Deepening on where you are sitting, 2016 was either a fantastic year or one that you would rather forget. Whichever side of the coin that you fall on, we could agree that we witnessed some pretty big changes in our industry.
Marketing is a field that is dominated by those with the foresight to plan ahead, anticipate the changes, and jump on the trends before your competitors do. So here is your chance to take note of the forecasted trends coming up in 2017 and prepare yourself and business for them.
1. Rise (the big one) of Augmented Reality
Think back to a few months ago when Pokemon Go blew up not only the app / game world but also gave all of us a taste of what augmented reality could really mean for our businesses. No one could have predicted the radical $10 million a day earnings that the company pulled in during it’s peak. And although the enthusiasm has largely taken a back seat, the app has had two main effects on the online marketing game: One it has shown that users are more than ready for AR (augmented reality) experiences; Two it’s given marketers a taste of the potential earnings when they pair AR with their existing platform. – You can expect to see more AR games, AR ads, and the attempts to capitalize on the AR apps that are already in existence.
2. Live Streaming
Take Facebook Live for instance: Social media users are beginning to demand more NOW or in the moment content. Thanks to flood of mobile devices in our market live video has become something of a trend on it’s own. Even this year’s first Presidential debate was streamed live, which drew millions of viewers in for the show.
3. Immersive Experience
Users are not only craving live video feeds, but they are also salivating for more immersive experiences. AR and VR (virtual reality) are two technologies driving this thought process forward. If these two technologies boggle your mind and send you into a tech coma, don’t forget other ways of providing this immersive experience. You can offer 360 videos to give the users a feeling of actually being right there with you, getting a bird’s eye view of your surroundings. There is also the old standby of live webinars and workshops, where your audience will engage with you in your specific tasks. The key here is to attempt to provide some level of personal interaction in a way that makes people feel they are a part of something bigger than just their computer screen or phone.
Are their any other trends which you see making a big splash in 2017? We would love to hear your thoughts on the subject in the comments below.
