More people than ever before do their shopping online today. The pandemic drove many people to buy digitally to avoid the virus. However, the convenience of having things delivered directly to your front door changed the way they shop forever.
How Has the Advertising Industry Changed?
Recently, eMarketer predicted digital ad spending will reach $300 billion by 2025 in the United States. Rapid growth in online promotions is due to how successful they are as well as how many more people spend time online.
What are some of the significant changes in the ad experience driving such growth in the last five years, and how can you tap into this powerful tool to drive your own company’s growth?
1. Refined Messaging
The days of clickbait advertising or being overly dramatic are over. Consumers are tired of being “tricked” into clicking on links. They are much savvier than ever before. If you try to fool them, they are going to choose to never buy from you.
Make sure your messaging is on point and speaks directly to your audience. What are their pain points and why should they care about your product? How can you help them solve a problem?
2. Augmented Reality (AR)
In March 2020, New York City closed down completely, including Broadway. The city lost an estimated $15 billion, with around 90,000 people out of work for months on end. Recovering required some interesting maneuvers to bring audiences back to the theater.
The Broadway League decided to launch an unusual augmented reality immersive experience ad campaign. They knew they needed something unique to entice people to step out of their new comfort zones.
Look for ways to engage your audience on a personal level. Use AR, immersive displays and actions to draw them in.
3. Value for Effort
People may be online more, but they also have more content from which to choose. They have a question and your content can answer it. However, it must be the best value out there or they’ll go to a competitor instead.
Around 88% of marketers feel content is the best way to reach people and build brand awareness. If you want to establish yourself as an authority in your industry, you must produce content frequently and ensure it is better than anything else available.
Spend time looking at other websites and see what topics they cover in their articles. Are there any holes? What can you cover that will make your content that little bit better than theirs?
4. Video Messaging
Wyzowl recently reported on the state of video marketing for 2022. Their polling showed around 66% of marketing professionals will increase video efforts or at least maintain what they’re currently doing.
Audiences absorb visual information better and remember it longer than text alone. Adding videos to your website increases engagement and conversions. Changes in the last five years make it possible to throw a video up on your TikTok reel, add a live shot to Facebook or utilize YouTube as a social media channel
5. Targeted Audiences
Another change in marketing in the past five years includes improvements in social media giants’ databases. For example, if you want to segment your audience to include professional female lawyers under 30 who live in Chicago, you can easily create a segment to get your message only to them.
You can further filter your message to those who like a certain hobby or have other interests. As databases improve, expect even more targeted and personalized ad options.
Upcoming Changes
Technology changes constantly. The methods that work today may not be as effective tomorrow. Be aware of new gadgets and changes, so you can pivot to include them in your promotions. If you try new things, take note of what works. Over time, you’ll see consistent improvement in results and become a marketing guru.
Eleanor Hecks is the founder and managing editor of Designerly Magazine. She’s also a web design consultant with a focus on customer experience and user interface. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dogs, Bear and Lucy. Connect with her about marketing, design and/or tea on LinkedIn.
