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PPC Landing Pages and Other Trends You Should Know in 2018

January 23, 2018/in Articles, Directors, Marketing Strategy, Social Media /by Nicole Wagner

As 2017 draws to a close, another exciting and interesting year of PPC marketing will conclude soon. PPC landing pages still hold strong, but the other trends in pay per click marketing are worth analyzing as well. That also means it is time to anticipate the future landscape and direction of paid search, with some help of the smartest guys in the industry. Voice search and artificial intelligence were two of the hottest topics in 2017, and it is likely that we will hear plenty more about them in the next year, as well as PPC landing pages.

In 2018, Ilya Cherepakhin predicts that PPC marketers will get pushed on two important fronts. They will unleash the intelligence and power of audience management and make inroads into voice search. Although there are other challenges, such as smart bidding automation, multi-channel attribution and cross-device analytics, he contends that voice search and audience management are likely to open up bigger frontiers for success, besides the good old PPC landing pages.

Voice search, though still evolving, cannot be overlooked. Marketers will have to rethink and devise new strategies for natural presence and PPC. This is because voice technology will tap into a considerably different kind of user behavior compared to that of an average mobile user. The use of existing mobile search technique will not be enough. It would be essential to have new and more relevant marketing objectives, reconsider the type of products and services that are more suitable for voice users, and come up with better mobile experiences for these users.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a buzzword in the current year. In 2018, it will become an even bigger element of marketing workflows. A lot has been said about Google introducing the use of AI for both conversion optimization and attribution modeling. However, over the course of 2018, use of Google’s AI is expected to skyrocket. Many bid management platforms have started to adopt artificial intelligence into their algorithms too.

Check out this article about Video Marketing

Although AI is driving better performance and outcomes, it is important to keep in mind that at the end of the day, human interaction is very crucial. Over-reliance on AI can lead to a few big shakeups. In 2018, we can continue to anticipate more improvements in the automation of PPC fueled by more sophisticated artificial intelligence and machine learning. What experts find most exciting probably is that PPC advertisers will have much more options compared to the past to leverage the technology. This is because it is getting integrated into many third-party tools.

It is also expected that more marketers will add long-tail keywords in their search account, and strive to better understand if there is sufficient difference between regular text searches and voice search to justify additional builds. Although experts guess that there would only be relatively small gains, plenty of marketers expect the incremental gains will make it easier for them to attain their 2018 goals.

According to Jeff Baum, an important trend for many PPC marketers to concentrate on in 2018 will be the adoption of machine learning. With upgrade to its ad rotation settings, smart bidding technologies, and the roll out of numerous smart display campaigns, Google has indicated that machine learning will be crucial for improving performance.

Meet The Newest Generation Of Homebuyers- Gen Z

January 19, 2018/in Articles, Directors, Homebuilder Marketing /by Nicole Wagner

A new generation is starting to make its presence known. That is Generation Z. They are entering the real estate market in growing numbers. Most are currently renting, but a growing number are looking to move into home ownership. Real estate professionals need to understand this new generation of homebuyers.

What Defines Generation Z?

Generation Z is defined as those born between 1995 and 2010. They are the generation that grew up with the Internet being common place. Currently, they are over 66 million strong, making them over 20% of the American population. This generation is ethnically and racially diverse. They are also the first generation to grow up with Internet access being the norm.

Home Builder Marketing Tips To Drive Traffic And Sales

They want to own a home. Generation Z, like the generations older than them, think that home ownership is a major part of the American Dream. What makes them different is that many of them are looking to move to home ownership at a rapid rate, though their income levels are still at entry level figures. This drive to own a home is focusing many of them to prepare for home ownership early.
They want to belong to a community. Members of Generation Z love to have shared amenities. They like being part of communities. In fact, a full third of them are very involved with their community or neighborhood. This need to belong to a community is going to influence the neighborhoods they choose and the amenities they want.
They use social networking in the home buying process. This goes back to being the most technology connected generation. When looking for a home, to rent or own, they turn to their family and friends for help. They share the search process with friends and roommates at rates not seen in other generations. This shows why tapping into social networks is critical for tapping into this generation as homebuyers.

