5 timeless digital advertising trends
The digital world is always evolving, and this makes digital advertising one of the trickiest businesses out there. Brands often struggle to stay relevant and up to date in the eyes of their target audience due to the abundance of content. Moreover, with developments happening at a very fast pace on all platforms, it is becoming harder and harder for brands to stay on track and not fall behind, or fall in the traps of trial and error.
In order for your brand not to not stray, we suggest you always remember your purpose. Instead of going along with every trend using every new tool out there, try to utilize familiar originals whileexperimenting carefully with new but relevant methods that fit you to guarantee success!
Here’s a list of the most effective digital trends (some new, some timeless) to look out for through your advertising journey:
1-Interactivity is everything
Brands that speak to their target in a fun way that actually makes them want to respond always win. As the internet is getting more and more opinionated and vocal, interactivity will give your target audience the feeling that they are heard, appreciated and understood.
Coming up with fun interactive content like trivias, giveaways, games, memes, polls etc. will not only reflect your brand personality well and give it a familiar humane side but more importantly, interactivity can also significantly increase user engagement and enjoyment, as well as increase the time users spend on your page and view your posts.
Although this method has been around for a while and is one of the greatest advantages of the digital world, it has increased in popularity over the years due to the fact that it has proven to give incredible results in terms of user experience.
2- Be aware of what matters & be inclusive
We’ve established that people are passionate, vocal and opinionated when it comes to expressing their views on social media, they like brands that are also expressive. People support brands that have values, notice things that matter and speak up when a relevant issue surfaces. Make sure that your brand does not only keep up with fun trends, but you must also follow and address important worldwide issues such as the environment, human rights, political stands etc.
This will go to show that your brand cares about the bigger picture and that it is not deaf to the real world.
Another key related concept brands should adopt is inclusivity; showing acceptance, diversity and understanding.
Welcome representing different people that come from different backgrounds, lifestyles, circumstances etc. and say goodbye to old homogeneous approaches and one-size-fits-all content. People will appreciate diversity in your visuals, content and values.
3- Add more to your ads
In a time where ads are usually skipped or blocked, smart brands need to find a way to work around it. Instead of forcing ads on your target, you should find a new way to deliver your message that is easier to swallow.
Most brands now drift towards influencer marketing because it can give your audience all the information they need to know in an easy, fun storytelling approach. After all, who wouldn’t listen to their favorite internet icon?
Influencer ads are usually carried out in a variety of ways, including (most popularly) reviews on PR packages, collaborations, hands-on experience, takeovers etc. depending on your product or service and what you want to say; you just need to pick a format that is short, friendly and simple!
When done right, influencer marketing will help you catch and hold the attention of your target audience, increase traffic on your page and create awareness of your expected product or service experience as well as establish brand trust.
However, brands should always remain truthful to their customers.
Do not fall into the trap of overreaching and making promises you can’t keep, but instead make sure your brand quality is up to standard and is lined up with or even better than what your influencer advocates.
4- Easy = purchase
What makes digital advertising such a key tool in driving leads is because it is easy. You can view the product, click, and purchase within seconds.
Make sure that your pages are all optimized to give your customers easy-access to the product and the simplest possible steps for them to make a purchase.
In addition to easy-access and easy purchase, your platforms should have instant communication with your target audience; make use of chatbots, store features, feedback, visual or audio-visual product-representation etc. to make sure your consumers’ questions are answered quickly and in a variety of ways and that your target enjoys a user friendly experience.
Chatbots are particularly important because it allows customers to complete a purchase or ask about a product without interacting with actual people; which leads to less overall conversation duration, less error and a more efficient experience. Which is what we are all looking for; smooth purchase with minimum problems, doubts or regrets.
5- Personalization
We decided to go for a timeless familiar favorite to end our list, because it is still key in all successful digital advertising we see.
Because personalization has been around for a while, it has become what people expect to see from your brand. This means that people appreciate it when the content they see is based on previous interactions they had with the brand.
A key concept that comes hand in hand with personalization is segmentation. Instead of creating a large campaign that targets all your audience, break them down into little segments and create smaller campaigns that target each group individually. This way, your content will feel more personal to each segment, and you will be able to gather the right detailed insights of your buyer personas. Which will ultimately help you improve your content and targeted ads.
On point personalization is not easy to do, but it has its advantages. For instance, it will most definitely increase purchase (new and repeated) as well as boost your ROI and develop higher levels of consumer loyalty.