A few years ago, one wouldn’t have been able to imagine that a brand could reach out to millions of people with just one campaign. In the “Paleolithic” age of marketing, where not-so-established brands would struggle to just float in a pool filled with shark-like competitors, now the internet has given them an opportunity to become sensations overnight. It is online marketing that has dominated the debate for a few years now and with exponential developments in technology, the excitement isn’t about to die down soon.

When you think of digital marketing you think of social media marketing, search engine optimization, pay per click advertising (PPC) all utilized by brands to increase their online presence. However, you couldn’t talk about any of these elements without mentioning the giant controlling the strings of this system- GOOGLE! A brand’s success lies in appeasing these large search engines like Google and Bing, as the content approved by them is the content that has the potential to be displayed to your target audience.

With Google constantly updating their algorithms, it is next to impossible to cheat your way into the eyes of the consumer, even with heavy investment in SEO hoping to rank higher than their competitor, brands are now realizing that it is only the rich-content producing sites with their emphasis on quality, authenticity and inherent value written into each code that is going to get them the top spot.

Digital Marketing is perhaps one of the most unpredictable and fast-paced industries that exist today and with large companies making dramatic and futuristic changes in technology, one can expects new methods to emerge on a regular basis. It’s becoming all the more necessary to balance all aspects of digital marketing. Your social media accounts will need to be well-maintained and responsive as should your SEO banner and advertising.

Few upcoming digital marketing trends to look forward to in 2017:

The year 2016 was a year of massive experimentation and it is important to anticipate future trends, if you want to stay ahead in the game.

Augmented Reality

No one could possibly predict the success that Pokémon Go has seen in such a short time and it has taught us a very important lesson. Our consumers are ready for augmented reality experiences while giving online marketers an insight into the earning potential. This year could definitely see a rise in AR apps, AR games.

Live Video Streaming

Social media users are demanding more real-time content, wanting unlimited access to the world they couldn’t access earlier. Live video has become a large trend, with more and more apps and platforms offering “live streaming” functionality. 2017 is the year we can see this definitely take off.

The rise of data visualization

A marketer can’t function without adequate data and sometimes it is difficult to process and comprehend vast volumes of data. Technology has offered us a way out in the form of an “interpretation” tool that helps marketers analyze better.

The power to be harnessed from digital marketing is endless and it is those businesses that realize its true potential that will lead the way in new digitally empowered world order.