After a year filled with unexpected outcomes, changes, and innovations we’re ready to give you our best guesses to help you crush 2017.
- Personalization is key. While generalized ads are easier to create, impersonal language won’t connect with your audience. As influencer marketing grows, your brand and campaign needs to feel both authentic and personal to the audience. One of our favorite examples? Spotify’s “Thanks 2016, it’s been weird,” billboard campaign. Utilizing data visualization and their digital platform, they took to the streets and delivered personalized, witty messages to the masses.
- Solidify your campaign metrics. Is the goal social media engagement or a direct sales ROI? Making sales and making viral waves don’t always go together. Make sure you’re measuring the KPIs you care about to understand the results and quality of your campaigns. This shift will help both in-house and agency marketers have improved accountability and can utilize learnings and results to their advantage.
- Focus on augmented reality, not virtual reality. Between Snapchat spectacles and Pokémon Go augmented reality has proven it’s viral potential in a way that virtual reality has never managed, despite having the first iteration in 1968. While Pokemon Go’s initial buzz has quieted, the game’s partnership with Starbucks and the initial reactions that led businesses to adjust their strategies to entice players to frequent their businesses shows the power incorporating trends to leverage your business.
- Make sure you’re creating a digital conversation. Digital conversation will help you connect with your audience and achieve micro-personalization. When you’re pitching a campaign, the ability to interact and personally talk back to your audience is integral to success. There will always be questions, praise, and, especially, criticism. From my first role as a community manager for Power Rangers (I know, throwback!) to my emphasis in social and content strategy now, I believe replies and interaction are one of the fundamental elements of a successful campaign. Giving customers the recognition they desire during a campaign will help solidify your brand in a meaningful way.
- Video is important – but it doesn’t have to be live. If you’re trying to go viral, or just achieve sales, video is the most powerful medium to spread your message. Live video, however, despite its trendy appeal may not be the right medium to share your brand’s vision. Be sure to use live video sparingly, and only for the right fit. If there isn’t audience interaction or anticipation, there isn’t a clear reason to use the medium. Avoid the temptation and remember using the right content type to reach your audience is integral.
- Make it mobile friendly. This has been top of mind for most brands for years, but with mobile spend continuing to rise, we’re looking at 72% of ad spends being mobile by 2019. Make sure your site, content, and campaigns can be built with mobile in mind.
- Programmatic direct is on the rise. Using scheduled ads can help your campaign pop and ensures that your audience sees it when you want them to, instead of at random. Gaining more control over what content your differing audiences see ties back into personalization, and will ultimately lead to stronger conversions and a better overall campaign.
We’ll have more tips for you as 2017 continues, and look forward to seeing new innovations from our favorite publishers, platforms, and more.
Want Mad Fish Digital to help you navigate the ever-changing digital puzzle and make your brand stand out? Contact us today to get started.
