Virtually every industry stays updated on the year’s latest technology trends. New technologies are rapidly advancing, and businesses across every sector want to invest in them to reap the benefits — companies in the marketing industry are no exception.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
The digital marketing landscape is ever-changing, and a primary factor affecting marketers is new tech innovations. Many principles remain the same over time, but professionals can continue following them and integrate new technologies simultaneously.
1. The Metaverse
The metaverse is a network of unique, immersive, and virtual spaces where users have personal avatars. It’s a futuristic blend of mixed reality (MR) technologies, including virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), as well as artificial intelligence (AI). Users are provided with an immersive experience where they can interact with others in a world that bridges the gap between physical and digital.
Marketers need to understand that the metaverse has enormous potential for marketing opportunities, especially for the millennial and Gen Z generations. The metaverse serves as a new revenue stream for digital marketers, so this technology and its impacts are too significant to ignore.
2. Smartphone Applications
There’s a new smartphone application for everything nowadays, and digital marketing professionals should leverage apps that can benefit their efforts. One useful app is Fuze, which can keep marketers connected via HD videoconferencing. Fuze leaves little room for technical glitches compared to other applications like Zoom or Skype.
Frase is another helpful marketing tool changing the landscape of search engine optimization (SEO). Frase is an AI-driven app that makes it easier for marketers to create content that will rank highly on a search engine results page (SERP). Using Frase and Fuze can bring a business’s marketing to the next level.
3. AI
AI is becoming increasingly advanced, and its use cases are diversifying. Marketing AI boosts and improves personalization for customer experiences (CX). Any content that marketers push toward consumers can now be tailored to meet their unique needs.
Another common application of AI in marketing is conversational AI for chatbots. It relies on natural language processing (NLP), automatic speech recognition (ASR) and other advanced technologies to make online conversations seem more natural and human-like. Consumers generally trust conversational AI chatbots, and that trend will likely continue throughout the year and beyond.
4. Customer Data Platforms (CDPs)
A customer data platform, often referred to as a CDP, is a system managed by marketers that collects client information from all possible sources. It normalizes it and builds complete and unique profiles for each individual. Essentially, a CDP gives marketers a unified customer database.
CDPs give marketers more control over their customer data and can increase marketing efficiency. A CDP solution is something every modern marketer will have to consider if they want to compete with other agencies or businesses.
5. Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
The concept of non-fungible tokens, more commonly known as NFTs, can be confusing. NFTs are unique and irreplaceable digital assets that live on the blockchain, a digital ledger. Many brands are diving headfirst into the NFT world for a few reasons, including:
- Building brand awareness
- Expanding audience reach
- Protecting brand image
- Supporting a good cause
- Promoting in-person events
- Driving preorders
Brand marketers can leverage NFTs to accomplish goals mentioned on the list above or other specific objectives. New use cases for NFTs will continue to emerge, so it may be worth investing in this year.
6. Hybrid Events
The event and conferences industry has rapidly changed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, considering it had to adapt to state and federal regulations regarding mask mandates and social distancing. Rather than cancel in-person events, many companies pivoted and offered hybrid meetings, where attendees could participate using VR.
Hybrid events are here to stay, which is critical for marketers to understand. They should know that future events could be hybrid, and the specific marketing message must accommodate digital and live audience members.
7. Machine Learning (ML)
Machine learning (ML) is a branch of AI that can be applied to many areas of digital marketing, from social media to SEO and everything in between. ML can help marketers deliver quality experiences for their customers, improve personalization and manage big data.
Many ML-powered marketing tools, such as Pocket, Curata and Flipboard, can help marketers curate content to deliver to their audiences. Additionally, ML can help with automation, allowing marketers to focus on other high-quality, meaningful tasks.
8. The Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things (IoT) is changing how companies do business in an increasingly data-driven world. IoT technologies consist of interrelated, interconnected objects that constantly gather data and communicate with each other without human intervention.
These objects interact freely over a wireless network, and IoT tech is expected to alter the digital marketing landscape for the better.
For example, marketers can leverage IoT data to:
- Create valuable insights about customers
- Capture client interactions
- Predict future consumer behaviors and lifestyles
- Identify potential marketing pain points or opportunities
One challenge marketers may face with IoT tech is ensuring they have permission from customers to use their data without invading their privacy.
Technology Will Transform Marketing in 2022 and Beyond
Marketing technologies will continue to advance. These tools help marketers achieve their objectives efficiently and effectively. Whether it’s AI-powered solutions, IoT tech or NFTs, professionals have many ways to elevate their strategies.
