Here at Alternatives Digital, we are constantly focussed on what’s coming up on the horizon because we have to be! Digital is such a fast evolving world that as a talent provider, it is essential we are as ahead of the digital curve as possible.
Year on year, digital arena finds itself presented with new hard and soft ware. Traditional sectors and organisations (such as the travel / music / banking industries) get swept up in a sea of change that is constantly determined by the user preferences. Those who manage to adapt to these changes can access a competitive edge boasting fresh appeal to new markets. Here are some of the trends and potential drivers that we see for digital marketers in 2016 –
- Mobile versus desktop
Google announcing mobile traffic overtook desktop traffic in 10 different countries, the release of “Mobilegeddon” algorithm to phase out sites not optimised for mobile signifying the smart future spends are on mobile marketing.
- Video ads are everywhere!
With YouTube hosting billions of videos, Facebook and Bing are offering video options and positioning themselves as advertising platforms. 2016 will see an even bigger explosion of video as Google launches SERP video advertising signalling that users are becoming more accepting of video ads.
- App indexing
As ranking possibilities for apps becomes more complex, business drivers see the responsive advantages of a dedicated, self-navigational, intuitive and convenient App. At some point the App will replace the website, not yet but I envisage 2016 will be a key year in the adoption of the app for business owners.
- Wearable devices
This year we saw the unveiling of the Apple Watch, a first generation smart watch. Similar devices will continue to emerge changing the landscape of local marketing.
- Digital assistants
2016 will lead a new kind of optimisation (SEO) and (PPC) advertising are popular strategies for getting your site seen. Digital assistants like Siri and Cortana utilise traditional search engines, predicting usage and accessing patterns rather than specific site funnelling.
In 2016, businesses will continue to acknowledge the importance of employee brand messaging while the talent sector will utilise this element for engagement, especially to increase exposure to passive candidates with a more sophisticated approach.
From a Digital talent perspective, we predict that the sectors with the most growth potential for 2016 will lie in the areas of analytics with the newly coined Data Scientist coming to the forefront across all industries while the demand to fill UX requirements grows exponentially.
First published in Irish Marketing Journal (November 2015)© to order back issues please call 016611660
