As those resolutions came and went, it’s official: The new year is off and running. The digital trends of 2017 do not care much for the calendar; it is time to capitalize on them now. So what are the emerging trends for 2017? Here are a few must-do trends for your company in 2017
Moblie-First Mindset
First is one that has been growing for years now, but is finally starting to show its real strength. Mobile activity has taken over desktop activity for the majority of the market now. And the trend shows no sign of stopping. Dedicated mobile sites like snapchat challenge the idea that you need a website at all (provided that your mobile presence is that widespread).
For the rest of us, it brings the lesson that mobile-first is not a trend; it’s the new norm. Search engines will start bringing out algorithms to check for mobile optimization soon, so if it isn’t already –mobile optimization should be first priority for your company.
Video Killed the Radio Star
It was true when the Buggles wrote about it in ’79, and it’s definitely true now: Video is king. It continues to be the chosen format for average adults, who spend over an hour each day consuming video content.
This is not simply time spent on the giants like Youtube, either. Video is effective in email marketing campaigns, website intros, and landing videos used to increase conversions. Video content is also a great way to get customers seeing your face; building rapport and brand loyalty. You can easily incorporate a vlog, video email series, or even social media options like snapchat or Instagram stories into your business’ digital presence. Guaranteed, you will be very happy that you do.
The Customer is Always Right Watching
As a business, your goal is to create value for your customers. That’s it. Do it well enough, and you succeed. In order to achieve this goal, businesses take customers into consideration to the nth degree. As industry focuses on making the user experience more enjoyable, users quickly expect this treatment from every single site. This business which first catered to them becomes the benchmark of comparison.
In reality, it doesn’t do much to complain about this; it is much better to capitalize on it. How can you surprise and delight your clients in 2017? Whether creating a progressive web app, allowing 24/7 access to you through a messaging app, or hiring a social media guru to answer feedback on your accounts; that seamless user experience has been and will remain key to staying on top.
Data, Data, Data!
Thanks in part to the growing number of ways in which customers interact with the marketplace, the sales funnel is more exposed than ever. The downside of this is that it is also more scattered than ever. From walking into a store to searching from their phones to abandoning a checkout cart to finalizing their order on a desktop; the customer journey is dizzying.
Advanced technology of the day allows us to track all of these points of connection, but the key is to take it one step further and analyze the data. Discovering the engagement steps that successful clients took can help you repeat them in the future. This means both a more cohesive customer experience and less abandoned carts (hallelujah!).
Bring your business in line with the digital wave of 2017. That’s why we at New Media Agency are here. With decades of combined experience in digital, we know exactly what the year is bringing, and can easily bring you up to speed.
