The future of digital marketing: why it's the future of advertising

Today, consumers are more aware than ever of how advertisers attempt to manipulate their buying habits. Trust is at an all-time low and audiences are becoming savvier by the day. But while many people may believe that this is the end of an era for advertising, there’s actually a bright future ahead for digital marketing.

The rise of ad blockers has led to marketers taking more responsibility for their ads and forced advertisers to be more relevant and less invasive. Consumers now expect honesty and value when it comes to advertising, which means that brands that remain cautious will only continue to grow in popularity. Moreover, we’re living in an age where information is readily available just one search away. As such, advertising that doesn’t stand out or offer something unique doesn’t have the same draw anymore. Here are five reasons why digital marketing is the future of advertising:

Before you can entice your audience to purchase your product, you must first earn their trust. Unfortunately, consumers are more skeptical than ever towards brands, ads, and marketing tactics. This is largely due to the fact that marketers are no longer being transparent about their content. Consumers can tell when a company is creating ads that aren’t relevant to them, and they’re choosing to block them as a result. While this may seem like a death knell for digital marketing, it’s actually forcing advertisers to create more responsible ads.

Consumers now expect to see the same information that friends and family see when they look online at a company or product. On top of this, they expect to be given the option to block ads completely. As such, brands that continue to use invasive tactics are doing themselves a huge disservice. Consumers are now more aware than ever of marketing and advertising, making it that much more difficult to convince them to buy from a brand.

Constant innovation is key

For the past decade, brands have been relying on the same forms of advertising and marketing. They’ve been using traditional banner ads, purchasing ad space on social media platforms like Facebook, and creating content that’s designed to get attention. While this is effective for a short amount of time, it’s nothing that hasn’t been seen before and it’s not going to maintain the same level of engagement in the future.

Neglecting to create new and innovative types of digital marketing could spell disaster for your brand in the long run. Consumers are now expecting more imaginative and creative types of ads, and they’re opting out of seeing the same ones over and over again. As such, brands that continue to rely on the same techniques will find themselves falling behind the rest of the pack.

Content is now king

In the past, brands would create ads and then drive consumers to their website where they would either purchase the product or sign up for their mailing list. While this is still effective to a certain extent, it’s nowhere near as powerful as it once was. With audiences increasingly relying on social media to learn about products and services, brands that are savvy enough to capitalize on this are now reaping the rewards.

Instead of driving traffic to their website, more and more companies are now creating content that’s designed to resonate with their audience. These days, content isn’t being created to draw attention to a product or service; it’s being created because it offers value to the consumer. On top of this, brands are now making their content shareable, encouraging their audience to share it with their friends and family.

Consumers are diversifying their media consumption

With audiences spending less time in front of a TV and more time on a computer, it’s become increasingly difficult for advertisers to reach their audience. For example, people who primarily watch TV might not be looking at their computer when an ad pops up. As such, advertisers are now forced to reach out to a wider audience, including people who typically ignore or block their ads.

However, this doesn’t mean that these people aren’t interested in the product or service being advertised. It just means that these people are consuming content in different ways, making it that much more difficult for advertisers to reach them. With consumers now diversifying their media consumption, brands that continue to use the same tactics are unlikely to reach their intended audience.

Virtual reality and augmented reality will be the norm

While virtual reality and augmented reality aren’t as prevalent as many people would like them to be today, they’re expected to be the norm in the near future. And as more brands continue to create content that works well with these technologies, they’re likely to find themselves reaping the rewards. Virtual reality and augmented reality allow brands to create content that’s immersive and interactive. They allow audiences to explore a product or service in a new and exciting way that’s relevant to them. Brands that continue to push for plain and uninteresting advertising are likely to find themselves falling behind the rest of the pack.

Digital ads will be highly personalized

For many people, choosing to block ads entirely is not a viable option. For most, it’s a matter of finding the right balance. However, blocking ads can be extremely frustrating for some people, making it a less viable option. As such, brands are likely to find themselves creating ads that are more personalized in the future.

This will allow advertisers to reach their audience without being too invasive. And due to advancements in artificial intelligence, it won’t be long before these ads are being completely personalized. Brands that continue to create ads that are uninteresting and irrelevant will find themselves falling behind the rest of the pack.

Bottom line

Digital marketing has evolved into more than just placing ads on various platforms. It’s now a fully-fledged marketing strategy that includes social media, content marketing, email marketing, influencer marketing, and much more. As such, digital marketers have become responsible for creating marketing campaigns that are both engaging and interactive. With audiences expecting brands to be less invasive and more personalized, it’s likely that digital marketing will continue to evolve in the years to come.

Trust and transparency are requiring change