Homebuilder Marketing: Target Your Homebuyers With A New Media Mix

They rent in smaller buildings. The reason for this trend is not completely obvious. However, some real estate experts speculate that it relates back to the need of many Generation X members to be part of their community. A smaller building offers better chances to meet neighbors and build relationships.
They use the Internet to do research and to put in rental applications. This is a natural extension of their social networking and comfort with technology. They “google” everything. Gen Z wants to put in applications online and they don’t want to have to go into an office to do it. They learn what they want from the Internet and use that information to make decisions on where they live.

Want more Real Estate Marketing Resources? Click here!

Generation Z is starting to make their presence known as homebuyers. Their impact is going to be even stronger in the coming years. Learning what matters to this generation is the first step in helping them become homeowners, whether now or in the next few years.

How Pop Culture Creates Creative Marketing Solutions

January 3, 2018/in Articles, Directors /by Dan Gartlan

If there is one thing that marketers know how to do really well, it’s write blogs. We do research, look at trends, write our findings, and publish them for the world to see. After publishing a number of articles we noticed that one of them did really well. “Four Things You Can Learn About Real Estate Marketing From Bon Jovi” Is one of the most viewed blog articles on our website. Aside from being a well-written article with profound insight, I was wondering if there was any other reason this article drew a considerable amount of online traffic. There is only one reason I can think of for this.

People know and care about Bon Jovi, which made them curious about what the article had to say. Today, there are more brands, franchises, and celebrities to talk about than ever before. It’s time we start using them to our advantage. This article explores how the world of pop culture presents creative marketing solutions for anyone who wants to increase their online traffic with their online blog.

Read one of our Creative Marketing Solutions from pop culture: “Four Things You Can Learn About Real Estate Marketing From Bon Jovi”

Lions And Tigers And Bears? Nope. Zombies.

For the last decade or so, zombies have become a pervasive part of American culture. The Walking Dead is one of the most popular shows on television. There are countless articles about zombies online, including this one that explains why a zombie apocalypse could actually happen, and Canada’s parliament even discussed the possibility of a zombie apocalypse on the parliament floor. Whether it’s just fun to think about or an excuse to hoard hundreds of cans of tomato soup in your basement, people talk about zombies.

Even without seeing a specific movie the concept of zombies is pretty universal. Why not incorporate this into your writing? We know that if someone is already interested in a topic or has prior knowledge on a subject they are more likely to click on links pertaining to that subject. So don’t feel ashamed, write about zombies, super heroes, even vampires! By having some fun with your writing you will be surprised at what kind of reaction you will get out of your readers. (Note: If you choose to write about vampires, do not write about the sparkling ones. You’ve been warned.)

Marvel At Your Writing.

There was once a time when comic books, and the people who read them, were seen as nerdy or stupid. Look at any movie from the 80’s. What was the easiest way to convey to the audience that a child was a social outcast? Make the kid read a comic. BOOM! Audience knows this kid is weird and awkward but he probably has a heart of gold because the kid is also the main character. Fast forward to 2017 where 16 Marvel films have grossed over 10 billion dollars worldwide and you will know that times have changed.

Today, comic books aren’t seen as nerdy or lame because everybody is watching and loving these films. With so many movies full of allusions to rich, decades old backstories along with pop culture references and endless Stan Lee cameos, these movies are fun to watch and even more fun to talk about. Take advantage of that! Whatever you end up writing about though, make it relate back your field of expertise. Otherwise people won’t read your blog in a way that supports your business. For example, if you do opinion pieces on politics you could write something like… “Why ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Is A Metaphor Of Today’s Political Divide.” Actually, don’t write that. I like that one. Write your own article!

Take Advice from Jean-Luc Picard: Engage!

One of the best things about pop culture is that EVERYONE has an opinion on something. Which Batman is your favorite (Ben Affleck. Obviously), what was the best Lord of the Rings Film (Fellowship), and did Han really shoot first (Yes. Yes he did)? The thing about opinions is that they can’t be proven one way or another, but that doesn’t stop people from sharing theirs. So if you post an article about why Indiana Jones could beat Bruce Lee in a fight, expect someone to disagree with you. When they do, have a friendly argument about it. These back-and-forth exchanges are interesting to both the commenter and other visitors who may engage in the conversation themself.

