How emerging technologies will transform digital marketing

Digital marketing is in a constant state of evolution due to changes in consumer behaviour, shifting industry trends, and new technologies and platforms continuously emerging. These advancements offer exciting opportunities for businesses to enhance customer engagement, personalise experiences, and push brand growth. But with so much change, figuring out where to start can take time.
In this article, we explore the most promising emerging technologies in digital marketing, from artificial intelligence (AI) and voice search to augmented reality (AR) and the metaverse, discussing how you can implement them into your marketing strategy.

Augmented reality (AR)

What is AR?

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that overlays digital components such as images or text onto the real-world environment. This can then be viewed through a screen using a device’s camera. Blending these virtual elements with the real world in real time enhances the user’s perception of reality.

How can you incorporate AR into digital marketing?

Marketers can create immersive and interactive experiences to help drive engagement, increase brand awareness and improve sales. The way users interact with products and services online can be transformed using AR, and websites can offer virtual try-ons. For example, cosmetic brands can integrate AR by providing customers with different filters that allow them to see what the makeup looks like before buying it.

What are the benefits of using AR in digital marketing?

• Captivates customers: Creating interactive and immersive experiences with AR captures the customers’ attention and keeps them engaged.
• Improved shopping experience: Visualising products allows the customer to make better-informed purchase decisions and find the right product.
• Increased sales: Virtual try-ons and interactive ads can increase sales by boosting customer confidence and significantly reducing returns.

What can the future of AR look like in digital marketing?

Social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram have been using AR filters for years, creating fun effects for users to alter their appearance or add virtual elements to their surroundings which they can then share with friends. Brands are likely to follow this trend and use AR to create exciting, shareable content on social media.

Artificial intelligence (AI)

What is AI?

AI marketing uses smart technology to improve and optimise your marketing strategies. It uses various methods such as machine learning, data models, and algorithms to generate customer insights, personalise content, and improve marketing performance.

How can you incorporate AI into digital marketing?

Digital marketers can use AI to collect and analyse large amounts of customer data from different marketing platforms to identify patterns, trends and insights, which can save time when developing marketing strategies.

Understanding your consumers’ behaviour can help improve the overall customer experience. AI can personalise content such as blogs, social media posts, and email marketing based on a customer’s online behaviour and interactions. Personalised content not only helps improve customer loyalty but also enhances customer retention

What are the benefits of using AI in digital marketing?

• Personalisation: AI can analyse customer data and behaviour to create personalised content and experiences, increasing customer engagement and conversion rates.
• Increased efficiency: AI can save time on repetitive admin tasks like scheduling meetings, taking video call notes and summarising articles. Automating these tasks frees up time for strategic planning and improves overall efficiency.
• Accurate insights: AI can generate deep insights into customer behaviour and preferences for more targeted campaigns.

What can the future of AI look like in digital marketing?

We asked Alan Reeves, Director of Search at Click Consult, for his thoughts on the future of AI in digital marketing. Alan said:

“I believe that AI and automation will become synonymous as marketers use both to create more efficient and effective ways of getting the right message to their target audience. Tech companies and brands will continue to invest in AI and automation because the potential is theoretically limitless.
A big area will be around the use of data, it could improve everything from how data is collected, to how data sources are merged, analysed and visualised. Another big area will be around the personalisation of content, it could be used to add scale to ideas that are just not cost-effective for humans to do alone.”

How will AI reshape the marketing workforce and what skill sets will be most valuable in the future?
For this, we asked Mark Kuhillow, an AI Development Advisor, who said:

“ ‘Quicker, better, faster’ appears to be the current order of the day for how I’m seeing AI assisting the marketing workforce. I have yet to see material trends (or any, for that matter), which suggest that roles are at risk of either termination or redistribution from AI, but more the impact from having better tools which enable marketers to do their jobs more effectively.
Marketing (and advertising, for that matter) has always been a manual industry with few areas for process automation opportunities. Particularly through a performance marketing lens, I see traction and opportunity in this area to either use AI or create AI tools to automate/improve marketing processes.”

Voice search

What is voice search?

Voice search allows users to perform online searches using spoken language instead of typing keywords into a search engine, enabling users to interact with digital devices like smartphones, computers, tablets, and smart speakers. Voice search has gained popularity in recent years and, according to Statista, it’s estimated that the number of digital voice assistants in use worldwide will increase from 4.2 billion in 2020 to 8.4 billion in 2024.

How can you incorporate voice search into digital marketing?

Ensure your website is fast-loading and mobile-friendly to improve your chances of appearing in voice search results. Consider incorporating long-tail keywords and phrases which reflect how people speak. Monitor your voice search performance and adapt marketing strategies based on emerging trends and user behaviour.

What are the benefits of using voice search in digital marketing?

• Improve brand awareness: Voice search can increase your brand’s online presence and visibility when your content is shared by voice assistants, which can lead to increased website traffic and potential customers.
• Build trust with your audience: Delivering concise, relevant answers to voice queries establishes your brand as a credible expert in your field, and helps your brand build trust and authority.
• Enhanced customer experience: Voice search streamlines the gathering information process, offering users a quick and effortless way to find what they need and make better-informed purchasing decisions.

What can the future of voice search look like in digital marketing?

With voice search technology continuing to evolve, its role in digital marketing will impact how a business connects with its audience. Businesses and marketers should embrace voice search and adapt their strategies to stay ahead of the competition, putting them in a better position to connect with their customers.

The Metaverse

What is the Metaverse?

The metaverse is a virtual world where users can engage with one another within a three-dimensional space that simulates real-world experiences. Think of it as a future version of the internet that’s more immersive and interactive. Represented by avatars, the Metaverse mixes technologies like virtual reality (VR) and AR to create a feeling of being physically present in this virtual world, allowing people to work, play, socialise, and even shop.

How can you incorporate the Metaverse into digital marketing?

Businesses should focus on creating immersive, interactive experiences that add value for their audience, or build 3D environments where customers can engage with products or services. Brands could host events or product launches in the Metaverse, and collaborate with virtual influencers to increase engagement.

What are the benefits of using the Metaverse in digital marketing?

• Global reach: With the Metaverse, brands are no longer constrained by geographical boundaries and have access to a worldwide audience.
• Strengthen customer relationships: Businesses can engage with their customers on a deeper level allowing them to strengthen connections and loyalty through unique experiences.
• Creative freedom: The Metaverse allows brands to maximise their creativity, offering endless possibilities for unique and engaging content marketing campaigns that will stand out in a competitive digital landscape.

What can the future of the Metaverse look like in digital marketing?

The Metaverse offers exciting opportunities for brands to connect with their audience in new and innovative ways, and as this virtual world continues to evolve, so will its impact on digital marketing. Incorporating the Metaverse into marketing strategies can boost customer engagement and help drive business growth.