Smash through 2017 with these top digital trends

With over 4.92 billion mobile users worldwide (HootSuite) mobile dependency and its integration into our lifestyle is unparalleled. 2017 will see apps continue to soar and lead as the best on-the-go consumerism tool, giving brands the power to instantly market and target their communications, whilst becoming an invaluable right arm for consumers (Forbes 1).

Users want to see marketing efforts tailored to their interests rather than be swamped by general marketing. Personalised emails drive 18 times more revenue (whatcounts.com) and increase brand satisfaction. Brands need to make their CRM work for them, utilising all the unique data they can gather from an individual customer journey to achieve hyper-relevant, personalised marketing. As a brand, use this data to hit your target audience with pin-point accuracy.

Worth $1.7 billion last year and set to rise to $9.4 billion by 2020 the big data market isn’t one to be overlooked. Being able to analyse large pools of data gives brands a huge advantage over their competitors. If it’s helped win elections, continually analysing and refining data can certainly help win more customers (brand watch).

50% of brands already include video as part of their marketing strategy (Digital Marketing Institute) and with video priority here to stay it’s a no brainer. There’s no limit to style of video brands can use; from VR, AR, 360, interactive and panoramic videos to simple canvas, landscape and portrait (Ogilvy & Mather), and you don’t necessarily need fancy equipment to get involved. Immersive marketing is the best way to keep customers engaged.

It’s not a new concept, but it’s one that everyone should be paying close attention to in 2017. True digital transformation is the only way of keeping on top of a technology obsessed world. Creating a digital ecosystem rather than a side by side partnership by deploying this sort of technology will ensure the best possible user experience (Forbes 2).