If, through these discussions you become inspired with a new idea, or decide that your original article was wrong, write a new article! You can even tag the commenter who inspired your new article. This gives you an air of genuineness and will further encourage other readers to comment. The point is, people reading your articles want to be more informed, but they also want to be entertained. That doesn’t have to stop when the article is finished. So keep making your content with your visitors in mind. This will encourage you to write content that keeps brining people back for more.

Whatever industry you happen to be in, these creative marketing solutions should be able to help you increase your online traffic. There is an endless number of ways to talk about any subject, so let your creativity run wild. If we can write an article about Jon Bon Jovi that relates to real estate marketing then you should be able to discuss almost any topic there is. Whatever you end up writing about, just remember; your article should be fun, relevant, and engaging so people keep coming back to your website to see what you have to say next.

An Advertising Approach On 4 Social Media Platforms

December 28, 2017/in Advertising Agency, Articles, Directors /by Nicole Wagner

There is no right way to have an advertising approach. What is great about advertising is that you can advertise on multiple platforms. Online advertising is just one platform. Online advertisements have become very useful for companies. With advertisements, there are some tips so that advertisements are being used effectively. Tips include: make sure the ad aligns with the social media strategy, consistent coloring (matches website), rotate images, variation, and ad testing (determining what is and is not effective). Advertisements can be used on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Each platform uses ads slightly different.

Ads on Facebook

To create an ad on Facebook, you must first have admin permission. When creating an ad on Facebook, it will have you choose the campaign, followed by the budget, scheduling, targeting, biding, ad placement and variations. Facebook allows you to track the progress of the ad. With Facebook, you choose an objective for the ad and there are many to choose from.

Ads on Twitter

On Twitter you choose ads based on the objective of the campaign. There are twitter cards, which allow for rich media, a link, a button, and room for text on the ad. Twitter has four parts to the ad campaign. These are the timeframe, creative, targeting and budget. Twitter also allows you to do keyword targeting.

Ads on LinkedIn

A LinkedIn ad targets the audience based on professional attributes. You can create an ad or sponsor content. LinkedIn allows for up to 15 ad variations.

Ads on Instagram

Ads on Instagram can be created through Facebook. If you have a business manager account, the ads can be created through the Instagram app. You can include a call-to-action button.

What is great about having ads on social media is that the ads will be shown to the right people. With having ads online, you can make the smallest changes and get the ads to the right people. The social media platforms allow you to choose your audience and age range. Each social media platform has their own way of creating ads, but each platform is a great choice. The right advertising approach for your company might by online advertising. It is up to you to determine which social media platform is best.

Advertising Agency Trends

December 26, 2017/in Advertising Agency, Articles, Content Marketing, Directors, SEO /by Nicole Wagner

The world of the traditional advertising agency is gone. Today, clients want agencies that truly embrace all forms of advertising, both traditional and digital. Smart agencies know this and stay on top of the trends in marketing and sales that will have the most impact for their clients. Let’s look at a few trends that are hot and here to stay.

Native Marketing

If there is one trend in advertising that is going strong and will remain strong for years to come, it’s native marketing. Blending advertisements smoothly with surrounding content has been around for decades. Doing it in new and innovative ways in the digital marketplace is what is driving the current growth.

Business Insider predicts that native advertising will hit $21 billion next year (2018). In 2013, spending for native advertising was $4.7 billion. That translates to a 445% growth in just 5 years.

The beauty of native advertising is that it’s very unobtrusive. It organically blends into the user experience.

Marketing Automation

Let’s face it. The world of marketing is a bit cutthroat with so many companies vying for consumer attention. Trying to bring a brand to the forefront and keep it there requires a solid set of tools that collect data, provide analytic tools and does a lot of the work for you. That set of tools is marketing automation.

A marketing automation platform gathers pertinent information on what visitors are most interested in, which pages they visit most, and what changes as they go further down the sales funnel. This information offers critical insights to what the target audience needs at each stage of the journey. All of that information can help an advertising agency develop highly focused ad campaigns

5 Benefits of Marketing Automation

Content Marketing

Content marketing is becoming more sophisticated and more personalized. It starts with web pages providing basic information. Adding elements like video and infographics enriches the experience.

