Bronco Media Digital Marketing Predictions for 2017

In the world of digital marketing things change so quickly, we can find predictions we made at the beginning of the year can be obsolete before we get half way through, or something we never even considered becomes the next big thing. In 2016 the Digital Media Marketing team continually evolved how we work, pushing forward with social media campaigns for clients and running competitions. We also started to focus a lot more on content which is suited for mobile devices. Yet again we expect to see new challenges, as concepts change. Again the team was tasked with their predictions as to where they see digital marketing heading in 2017.

Hannah

Conversation

The art of conversation in the digital age is not dead. Last year we saw many brands start use chat bots with customers as part of their engagement strategy. I think this is a valuable tool for any company, no matter their size. Customers and brands have seen the benefit from interaction on social media, as portals to help our customers, offer advice and generally have a personable presence online. So bots offer a level of service which can fill in the gaps for those who may not always check their emails or know where to find brands on social media sites.

Influencer marketing

Last year was a big year for influencer marketing, however it doesn’t mean it has peaked, and instead I think we will start to see new ways of working with influencers. Working with them to create engaging content that’s not just via blogs but across big social media channels. Creating bespoke content for Snapchat, Pinterest and Instagram, to drive users to brands sites and also influencer’s sites. For marketers, analytics for all platforms will allow us to look at which influencers we work with to fit our campaign needs. Looking at turning to engagement, rather than reach.

Balance

Finally I believe balance will be a big trend for 2017 or for me anyway. In a world that seems to be led by our smartphones I want to add balance to my life. Spending all day online for my job, monitoring news stories and social media sites, it can feel like an informational overload. However when I leave work I am still glued to my technology reading more news stories or articles when I am at home and jumping on my social media. For 2017 I will be looking to digital detox as much as I can outside of work and getting my digital fix in work.

Sian

Content marketing expansion

We’ve seen new and much more creative types of content marketing hitting our screens in the past couple of years. Where it used to all be about the humble blog post and press release, we’re now seeing infographics (and gifographics) everywhere, video, eBooks and interactive websites. Consumers on the internet, particularly the younger generation, are visual creatures, so it’ll all be about getting your voice heard over the noise, and the way to do this is to be unique and offer multi-platform campaigns.

Blogs as businesses

We’ve never seen as much growth in the bloggersphere as we did in 2016, and not just in terms of the volume of blogs – bloggers are gaining more influence and more recognition as a source of information as we head in 2017. We’re likely to see more bloggers taking it full time this year, so keep an eye out for income reports from even small bloggers showing how to turn your blog into a business.

Google+’s final death

In terms of social media, I’m predicting (and hoping!) that we’re finally going to see Google+ die – interaction and engagement on the platform has slowed, it’s been rumoured for years that it’s on the way out, so let’s let it die a dignified death before it’s too late!
Facebook has been pushed to the wayside by the younger generations and with new algorithms updates constantly prioritising those paying to be seen, it’s possible even more people will turn their backs on it.
Twitter and Instagram will be sticking around though, so don’t say your goodbyes just yet!

Stewart

Digital marketing set to surpass traditional advertising

With the power and reach of the internet becoming ever more prevalent and the traditional methods of advertising slowly diminishing, digital marketing will see a big increase in 2017. As we have already seen over the past few years, the future of marketing is online and has many benefits. More social traffic and increased conversion rates, as well as better rankings in the search engines can be gained from a great digital marketing campaign.

In fact, many companies now spend more money on their digital marketing campaigns than they do on their traditional advertising as consumers continue to move online.

Videos, infographics and shareable content will continue to grow

It’s plain to see that videos, infographics, memes and gifs dominate social media networks, and this year will see brands diversify with shareable content for their own marketing campaigns.

Visual forms of content are already the most engaging and shared forms of media on the internet and those brands that can provide a useful or witty visual message to their customers are bound to receive more interaction and increase engagement.

Mobile marketing is set to boom

2017 will see the growth of mobile specific marketing as brands try new ways of engaging with consumers. Over the past few years brands have been optimising the content they send out so that it is easily digestible on mobile devices and nowadays wearable tech too.

This is not a new advertising method by any means, but the tactics and strategy behind it has been evolving drastically over the past couple of years as brands learn more about consumers’ mobile browsing habits. Expect mobile marketing to continue to grow throughout 2017 as brands look for new ways to gain new customers and retain old ones.

As always, relevant, well timed and convenient content is king even if the methods of delivery change.

Laura

A need for Speed

As a generation we are getting more demanding, we are less inclined to look for something and expect our search efforts to return the exact answer to our query in a timely fashion. We are less willing to search for stuff and we have become more fickle. I know for myself if I access a website and it spends too long loading or I can’t find what I want within a few clicks I will go somewhere else. This provides a challenge to all of us, websites need to be clean, quick and easy to navigate. Content marketing has to be carefully thought out, highly targeted and delivered at the right time, to the right people, in the right way. There is an awful lot of “noise” online and with more and more people turning to online activities to try and make a quick buck the challenge for 2017 will be making sure you stand out and deliver.

Pay to be seen

Following on from my “when do we want it? Now” point, I think 2017 will be the year where the budget you have to throw at your advertising may outweigh how good your content is when returning KPI’s. Which is something I am pained to say.

Search results and social media feeds are becoming dominated with paid ads and sponsored content and as these sites race to monetise, organic reach will continue to suffer.  This will make it harder for the little guys to be seen, which I feel loses the quality that made social media marketing so special in the first place. I loved how in the beginning there was a level playing field and the only thing that held up back was your imagination. As reach and returned search results continue to be affected by how much money is spent on the platform I can’t help but think this will have a negative result on any organic efforts.

Is this the year we turn off?

Following on from Hannah’s comment about a “digital detox” and the changes we have seen in 2016 allowing paid content to dominating search results and news feeds, I have to wonder if this is the year people move away from killing time online. I predict practical uses of the internet will continue to grow but I feel the amount of time we spend on line, and the way we use these sites will be notably different when we look back 12 months from now.

Paul

2017’s main trends will see a simplification in graphics, coupled with bold colours and single line weights to create stripped back logos. Hand drawn lettering and a vintage themes will also be heavily featured with many companies looking backwards into their past identities and new companies seeking to give their brands a look of authenticity and an air of trustworthiness.

Modern Retro / Retro Inspired

Modern retro logos use nostalgia to hark back to better times and remind the customer of the rich history of a company. Designers raid the archives of brands to find their most recognisable logo. It’s then freshened up in a simple flat style and combined with bold colours.

Kinetic Logos

With the viral success of the animated gif it’s only been a matter of time before designers started to add motion to logos. The result is far more engaging to the viewer than a static object and these logos certainly stand out from the crowd. Revealing the logo on-screen piece by piece helps to break down the visual elements into bit size chunks.

Form Simplification

Simplifying a logo by removing unwanted and unnecessary visual elements to take it back to its bare visual bones. The new logo is presented in a flat design style. This enhances the impact of the logo and aids in customer recognition.

Hand Drawn

Hand drawn calligraphic writing can instantly evoke a nostalgic feel. Designers use this look to give a sense of history and authenticity to a brand, no matter how new. Hand drawing letters ensures they are bespoke to a particular design but it can be hard to successfully use this technique for all logos.

Line Art

Line art, or Monoline logos are intricate icons drawn with a single weight line. Use of symetry is commonplace, as is a simple and bold colouring (often black and white). They can be used as an icon or coupled with geometric fonts to create a full logo. Monoline logos can often be found in the food and beverage industry.