Advertising is always a must for all businesses who expect to enjoy stable growth. Advertising budgets are stretched to include the newest trends in product and service promotions. There are several advertising trends you should know in 2016.
Advertising Trends You Should Know in 2016
To stay ahead of competitors, there are several major changes impacting how businesses should advertise in 2016. These include:
- An uptick in the trend toward digital marketing
- Greater reliance on mobile advertising
- Increase in the use of social media platforms
The Uptick in Digital Marketing
In 2016, Businesses will find digital marketing to be an unavoidable necessity. Digital marketing is basically electronically transmitted advertising, usually over the internet or through cloud computing. Some examples of digital marketing venues include closed captioning service and email marketing. Since 2014, digital marketing has enjoyed an 80% uptick in use of digital marketing in advertising and promotions. By the year 2020, it is expected that businesses will spend a total of $95 billion on digital marketing. This is a trend that should be highlighted by businesses and included in advertising budgets. Digital marketing will continue to advance in technology that may increase advertising costs in the future. Savvy business owners should invest in digital marketing in 2016 to protect their business image as a continuously evolving enterprise.
Greater Reliance on Mobile Advertising
Since the advent of mobile devices, businesses realized they needed to dedicate a portion of their advertising plan to a mobile target market. The convenience and faster response time attributed to mobile advertising is an advertising trend businesses should be fully aware of. Craft an advertising strategy that will dedicate at least one-third of the advertising budget to mobile advertising. This may require intensive study to define the specific mobile target markets and how to implement product and/or service advertising into the most advantageous mobile media sources. Trends in 2016 point greater reliance on mobile advertising for optimal visibility and target market saturation. With the use of mobile software applications that allow scanning of codes into mobile devices, businesses should be prepared to provide adequate response software applications for more effective, efficient order processing and sales inquiries.
Increase in the Use of Social Media Platforms
Social media isn’t just for socializing anymore. Businesses owners have already seen the impact of social media on advertising. For example, people are spending a ratio of 1:6 minutes of their time on social media like Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube. Consider the possibilities of the use of these platforms for advertising. At present, the cost to advertise on social media platforms is well worth the vastness of the exposure businesses receive for their advertising investment. Choose several types of social media platform to accommodate more creative advertising strategies. For example, use a social media platform heavily comprised of video and graphics to provide step-by-step instructions for the use of business products. To create a customer network, choose a social media platform that allows businesses to become members of social media groups.
To recap the advertising trends you should know in 2016, consider the various options available in order of significance to your particular business. Study the costs involved in advancing advertising to meet 2016 trends and adjust business budgets to accommodate these trends. Adding new advertising trends should focus on greater business branding, visibility, specificity of the target market and customer orientation. The best technique for most businesses is to refresh their existing advertising strategies by staying current with the newest trends in a seamlessly refined advertising and promotion plan. Be aware of the impact on how these trends will be utilized by your sales and marketing staff.