Gathering information with marketing automation allows for personalization. Certain areas of the web page can provide content drawn from the visitor’s profile. Marketing apps take that to a whole new level with interactive content experiences, completely based what is known about the visitor.

This increasing sophistication of content marketing is going to demand more sophisticated options from advertising agencies.

Personalized Marketing

Consumers expect personalization and they value it. It goes back to the days when a shopkeeper knew the names of all his customers. “Hi, Mrs. Jones, how is your oldest son doing in school?” “Hello, Mr. Gonzalez. That car part you wanted just came into stock.” The personal connection builds trust that cannot be replicated.

That personal touch is becoming the norm when it comes to marketing. People respond better to email offers that include their name and refers to what interests them. When they log 0nto a site like Amazon or E-Bay, they like the fact that they get recommendations based on their browsing and purchase history.

Closed Loop Marketing Analytics

Smart marketing means know who visits your website via SEO or marketing efforts. Analytics tracks which web pages a visitor visits. It tracks how often the visitor comes back and what most interests him/her. Analytics may track when a visitor becomes a lead. It can even track some parts of the lead’s journey to becoming a buyer. But, does it track what converted that lead into a buyer?

That is what closed loop marketing analytics track. This type of analysis helps marketers understand which effort ends up in sale and which effort did not. It highlights the most effective marketing efforts and which ones need attention.

From an advertising agency perspective, it can show you which ad campaigns had the most impact and which ones did not.

Continuous Website Improvements Based on Data

Most companies do a major website redesign every few years. The problem with just a major redesign is that once it’s done, it’s done. Nothing major will change until the next redesign 2-3 years in the future.

A new approach, rapidly gaining popularity, is a web design based on continuous improvement. Instead of rolling out a completely outfitted website that takes months to build, it starts with a streamlined, well-designed core based on tightly focused goals and objectives for content, design and development.

When that new website goes live, it starts gathering user data, linking it to marketing/sales effort. The data shows what is working and what is not. That data is what drives the next wave of improvements, often done on a monthly basis. This cycle of analyzing data, making improvements and gathering data can go on forever, continuously improving the website and its effects on marketing/sales.

Staying on top of major marketing trends is critical for any advertising agency. These trends impact client advertising directly. Which trend do you think will have the most impact in the coming year?

When Should You Hire A Real Estate Advertising Agency?

December 12, 2017/in Articles, Directors, Homebuilder Marketing /by Dan Gartlan

If you are a home builder, you are busy with the details of running your company: bookkeeping, employee management, client projects and paying the bills. Marketing is part of that effort, but, at some point, you may start to wonder if hiring someone to help might be a good idea. When is the right time to hire a real estate advertising agency?

There is no set answer as to when you should hire an advertising agency for your business. Your situation is unique and only you can determine if you need help. However, there are some guidelines you can use when making that decision.

Do you want to grow your business faster?

Remember, time is money in the construction game. If you want to bring in more projects, build more houses, or move into the big leagues, you need to step up your marketing. If you don’t have the time or resources to devote to that additional marketing effort, you need to bring in an outside agency. They have the knowledge and expertise to market your construction business to the right audience.

Click here to read about Real Estate Video Marketing Ideas For Homebuilders

Are you running out of ideas on how to improve your marketing?

Unless you are a marketing professional, you probably have limited knowledge on the subject. You may start to run out of ideas on how to step up your marketing efforts. That is when a real estate advertising agency can help.

Their focus and expertise is marketing. They know how to reach your potential audience using a variety of marketing tactics, many of which you have never even thought of. They can definitely give your marketing a positive boost.

Are you running low on time and/or resources to handle the marketing in-house?

You are a home builder. While marketing is part of your job, it is definitely not its main focus. Hiring someone from outside is an efficient use of time and resources. It will give your company more time and money to focus on attracting clients and building new homes. That way, you can keep costs down while improving your profits.

You Still Need to Be Involved

When you make the decision to outsource your marketing to a real estate advertising agency, you still need to be involved. Building homes is a very personal business. The advertising must reflect your approach to working with clients and building homes. Otherwise, potential clients are going to get confused, which erodes that critical trust required in the home construction business.

