In 1997, Google burst onto the scene and set into motion the events that began the industry of digital marketing. Early pioneers began to optimize for search engines, birthing a whole new career in marketing. Email marketing had already existed since the ’80s, but the widespread adaption of the internet cemented it as the future. By 2007, mobile phone technology and the rise of social media had brought upon us social media marketing and revolutionized the burgeoning field once again. As we’ve marched on to 2020, numerous other innovations have come and revolutionized the field. The best, like Wildfire, have changed alongside them.
But what comes next? What can your business expect from digital marketing in the next decade? In this post, I’d like to walk you through my predictions for the future of digital marketing – based upon current trends and emergent technology seen in a variety of fields and day-to-day to life.
5< Years From Now: Mobile Marketing Dominance
In the next few years, I don’t believe it would be a surprise for anyone in the digital marketing field if mobile marketing usurped the desktop’s throne for the core focus of a company’s marketing, especially in the B2C centre. According to numerous sources, the number of UK residents who own a computer has dropped dramatically in recent times, and this number continues to dwindle. Mobile SEO and desktop SEO share some common ground, but there are key differences. Perhaps in the future you’ll see a reverse of the current dichotomy, where mobile AMP sites are given priority over the desktop experience. This may even hold true in B2B companies. After all, if you’re looking to reach busy business owners, there’s no better place to be than their back pocket.
Of course, the current rise of mobile marketing may reverse. Consider the following. More people than ever find themselves working from home, at a desktop, for hours on end. Whilst I’m sure we can all agree we don’t want to spend our time shopping on a work laptop, the next 5 years could see the end of work laptops entirely. If the new normal becomes just normal, owning a PC may become a necessity. We might even see PC spec requirements right on the job listing for processing-intensive tasks such as graphics design! If work from home continues to rise, a strong desktop presence may just be the way to get eyes on your company.
10< Years From Now: 5G Future
Each new generation of mobile connectivity has completely changed the online landscape. The iPhone barely took off the ground until it was bundled with a 3G plan, allowing for the rise of the app store, mobile social media and more. 4G brought us Wi-Fi level speeds across the world. Now you see video streaming, high-quality interactive sites and constant connectivity as commonplace.
5G is such a vast leap in bandwidth (speed data is transferred) that it will completely change the digital field once more. Digital marketing will no longer be constrained by page speed and file sizes. High-quality images, video and interactivity will become increasingly commonplace as we enter the 5G era.
Of course, the one current limiting factor of 5G is connection. 5G travels a rather short distance, requiring essentially line of site in order to operate. Therefore, we may see an AMP-like situation, wherein you may see higher-fidelity 5G sites in tandem with more traditional 4G sites.
15< Years from Now: VR/XR Marketing
3 short years ago, VR was still in its infancy. Now, major companies such as Facebook and Microsoft continue to invest at great length to ensure this field grows. much like the mobile, many experts believe XR (Mixed Reality) headsets will be bundled with future 5G contracts. The ability to immerse is unparalleled by any technology before VR, and the scale and scope of marketing will soon be unlimited by even the laws of physics. New platforms breed entirely new marketing techniques, terms and developments, the likes of which we simply cannot imagine at present moment.
As you can see, the future of Digital Marketing is truly exciting, if rather unpredictable. To stay on the cutting edge of digital marketing, in the UK and worldwide, contact Wildfire Marketing today.