4 Digital Marketing Trends to Look Out for in 2018

Digital marketing is becoming a preferred method of marketing in companies all over the globe due to the amount of traffic online content receives. The 2017-2018 Global Digital Outlook Study found that 43% of marketers around the world are continuously increasing their digital marketing investments and almost 50% are spending half of their marketing budget or more on digital avenues. With new technology being released each year and the accessibility and ease of which the every day consumer can access these digital platforms and thus are exposed to internet marketing, businesses will continue to find new ways to advertise.

Here are some trends to look out for in 2018:

1. Virtual or Augmented Reality: With the release of Pokemon Go in the summer of 2016, it wouldn’t be a bad assumption to believe AR might soon become compatible with mobile sites and social media. Advertisers can use augmented reality through the sites to promote content on a virtual level, allowing users to access the content in certain locations.
2. The Expansion of Live Video: With so many social media sites adopting a real-time video streaming features, marketing agencies will begin to take a more active role in video advertising. The ability to reach consumers in real-time, with many sites giving the ability for live comments, creates a huge advantage towards target-specific advertising. Viewers will access the videos out of choice rather than being exposed to display ads that are stuck in the peripherals.
3. Smart Assistants: Home technology like Alexa or Google Home are gaining in popularity and it can only be surmised that they will soon be an additional vehicle for targeted advertising. More companies are focusing on their SEO rankings and SEM possibilities and will continue to grow as smart-speakers fill homes everywhere.
4. Offline Digital: People are beginning to use digital tools in their offline experiences. Companies can broadcast events online ahead of their live start time and stay on during the event. This opens up a new avenue for online marketing and could potentially gain popularity over other forms of coverage such as television.

Digital marketing isn’t a new tool in the marketing world but is gaining widespread use and popularity in companies everywhere. There will continue to be new trends year after year as well as unsuccessful digital experiments. Many agencies are up to date on all the latest trends and can begin to see the formation of new ones.

For the full list of trends, visit Forbes.com