As stated before, only you can decide when to bring in an agency to handle your marketing needs. When you do make that decision, take the time to find an agency that can understand what you want to accomplish. That way, your advertising will reflect you and your business.

Top Trends in Social Media

December 6, 2017/in Articles, Digital Media, Directors /by Nicole Wagner

Today, a number of brands and advertising agencies rely on social media to connect with their audience. However, with so many companies competing with each other, it is important you look for ways to stand out. Also, creating content that is tailored to go viral or attract your customers. Monitoring and keeping an eye on social media trends can save you plenty of time and effort. This is allowing you to make the most of your audience’s short attention span. Here are some of the most important social media trends that you shouldn’t miss out on:

Going ‘Live’

Facebook Live has been a tremendous success as numerous brands are using the feature to broadcast events, launch new products or simply interact with their audience. However, simply going ‘live’ isn’t good enough as you’ll need to look for ways to engage with viewers by asking questions or suggestions. Live streaming also tests the commitment of your audience, which means that people who are uninterested in the subject will naturally stay clear.

Senior Living Tips for Facebook Advertising

Say Hello to ‘Snaps’ and Expired Content

SnapChat is living proof that you can exploit the audience’s sense of urgency by featuring content that will only last a short period of time. This type of content usually contains short video stories that only last for 24 hours from the initial posting time. Because users are always fearful of missing out on videos, this type of content creates an urgency, causing you to check your phone after every few hours. A number of brands and celebrities have been using snaps to announce exciting news or promote product launches. This helps marketing companies generate immediate results of their campaigns. Recently, Instagram stepped up a notch by introducing a polling feature that allows followers to cast votes on Instagram stories. Users can also customize their poll options to receive a more customized feedback.

Social media has revolutionized customer service by introducing chat bots. This is a kind of software application that is built to mimic human-conversation. The obvious benefit of a chat bot its immediate response. Customers don’t have to wait for brand-representatives to get back to their queries. Some chat-bots are used to build lasting relationships with potential customers and audiences. Another notable advantage of using chat bots is that you can always expect the program to be polite to people no matter how rude the customer replies may be.

Influencer Marketing

Influencers are people who have authority of a certain niche and possess the ability to influence a certain audience. In the past few months, you must have seen an incredible rise in influencer marketing, especially on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This provides marketing companies the chance to benefit from the influencer’s large social media following list. Brands typically use influencers to host competitions or collaborations that encourages the audience to follow the company’s social media profile.

Why ‘Star Wars’ Is Really About Sales & Marketing Qualified Leads

November 28, 2017/in Articles, Directors, Lead Nuturing /by Dan Gartlan

After recently re-watching the original Star Wars trilogy, I made a startling discovery. The first movie (for clarification, I mean episode IV) is all about marketing qualified leads and sales qualified leads. I know that sounds crazy but it’s (kind of) true! Just stick with me and by the end you will be convinced that I’m right. So let’s get to it.

The (Sales) Force

Think of making a sale for your business in the same was as someone accepting the existence of The Force. In the movies, The Force is an all-powerful entity that binds the universe together. It works as a power that influences people’s actions and decisions. Just like with sales, some things are in your control, but ultimately it comes down to the buyer/believer. If they are not susceptible to what they are hearing, eventually they will turn away. It is a salesperson’s job to minimize the number of people who turn away. That’s why it’s important to treat every lead different depending on where they are in their buyer’s journey. In Star Wars, getting people to believe in The Force is no different. This brings me to my first example.

What Are Marketing Qualified Leads And Why Do They Matter?

Luke: The Sales Qualified Lead

In the movies, people talk about the Jedi like they would monks following a religion. How many people do you know adopted a religion within the same day they heard of it? I’m assuming not many. Enter Luke Skywalker! In the movie, he has never even heard of The Force but after only a brief conversation with Obi-Wan Kenobi (and getting the coolest weapon in the galaxy!) we know that Luke is pretty open to the whole idea. He even seems perplexed that Han isn’t open to the idea of The Force while on their ill-fated trip to Aldaran. For this reason, Luke Skywalker is the quintessential example of a sales qualified lead.

