What Is The Future of Digital Marketing – Top 6 Predictions For The Next Decade

Digital marketing has been around for more than two decades. But we have seen numerous changes to the way brands find and connect with their customers. As we’re about to move into 2022, it’s crucial for businesses and marketers to stay on top of their game. If you run any sort of business, you must watch out for all the latest digital marketing trends and techniques so you could adjust your strategy by adopting emerging technologies. For instance, if you run an insurance agency, you need to explore all the innovative insurance marketing techniques that will help you achieve sustainable growth. 

Let’s take a look at 6 digital marketing predictions that will help you rethink the way you prepare for the future: 

1. Advanced chatbots will become a necessity 

We know how artificial intelligence (AI) is disrupting many industries. As AI technology is getting out of its infancy phase, we are coming across products like advanced chatbots that are used both as marketing and customer support tools. If we look at the past, we had chatbots but they were annoying and useless. Most of the time we used to wait for an answer for a while, and the answer used to be a generic one, or a link to the blog post. Modern consumers don’t like to talk to a bot that can’t provide helpful solutions. Time is really important today, so customers want their problems to be solved fast.

However, now we have really smart marketing bots that not only understand consumer intent but also propose relevant solutions based on consumers’ needs and preferences. Facebook found out that 56% of shoppers would prefer to send instant messages rather than making a call for support. The good thing about advanced, AI-driven chatbots is that they help your customers find quick answers to their questions. So, get yourself ready for the future. Let a smart bot help you close sales that otherwise would have gone astray. 

2. Automation will be more accessible 

Imagine a business process and you will likely find a tool that would automate that process. Automation and machine learning have already become more accessible to businesses. You don’t need to have the in-depth knowledge and expertise previously required to build your digital marketing campaigns. If we talk about digital marketing, we will find hundreds of automation tools that automated various aspects of your business from email marketing to social media scheduling. Almost every industry has its own dedicated automation tool that is designed to serve specific marketing needs. 

In the next decade, automation will get more easy and simple to implement. Small businesses would be able to implement highly sophisticated tools without having any technical knowledge. The main reason is that automation tools are becoming more and more customizable. Almost any type of business could chose features needed for the best marketing automation. 

3. Hands-free, voice-powered technologies will dominate 

Mobile phone assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Home have been around for a while. When voice technology emerged in 2011 with the launch of Siri, no one knew the potential of this technology. In the next decade, we will see voice-powered platforms as a drive for tech innovation. eMarketer predicted that nearly 92.3% of smartphone users will be using voice assistants by 2023. Wifi headphones and voice control will allow us more flexibility during the working hours, so productivity should increase as well.

4. Advanced AI technologies will expand

As mentioned earlier in this post, AI technologies are expanding in scope. In the world of digital marketing, we will witness drastic developments in what this technology is capable of. We have already discussed how advanced marketing bots will play a key role in the customer service industry. As AI and machine learning are now able to emulate human beings with incredible accuracy, digital marketing will become more personalized and efficient. 

Collecting data and learning from the data is what the future is all about. We will become more proficient in decision making, but the data analysis will become automated.

5. Micro-influencer marketing will rise 

Over the last few years, influencer marketing has grown huge with micro-influencers on Instagram and YouTube attracting millions of followers and earning a six-figure income. While micro-influencer marketing is still in its infancy, you can use it to get a higher ROI than other conventional marketing means. Macro influencers are also losing their significance as their recommendations don’t create a huge impact. 

Final Thoughts 

There is hardly any industry that transforms as quickly as digital marketing. What was popular and effective a few years ago now seems old-fashioned and ineffective. That’s why you should be looking for emerging trends and technologies to stay at the top of your marketing game. If your digital marketing efforts aren’t producing satisfactory results, it’s time to revamp your strategy and include more innovative and futuristic techniques in your online marketing toolbox.