2018 Digital Marketing Trends

Mobile influences marketing strategies Adissa Akanni (Verisure, Securitas Direct) emphasizes the triumph of mobile over desktop. “The ‘Mobile Moment’ remains one of the most significant developments in recent months. This shift in the balance between mobile and desktop will further accelerate the development of AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) formats.” This global trend, highlighted in the 2017 Consumer Barometer, influences overall marketing strategies. Content on sites and platforms adapts; companies must design customer experiences considering smartphone features. The decline of organic reach on social media Social networks will not disappear in 2018, but their role is gradually changing. Like many industry professionals, Diana Fellous (Uriage dermatology laboratories) noticed a decline in organic reach on Facebook. The social network was considered by brands as “a true playground since 2008–2009” but “it increasingly functions as a media, meaning that visibility requires paid promotion. You must be present, but also budget for media to provide visibility to content.” Patrycja Mothon (Pandora) agrees and appreciates the effectiveness of dynamic ads on Facebook (DPA, Dynamic Product Ads). According to Élodie Ragot (Xylem), the role of social media should be differentiated according to target audiences to develop effective strategies. “Major digital trends revolve around social media for B2B lead generation and B2C sales growth.” Regarding Social Media trends, we recommend reading this excellent analysis published by Buffer earlier this week. Organic social media increasingly resembles less of a traffic acquisition channel. The rise of influencer marketing Faced with declining social media effectiveness (excluding paid ads), marketers look for other levers. Some enthusiasts have become valuable channels that brands would be wise to leverage. Influencer marketing has become mainstream, with more brands engaging influencers to boost recognition or shape brand image. According to Pierre Goubault, it will be one of 2018’s trends: “Digital marketing in 2018 will be marked by the emergence of influencers as a credible alternative to traditional levers.” The “influencer profession” is becoming structured and is no longer limited to fashion and beauty. Numerous platforms have developed over the past two years to facilitate connections between brands and these new media: Octoly, Lefty, Influence4You… Diana Fellous notes that these KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) sometimes invest across all platforms before brands and more effectively: first blogs, then Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, etc. Content in evolution Whether brands speak on their own behalf or borrow voices from opinion leaders, they must

Adapt their content to social networks. In recent years, especially in 2017, several trends attracted significant attention. Video content is the most obvious example, a format continuously promoted by Facebook and other platforms. Some media organizations even chose to pivot entirely to video, abandoning their websites—and perhaps part of their independence. Susie Banikarim (Editorial Director at Gizmodo) perfectly summarized the speculative hype around video with: “R.I.P. Pivot to Video (2017–2017).” It is difficult to discuss content and social media without mentioning Stories. Snapchat started the trend, followed by the entire Facebook ecosystem, YouTube, and others. Brands had no choice but to adapt in order to reach audiences who enjoy these unique content formats. Diana Fellous closely follows this trend: “It will be interesting to see how these new types of content—more playful, more authentic, and closer to consumers—evolve compared to more traditional and institutional content.” Since social media is not the only channel through which users access editorial content, brands are also intensifying their SEO efforts while emphasizing user experience and audience interest in content. “Content must always be customer-oriented and adapted to the audience’s language.” The rise of artificial intelligence At the end of the year, there has been a great deal of discussion about artificial intelligence, robots, machine learning, deep learning, and related technologies. Brands have high expectations, although practical use cases remain somewhat limited, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses. They are already imagining how artificial intelligence can—or will—personalize each customer's experience and maximize conversions. Today, this “artificial intelligence” (although the term is often overused) is represented by certain chatbots (when they incorporate machine learning) and by personal assistants, which brands are beginning to invest in. “Voice-related technologies will enable the creation of a more humanized digital experience,” according to Catherine Spindler (vente-privee). “The challenge is to design consumer experiences that are innovative and compelling while remaining grounded in reality and optimizing conversion rates. Personalization also contributes to this evolution and enrichment of the customer experience.” The digital transformation of traditional companies Pure digital players are naturally the most advanced in digital technology. However, traditional businesses and click-and-mortar companies are increasingly drawing inspiration from pure players when developing their strategies. Pierre Goubault (MesMatériaux) notes that these companies are making increasingly significant investments and becoming more serious competitors. These organizations can “implement cross-channel services and develop synergies between the Internet and physical stores.” Traditional companies will continue their digital transformation in 2018 by adopting innovative processes pioneered by pure players.