After only a short conversation, we know that he is willing to believe in The Force, even though he has seen no evidence of its existence. Later, Obi-Wan does show off the powers of The Force by using a Jedi mind-trick on a nosey Stormtrooper, but the use of it was both necessary and beneficial. Obi-Wan allows Luke to see the power of The Force but never refers back to that as a way to convince him that The Force is real. By allowing Luke to make up his own mind about whether to follow the ways of The Force was essential to his full adoption of the Jedi ways that would eventually lead him to destroying The Empire’s grip on the galaxy.

Han: The Marketing Qualified Lead

Han is a different story. He isn’t openly hostile to the idea of The Force, but he comes pretty close to it. He chides Luke, telling him that he’s seen no evidence of an all-powerful force that binds the universe together. Even more surprising is that this is after he watches Luke deflect multiple laser blasts from a practice droid while blinded! Anyways, fast forward to the scene where the Rebels are preparing their attack against the Death Star. Notice that Luke doesn’t give Han a speech about why he should fight for the Rebels or that he’s morally wrong for not helping them stop a tyrant who has a weapon of mass destruction.

This is the way your sales team should treat its marketing qualified leads. By not feeling pressure from Luke, Han feels unashamed about turning to his friend and saying, “may The Force be with you.” This is surprising because at this point in the film we are pretty sure Han still doesn’t believe in The Force. Though he may not believe in it, Han has progressed from questioning hostility to respectful recognition of The Force. And, as we all know, Han comes back and saves the day! Not because of incessant nagging, but because he was able to make the decision on his own. Without that level of freedom, Han may have taken his loot and ran away from the battle out of spite. Glad that didn’t happen!

Conclusion

When thinking about sales and marketing qualified leads, it’s important to remember the human aspect of these concepts. I think that by linking these ideas to well-known and popular characters we are better able to understand how and why leads need to be treated differently. Remember, Luke Skywalker may have been The Chosen One, but he couldn’t have saved the universe without Han’s help. A successful business needs to learn how to effectively cater to both sales and marketing qualified leads.

Inbound marketing will help you grow your business by attracting website visitors, converting them into leads and closing leads into customers

What’s New with Google: Search Results Based on Location

November 20, 2017/in Articles, Directors /by Nicole Wagner

So, what’s new with Google? At times, it can be tough to decipher the Google algorithm. The effort may often seem like a futile exercise. The search engine has undergone a number of changes in the recent past. This has kept a majority of digital and online marketers on their toes. These updates often hit small and local businesses very hard. Each modification or tweak to the algorithm can have an adverse impact on their search rankings. Here’s an overview of what’s new with Google:

Search Results Based on Location of Device

Google recently launched a new update. It will deliver Google search results on the basis of the location of your device. As nearly 20 percent of the total search queries on the search engine are location-specific, the company has made a number of tweaks to the relevant search algorithm in order to provide more relevant and useful results.

Users Can’t Change Location

Regardless of whether you visit a top-level or country-specific domain, Google will now reveal its search results depending on the current location of your device. For instance, in case you are in Singapore and you visit google.co.uk, bear in mind that you will only be able to see search results localized for Singapore and not for the UK.

You will find your current location listed near the bottom on the left corner of your window. If you travel to a different country, the search engine will dynamically alter the location. The location alters in order to show the search results specific to that region. According to many users, this is an incredible and welcome addition. However, it has the tendency of making the procedure for seeking localized search results from another country a bit longer.

In case you would like to look for localized results from a different country, you will first need to make appropriate changes in your settings menu. To change your location, follow these steps:

Press the Settings button; you will find it on the bottom of your search page
Then go to Search settings
Now choose the relevant country from the available Region for Search Results.

Applicability

This location update is currently available for Google apps for iOS, Google search results on mobile platforms, as well as Maps and Search for desktop platforms. It is important to keep in mind that while the update is going to change some aspects of how both Google Search and Google Maps services are displayed and labeled, it will not have any impact on the way the company products function. In addition, it will not change the way legal and regulatory obligations are handled under national law.

This update can improve location-based and niche marketing efforts that target customers belonging to particular geographic regions and increase organic traffic. A lot of location-based services tend to rank better when it comes to search engine findings on the net. Moreover, use of location-based marketing can make your business a success in the local areas and suburbs you operate in.

