Emerging Marketing Trends for 2017

Which way will the marketing winds blow in 2017? It’s impossible to say for sure, but certain trends are emerging. The big question being, how can you stay focused, create conversations, and increase conversions? Paying attention to what’s on the horizon is a good start. Here are 10 trends that are beginning to take shape in 2017.

1. Increased focus on customer experience. While the customer experience gets a lot of airtime, today’s successful businesses are now putting those philosophies into action with experiences that are more rewarding.

2. Engaged and effective measuring. Similarly, measuring results are often talked about, but seldom mastered. In the year ahead, measurement will move to the forefront with business objectives based on profit, revenue, and customer satisfaction.

3. Rise of the marketing technologists and data scientists. To make the first two trends on our list work, business must be data-driven. Expect Chief Marketing Technologists to lead the way.

4. Personalized everything. As we work to individualize everything from our shoes, to our apps, to our Coca-Cola cans, mass customization will transform itself into personalization.

5. Video becomes the new ruler. Yes, content is still king. But the kind of content that rules the web is changing. Social content, reviews, blogs, papers, and eBooks are now all turning to video to deliver their messages.

6. Social media gets more social. We’re slowly changing the way that we think about social media, using it to market less, and sell more. We’ll likely see social media engaging more with users instead of simply blasting messages.

7. The IoT takes hold. The Internet of Things has toiled through its infancy. In 2017, more marketers will leverage the power of connected devices to collect more data, make better use of it, and capitalize on opportunities.

8. Chatbots go mainstream. Providing positive customer experiences means leveraging the power of technology. Chatbots will use our “likes” and behaviors to point us in the direction of restaurants, shopping, and other retailers.

9. Real-time becomes right-time. Real-time marketing has been hot the last few years. But as we now use data to isolate the best moment to connect with customers, marketing right now will give way to doing it at the right time.

10. Digital transformation campaigns. Many suggest that CMO should own digital transformation. What they should own is the digital transformation campaign, or the process by which we show that our company is undergoing a transformation.

Of course, there’s always more to it than a Top-10 list, but these are the most apparent trends we’re likely to experience as the year continues to unfold.

Based on The Top 10 Trends Driving Marketing In 2017 by Daniel Newman.