If there’s one point we found out in 2015, it’s that in 2016 marketing professionals are increasingly moving far from a “Mad Males” advertising and marketing age to a digital marketing age concentrated on the consumer encounter as well as trip. So just what methods, innovations, and also strategies do marketing experts need to understand and also discover how to far better involve, captivate, and also thrill their customers? According to Andreas von der Heydt, a elderly exec at Amazon.com, these are the leading 12 fads online marketers have to know to build a stronger brand name in 2016:

1. Customization as well as simplicity

Today’s customers have more choices as well as information compared to ever before when it pertains to buying. Yet they also want to invest as little time as they have to when selecting just what fits their needs and wants.

That’s why many top brand names today are executing lead nurturing programs that are customized to the demands, interests and actions of various potential customers, so they are sent off to the proper nurture paths.

An instance of individualized advertising strategy is vibrant prices. Subscription designs like Amazon Prime Video clip or Spotify, and “Pay What You Desired” techniques like Simple Package, work advertising and marketing techniques to supply a customized, streamlined and also boosted customer experience.

2. Big Data and analytics

Using large data and analytics, brands can reveal new ideas on their existing as well as new target teams, and also a lot better understand and also forecast customer demands and desires to boost their sales and also advertising strategies.

Data-driven tools and also CRM options like Hubspot, Salesforce Pardot, Oracle CRM, and Nimble are assisting online marketers pick up, organize, and also examine their data, create brand-new understandings to integrate into their advertising and marketing methods, and also make much better referrals as well as forecasts for future activities. Whether you’re a small, mid-sized, or large company, you’ll want to take into consideration taking advantage of these devices to acquire an affordable edge.

3. Social selling

Today nearly two-thirds of American adults use social networking centers, according to a current research study by Pew Research study. An additional Church bench research located that 62% of all American adults are Facebook customers, with 31% on Pinterest and also 28% on Instagram. Customer involvement for these social media sites centers has likewise raised considerably, with 59% of Instagram customers, 27% of Pinterest users, and 22% of LinkedIn customers checking out these websites on an everyday basis.

It’s clear that social media sites is an efficient device for driving website traffic, and leading brand names are taking social media sites to the next degree by utilizing it to drive sales. For those who are aiming to develop or boost their social networks strategy in 2012, having the ideal metrics as well as social listening are key.

Regardless of the stations your brand is on, you need the ideal metrics to define and determine ROI and also success. Going past vanity metrics like “sights,” top brand names are tracking involvement as well as other metrics like remarks, shares, as well as also quality of remarks (i.e. Klout score of users, leads and sales generated from remarks, etc.).

Social listening is additionally critical to your advertising and marketing as well as sales success. Andreas suggests brands to keep social “social.” Utilize it to pay attention to your target market, recognize their demands, answer their questions, as well as gather responses and also concepts from them. You also intend to set reasonable assumptions for your social activities, as well as not over-stretch way too much also fast.

4. Generation Z consumers

Generation Z is here. Specified as those born between mid to late-1990s and also 2010, Gen Z grew up with electronic technology and also a globe with very easy, consistent accessibility to the web. Their convenience with innovations will stand for both a chance as well as difficulty for brand names who want to get to them.

Generally speaking, Gen Z is more economically traditional than their Gen Y peers. They are also very business, independent-minded, and also socially accountable. They welcome variety as well as distinctions. Compared to Gen Y, Gen Z is a lot more challenging to communicate with as well as they have much shorter attention spans.

But one vital thing marketing professionals have to comprehend is that they are no different compared to any kind of various other generations of customers, in that they are looking for brands that they can trust as well as associate with, and could add worth and assist with their demands and wants.

5. Mobile and also location-based marketing

According to Google, a lot more searches are currently performed on mobile gadgets compared to computer systems. This indicates leading marketing professionals will be spending a lot more on mobile. Marketers could utilize location-based marketing technologies such as iBeacons and also Radio Regularity Recognition (RFIDs) to connect and also connect with customers in real time and also to ensure more sales.

313 Somerset, for instance, is the very first shopping mall in Singapore to carry out location-based marketing innovation. Shoppers could use the shopping mall’s application to obtain sales signals as well as discount coupons on their mobile phones when they are near the shopping mall. Retailers have reported 46% sales conversion as an outcome of the app.

6. Messaging apps

36% of mobile phone proprietors make use of messaging applications like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger on their cellphones in the UNITED STATE Internationally, this number gets to billions of individuals. For brand names and marketing professionals, messaging applications stand for substantial opportunities to drive more sales as well as revenue.

WeChat, a popular messaging app in China, is already leading the method in mobile business and advertising and marketing. It’s had excellent success as a mobile settlement system, enabling individuals to purchase motion picture tickets and also taxi solutions, for example.