The purpose of the update is to help ensure the users can get the most appropriate or relevant search results depending on their location. It is also consistent with the way Google already deals with a number of services across various other platforms such as YouTube, Google Earth, Gmail, and Blogger, among others.

So, now that you are familiar with what’s new with Google, you can make the relevant changes to your website and come up effective marketing strategies.

Advertising Trends To Watch in 2018

November 3, 2017/in Advertising Agency, Articles, Directors /by Nicole Wagner

We are well into the last quarter of 2017 and you should already have an idea of how well you have met your goals for this year. While you are wrapping things up these last few months of the year, it is a good time to start thinking about what is happening next year. Let’s take a look at some of the advertising trends for 2018.

7 Advertising Trends that Will Be Hot in 2018

Integrated Advertising

Stand back and take a look at your current advertising. Are you leveraging multiple media sources to provide your target audience with a memorable experience? If not, now is the time to rethink your advertising approach.

Integrated advertising takes all media forms and creates a singular approach. Think TV and radio spots, print media, search engine and social media ads, and any other type of advertising. Every piece of advertising is in sync with every other including In-Bound advertising.

Niche Marketing

Niches are created by finding the needs, wants and requirements of a well-defined segment of people, who others are not addressing, then fulfilling the demand with goods and services.

The demand for niche marketing is growing because the number of businesses entering the digital marketplace is accelerating while the number of consumers remains fairly steady. This trend is going to become increasingly important going forward. What’s your niche and how best can you accommodate your consumer or business?

Mobile Marketing Geofencing

Advertisers can use GPS and RFID technology to set a physical boundary. If a mobile device enters or exists this boundary, the advertiser can send out a notification, email or text message. This hyper-local marketing allows businesses of all sorts to send out advertisements to consumers walking down the sidewalk near their store or office. Imagine walking the streets of Vegas when you get an alert on your phone that says, “look up and save 30% off your meal at Diablo’s Cantina”. That is what I was served in 2015.

5 Mobile Marketing Techniques To Build Your Ecommerce Brand

The first part of 2017 saw a rapid increase in social media advertising spend. Social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are providing new opportunities for user interaction, which is making advertising more attractive for companies of all sorts. Business is recognizing that social media offers ways to reach consumers that more conventional digital marketing cannot. Today, you can buy Facebook around zipcodes. What are you waiting for?

Ephemeral Content

Let’s turn the convention thoughts on digital marketing content on its head. Ephemeral content is doing just that. This type of content comes and goes very quickly, usually within 24 hours. It is perceived as more authentic, creates the FOMO (fear of missing out), and it grabs the consumer’s attention for a short time. Consumers believe that this content should be checked more often because it will be gone by the next day.

Chatbots

One of the advertising trends businesses are adopting quickly is the chatbot. A chatbot is program which engages a consumer in a text conversation, using natural language and business rules to provide requested information. It’s the reason TIVO can have one on one conversations about their products and help guide you through the purchasing cycle.

In-Store Retail Advertising

A consumer is walking through a retail store and gets an alert on his or her phone. It is a promotional offer or discount from the store. This type of in-store retail advertising is another form of hyper-local advertising. Walgreens has embraced this technology for the last two years. It drives store visits and can up-sale items for impulse buys. This form of advertising is a force that captures eyeballs and delivers content that could increase your sales if used properly.

2018 looks to be an exciting year in the world of marketing and advertising. Each year, technology pushes its way more and more into the world of marketing. If you haven’t embraced where marketing is heading, your company may not be around in the next three years. Think about how Amazon is delivering FOOD within ½ hour to your door, or Walmart not only delivering but putting away in your kitchen…did you think this would happen? Do you see the value of Tesla and having a driver-less car? Were taxis ready for UBER or LYFT? Was Blockbuster ready for NETFLIX or REDBOX? How about the postal service that didn’t work on Sundays, to be delivering Amazon products on a day where all the vehicles are available. The Echo could just change your life moving forward and why isn’t your product already being said by Alexia? Technology is a force.

The trends in 2018 are powerful. Isn’t it time to start using them?