• Marketing

Written by: Action Digital

The world of online marketing is evolving at such a pace that the trends that influence the industry shift and change year on year with the advent of new technologies, innovations and audience preferences. At the beginning this New Year, our team of digital marketing experts have spent some time reflecting on the advancements in the industry over 2015 and considering the most important developments that we predict will rock the online marketing scene this coming year. Hoping to create the most successful and efficient online marketing strategy in 2016, take a look at our five top online marketing predictions to stay ahead of the competitive curve. Prediction #1: Video ads will start dominating: Although video advertising options have long been available on platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Bing, the new year is set to see this media tool reach all new levels of online presence and user acceptance. So what is set to make 2016 so different? Well for starters, there are hints that Google will soon be offering the option of in-SERP video advertising, indicating that users are ready to see more video ads online and in their search results. The possibilities of online video advertising are endless, so chances are, these ads will become both more sophisticated and more frequent. Prediction #2: Mobile will continue to rise exponentially:  Following the release of a significant new mobile-friendly ranking algorithm by Google, 2015 proved highly successful for mobile internet usage. And while mobile overtook desktop usage in 10 countries last year, this domination is set to continue growing in 2016, with Google insinuating that companies may no longer even need a desktop optimised website, and a stand-alone mobile site will suffice. Google’s standing on mobile optimisation is out in the open this year, so as the trend continues, we can assume that companies that are not mobile friendly will rank significantly lower and online marketing will increasingly shift its focus towards mobile. Prediction #3: Live-streaming will take social engagement to new levels: The power and beauty of the Internet as a marketing and communications tool, is its unique ability to allow consumers and audiences to interact and engage. With live-streaming apps such as Snapchat bursting onto the scene in 2015, we predict that more and more innovative and forward thinking brands will start to explore how to integrate this innovative new social media tool into their digital marketing campaigns in 2016. Prediction #4: Native advertising: Native advertising is the internet’s answer to the pesky ad blockers which do what they say they do – block ads. And while ad blockers are old news in the world of internet marketing, they’ve been making waves recently after Apple decided to start supporting them on the iOS 9 mobile operating systems powering iPhones and iPads. There is a solution to this online marketing nightmare. Enter native ads, which disguise their true promotional purpose by matching the form and function of the platform upon which they appear, hence fooling the ad blocking technology and becoming an essential tool in any digital marketing campaign for 2016.. Prediction #5: Mobile shopping platforms will become more important than ever: We’ve already seen that mobile usage is fast on its way to becoming the leading means by which people access the internet, and with the increase in mobile internet usage comes a rise in mobile ecommerce and mobile spending. More and more people are searching for, and purchasing products on their mobile devices, so we think that 2016 is looking set to be the year that retailers focus on further facilitating browsing, shopping and wireless payment all from a customer’s mobile phone. Here at Action we have a great team of energetic and experience online digital marketing professionals ready to help you take your business to the next level this year. We’re looking forward to hearing from you so get in touch today.

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