this year:

 

1. Increased Social Search Functionality:

Social media marketing is one of the fastest growing marketing niches, and 2016 brought about much-improved search functionality. In late 2015, Facebook booted Bing and replaced site search with their own algorithm that allows visitors to search all public posts. This year, Twitter updated its advanced search capabilities to allow for long-tail keyword searches. For marketers, social search is exciting because it allows for brand content to be discovered organically. However, increased organic traffic is just one benefit of enhanced social search functionality.

Social search is also an effective research and targeting tool. For example, marketers can search for any term on Facebook and find public posts using that term. Then, results can be filtered by source, location, and date, allowing you to find results for people that already follow your brand, are located in your area, and have posted questions about the term you searched for. These kinds of insights drive content marketing that speaks directly to your audience’s needs. Not to mention, B2B organizations implementing account-based marketing can use these unique insights to inform their targeted campaigns.

2. Real-Time Marketing

Real-time marketing revolves around current and topical events, and it’s an effective way to earn a big boost in traffic and visibility. It’s easier than ever to find trending topics these days: Google Trends provides you with daily updates on the most popular searches, Twitter tells you what hashtags are trending at any given moment, and Facebook provides up-to-date information on popular topics.

Here are a few brands that nailed it this year:

During the 2016 Super Bowl, Gatorade created a Snapchat filter that allowed users to share a Super Bowl tradition—dumping Gatorade on the coach—with their friends. The filter got more than 100 million views, and got Gatorade in on the big event without paying for an in-game commercial.

3. Adaptability is more vital to success than ever:

Change is going to happen whether you pursue it or not. Modern enterprises succeed when they adapt to industry and marketplace shifts and incorporate new technology into company culture and regular operations. However, digital transformation isn’t only about technology, it’s about bringing together the power of technology with a culture that embraces the change that it can lead for the organization.

 4. Growing importance of the user experience: The customer experience (including employees) is the ultimate goal of any digital transformation. Customers are more cautious and distrusting than ever; they’ll turn away from brands that don’t align with their values and needs.

5. Innovation must happen fast: Proactive innovation is one of the best ways to stay competitive in an evolving marketplace. New technology needs to be assessed, tested, analyzed, and judged more quickly than ever. Businesses can no longer afford to waste time and resources implementing new tools that offer no real value. This means a “Fail fast, to succeed faster,” mentality. Some projects will work straight away, others will have significant learning curves. The faster your organization can go from idea to implementation the more it can embrace opportunities to transform and even disrupt markets and internal business models. We’ve already talked about adaptability, but that plays a major role here as well. If a company has an adaptive culture where new tech can be easily integrated—or is at least encouraged—that enterprise is set up for long-term success.

6. Embrace the remote workforce: Young professionals prefer flexibility to compensation. Mobile technology and bandwidth proliferation allow businesses to connect with (and retain) top talent anywhere in the world. Contract and freelance employees appreciate the ability to work from home or while sitting on the beach. Companies benefit from having the ability to hire the most talented employees available in any time zone.

7. The advent of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR): The booming success of the Pokémon GO AR app is a wakeup call to any business that hasn’t evaluated the potential of AR and VR. These technologies were once limited to the gaming realm, but they’re now easier to implement than ever before. The mainstream shift toward AR and VR provides new ways to connect with customers and offer unique, memorable interactions. The popularity of AR and VR also open up the gates for workplace gamification. We anticipate there will be a strong roadmap for incorporating gaming into the workplace along with VR and AR for improved employee engagement, retention and customer experience.

8. Big data and analytics: The importance of big data in the business world can’t be overstated. Despite a dizzying amount of valuable data in the world, few companies are using it to maximum effect. Analytics drive business by showing how your customers think, what they want, and how the market views your brand. In the age of Digital Transformation, almost everything can be measured. In the coming year this will be a cornerstone of how businesses operate.

9. Digital transformation is driven by the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT offers immeasurable insight into customer’s mind. Businesses and customers alike will continue to benefit from the IoT. With an estimated 50 billion IoT Sensors by 2020 and more than 200 billion “Things” on the Internet by 2030, it is no question that IoT will be not only transformative, but disruptive to existing or outdated business models.

10. Smart machines and artificial intelligence (AI) are taking off in a big way. Our relationships to technology continue to evolve. Soon machines will be able to learn and adapt to their environments. AI has long been considered the realm of science fiction, but as technology improves, AI becomes a reality. AIs will be able to work collaboratively with human professionals to solve intensely complex problems. AI stands to become one of the most disruptive forces in the IT world.

Call Us Today:
LocalAd Connection
1700 E.Sunrise Blvd Ste 1213
Ft Lauderdale, Florida 33304
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Source:  Forbes