Four Digital Advertising Trends

Marketing is constantly evolving. There is always a new way to reach people and sell a product. Digital marketing changes quickly. Every year brings new and exciting trends to the digital advertising industry. Here are some trends you must use this year. 

1. Using mobile video: Mobile devices account for most internet traffic, and data plans are opening up. People are eager to use this data, and they are flocking to video. Smartphones account for thirty percent of all online videos consumed. Ads on mobile videos present a unique opportunity. People change the channel when commercials come on television, and use ad block to avoid advertisements on the internet. Blocking ads is difficult on mobile devices, and there is no reason to look away. Mobile video viewers are a captive audience, so your advertisements can have maximum impact. Those that want maximum impact out of their digital advertising should invest in mobile video advertising. 

2. Native advertising: Consumers are very picky, and they will work hard to avoid advertisements. Consumers have avoided advertisements for a century. What started as changing the station when a commercial comes on the radio, has evolved into ad blocking software and ignoring internet ads. Native advertisements get around picky consumers by posting advertisements that emulate actual content. Native advertising emerged in the early 2010's. In 2014, the native advertising industry made $3.2 billion. This number should reach $8.8 billion by 2018. Native advertisers are quite crafty. Instead of posting a banner ad for a new car, a native advertiser will create a blog post on a popular vehicle blog. Native advertisements can take the form of videos, infographics, or blog posts. This content must be carefully crafted to ensure web browsers will read it. Rather than try to sell your product, a native advertisement should feel like a real article. As more business moves to the internet, native advertising should increase in popularity.

3. Social media advertisements: Social media plays a huge role in daily life. Most people check their social media every morning, and again every night. Social media is ubiquitous, so it presents a unique opportunity for businesses. Digital advertisers should pour time and effort into social media advertising campaigns. Using social media is obvious, but it is difficult. Advertisers must know which platforms to use. If you need to target your advertisements, then Facebook is an excellent option. Marketers that need visuals may prefer Instagram or Pinterest. Once marketers have picked their platform they must develop an audience. They must produce content that users want to share. The better the content, the more effective the marketing campaign. Social media will only continue to grow, so digital advertisers must invest in social media campaigns. 

4. The growth of podcasts: Podcasts are a rapidly growing media market. Around forty million Americans listen to podcasts on a monthly basis, with the average listener taking in six podcasts a week. With podcasts being on the rise, digital advertisers must take advantage of podcasts. Smaller companies can purchase ads on popular podcasts. These ads are often cheaper than buying a radio or television ad, and the ads are targeted towards specific markets. If you sell sporting goods, then you can advertise on a sports podcast. Comic book stores can advertise on comic book podcasts. Podcasts are an efficient way to reach new people. Larger companies can invest in creating their own podcasts. These native advertisements can grow an audience and bring people towards your business. Podcasts are growing and digital marketers must embrace this trend.