By Molly
Borchers, Senior Account Executive
At the
holidays, most people take time to reflect on the last 365 days, but this year,
I looked back on my entire career. I’ve only been doing this for seven years,
but in that time, the marketing and communications fields have changed at a
lightning pace. In 2006, I was schooled in traditional PR and I worked on a
mammoth-sized PC that took up my entire desk space. Facebook was merely a way
to keep in touch with college friends and Twitter didn’t exist. In those early
years, I remember initial discussions with my team about whether we should
count blog posts as media hits.
Oh, how the
times have changed.
It’s been
fun to be a part of the rapid pace of change, but it can be a challenge to keep
up. That’s why, in order to continue to drive success for our clients, I’ve
identified the top digital marketing communications trends of 2014.
Social media becoming pay-for-play: Facebook has changed its news feed
algorithm, which means it’s harder for brands to achieve organic reach. We’d
seen it anecdotally here at (W)right On as we monitor and report on our
clients’ Facebook page metrics. In early December, our suspicions were
validated in this Ad Age article: “Facebook is being more blunt about the
fact that marketers are going to have to pay for reach.”
We should
also keep in mind that Twitter went public in 2013 and is expected to be
profitable for investors. Right now, there is no “algorithm” that shuts down
organic content, but we should keep an eye out for changes in 2014. A pay-for-play
at Twitter is a distinct possibility. Agencies should adapt and account for the
change in guidance and implementation strategies.
Branded journalism: In 2011, I was doing research for a client
on online newsroom best practices, and I discovered Cisco’s
award winning brand journalism platform.
Since then, more and more companies, like Adobe, GE, and Coca-Cola, have adopted
it; and they’re even hiring internal journalists to produce content. Instead of
relying on media placements and advertisements, brands are using digital and
social tools to speak directly to customers. With all the changes in the
traditional and digital media landscape, it makes sense that more brands are
adopting a “build it or buy it” strategy to content marketing. I predict that
we’ll see even more of this in 2014.
Wearable technology and the Internet of
Things: The buzz
around wearable tech has been going on for a while, but it’s about to explode.
You may own a Nike Fuel Band or a FitBit already, but according to ShotTracker, the market is expected to be eight times larger than it was in
2012. By 2018, it could reach $19 billion.
In 2014,
Google Glass will be available for purchase. Glass’ marketing applications and
impact on search will be limited at first, but I predict that will change
rapidly. One clue: A recently released Glass app, Glashion, enables users to snap clothing and accessories of passers-by and
complete a comparison shop. Think about what those possibilities mean for
marketers!
Wearable
technology is just one aspect of the ‘Internet of Things,’ which are billions
of smart, connected “things,” (i.e., machines or devices) that will encompass
every aspect of our lives. As a result, huge amounts of user data are being
generated. As the Internet of Things becomes more ubiquitous, marketers will
need to figure out how to harness that data.
Be sure to
check the blog next week for part two of this series where we’ll provide three
more top digital marketing trends for 2014.
2 comments:
My early days in PR required me to stand over the fax machine sending press releases to newsrooms. Their fax #'s were always busy. Today, when I hear a modem squawk that sound that lets you know your fax is transmitting, I always think of those not-so-good old days.
A great read, Molly! I think Twitter will have a tougher time monetizing, although the market doesn't currently seem to think so. Tweets flow by at such rate that few actually see their stream, the number of users is dubious since unlike Facebook one person can have multiple handles, and with Twitter adding promoted trends (isn't that oxymoronic, or just fake?) to promoted tweets these seem a turn off. I suspect Twitter's value will be in its data (i.e. insights for marketers willing to pay for it in order to adapt strategies and seize opportunities in real-time).
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