Slowly but continuously, messaging apps have actually also started trying out advertising and marketing. WeChat has effectively integrated ads into users’ timetables already, as well as we are beginning to see this with preferred apps in the West also like SnapChat Discover, which permits brand names to directly reach customers in innovative ways.

7. Wearable modern technology, online truth, and also fabricated intelligence

Virtual truth and wearable modern technology will certainly meeting the mainstream. Wearables as well as VR headsets like Oculus Break will offer marketers new means to share their brand name stories as well as interact with consumers via immersive 360 experiences.

In 2016, we’ll additionally see better fabricated knowledge capacities (see the RoboWatch job) and also much more sophisticated “Chatbots.” In a couple of years, we may see AI-powered robotics and also personal assistants looking the internet to aid consumers find exactly what they want, and also making personalized suggestions based on their needs.

8. Video and moving images

2015 has actually currently been an incredible year for video production, and also its appeal will certainly further raise in 2016. With shorter focus spans, video is below to remain and also will not be disappearing anytime quickly. In fact, according to Cisco, customer Web video clip website traffic will certainly compose 80% of all Net traffic by 2019, up from 64% in 2014.

We are currently seeing brand names re-prioritizing their typical advertising budget plans for digital video. For lots of marketers, well-known video content has already end up being a crucial element of their marketing tasks, as well as soon it will come to be the center.

Leading marketing experts will likewise focus much more on live-stream video clip channels like Periscope as well as Creeping plant video productions. Red Bull, as an example, is recognized for online streaming behind-the-scene views of its snowboarding contests on Meerkat.

A newer video streaming application called Blab is likewise growing in popularity. Blab permits up to 4 people video clip chatting at the same time with the target market seeing and commenting real-time. Blab video production chats can easily be shared on Twitter, which aids with social sharing and also viral growth.

9. Data security

Hacking, in Michael Dell’s words, has come to be a “multi-billion-dollar market.” For top marketing experts, cybersecurity is a necessary focus to ensure consumer information is protected. Leading brand names are employing specialized companies like Social-Engineer to check as well as identify powerlessness in their safety and security both online and also offline.

10. Purposeful, real-time communication

As consumers increasingly expect much more personable and also real-time interactions with brands, top marketing experts will certainly should concentrate on strategies that supply such experiences, such as video clip streaming, blog writing, and webinars to get individuals’s focus as well as engagement.

As well, discovering “minutes” that matter to customers where brands could build authentic psychological links will be crucial for leading marketing professionals. These minutes, for instance, could be the Olympics, Super Dish, or blockbuster motion pictures like Star Wars. Yet it’s not nearly enough to simply turn up with real-time messages. You require purposeful, bold, as well as motivational material to stick out from all other contending brand messages.

Smart marketing professionals will also develop an influencer plan to recognize leading bloggers, appropriate experts and also influential leaders they can team up with to assist magnify their messages to the relevant audiences.

11. Employee advocacy

To construct a strong brand name, you need a fan base of very involved and also dedicated brand name ambassadors who can aid share as well as ensure your brand name messages via their networks.

Content discussed by staff members gets 8 times more interaction than when discussed by main brand name networks. 90% of consumers additionally said that they trust social media as well as word-of-mouth suggestions by household or close friends greater than other advertising and marketing, which’s where your employees could come in.

According to the 2015 Edelmann Count on Barometer, 63% of consumers surveyed choose not to get products or services from a firm they do no count on. On the various other hand, 80% of respondents will certainly purchase from companies they rely on, and 68% will recommend them to a pal or colleague.

That visits reveal just how crucial it is for leading brands to build count on as well as sincere, genuine partnerships with their audiences. By empowering your employees to take an energetic duty in telling and sharing your brand stories, they assist improve your company’s personal branding efforts, as well as enhance their very own involvement and commitment to your brand.

12. Customer and also content-centric organizations

Leading brands are believing and also taking their electronic strategy past advertising and marketing, to every little thing from sales, Human Resources, finance, R&D, legal, as well as company preparation. Lots of companies have actually presented the brand-new part of primary digital police officer (CDO) to lead the digital change for the whole company. Others are constructing their digital capacities by enhancing their business designs as well as processes, then creating management abilities throughout the organization to drive change.

Forward-thinking brand names are also reassessing their key divisions and also features as well as restructuring based upon customer encounter and also development. They will certainly work hard to hire hybrid marketing professionals who have both solid analytical and tech-savvy skills as well as an aptitude and also passion for advertising and marketing. These next-gen marketing professionals will help leading brands evolve, compete, and win in the contemporary advertising and marketing era.

What do you assume? Which of these patterns have you taken on already or will be executing in 2012? Please share your ideas below!

For much more advertising methods to boost your firm’s growth in 2012 and also beyond, see Digital Methods That Assistance Acquire, Convert, As well as Maintain Customers.