I’ve been working in the digital marketing space for the last twelve years. Isn’t that wild that digital marketing has been around that long (and technically, even longer). Time really flies. Technology moves fast as well. This episode is more focused from the perspective of working in the industry and less on the customer’s experience of campaigns and digital channels. Here’s what I’m thinking about when it comes to the year ahead.
Owning the Wins, Ignoring the Losses
Leadership wants to own the success of digital and avoid failure at all cost. That’s not quite how digital works. Most organizations doing digital well are constantly trying new things and are failing often.
History of Success, but….
Of course, now more than ever we have case studies and successes to learn from. It’s hard to apply findings because they aren’t necessarily universal “wins”. Example: What works for Chobani (yogurt) doesn’t work the same for Scott’s Miracle Grow (fertilizer with a seasonality to their business) Every company has their own hurdles when it comes to doing digital successfully. Additionally, the landscape is changing rapidly.
Personalization Obsession
Personalization is such a buzz worthy topic. However, I wonder if its really “worth it”. This goes back to the concept of trying new things. Companies that are doing that have a better idea of what is worth continuing to do and what is driving engagement. Ultimately, that’s what marketing is for. Driving customer action, influencing behavior, creating
Technology has Outpaced Talent
The technology is always ahead of what the talent is capable of. It can do so much, however, learning how to use all of the tools it takes to manage digital takes time, access to projects that allow a margin of failure.
Social Channels
I think there’s a lot ahead for Instagram with the arrival of the new feature allowing shopping within the app. TikTok will continue to grow in adoption this year. I think with the right direction, TikTok could be greater than what Vine was. For Facebook, I hope that more enhancements are coming for businesses there. With greater scrutiny around
Digital Talent
I can’t stress this enough, but if you work in digital…you need to be keeping track of the value that you bring the the role that you’re doing. It’s competitive out there for roles and it’s in your best interest to keep up to date with the latest trends and on top of what you have created in terms of meeting business goals.
Data Privacy and Use
More regulations around how companies can use your data and what they can send you via email and market to you through online ads.
Expanding to New Spaces
Blockchain initiatives. Artificial Intelligence and will Cryptocurrencies grow in popularity?
