Voice search is In and Snapchat is Out, according to speakers at the recent 2018 Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit in Washington, DC.
Armed with laptops and fresh coffee, over 300 marketers converged in the hallways and auditoriums of the National Education Association to discuss the Future of Marketing. The event was co-produced by Capitol Communicator and Potomac Tech Wire.
On stage for the CMO Roundtable were Jeff Rinehart from Framebridge, Kerry Morgan from Booz Allen, and Gayle Weiswasser from HomeSnap. The panel, moderated by Paul Sherman of Potomac Tech Wire, addressed 3 Big Questions about current marketing trends. Here’s a quick overview.
1 – What is the Biggest Opportunity in 2018?
Today’s greatest marketing opportunity is personalization, according to Rinehart. We’re seeing an explosion of data. Not only can we speak to people who buy a picture frame … we can also know who framed a wedding picture or a baby photo. We’re targeting at a deeper level.
Gayle Weiswasser agreed. Marketers can now identify who used a product in the last 30 days. We can see who is using two or more features or apps. And we can customize messages for the customers who are most engaged with the product.
2 – What’s Overrated Right Now in Marketing?
The unanimous answer? Snapchat.
Do the kids love it? Yes.
Is “streaking” addictive? Possibly. (Don’t get too excited, this is not the 70’s trend).
Is Snapchat a place to focus future marketing efforts? Not likely.
Instead, Weiswasser sees continued value in focusing on email and SEO – going where the audience is and continuing what works.
3 – What Keeps CMOs Up at Night?
The panel expressed concerns about not spending enough on marketing efforts, the challenge of seeing the whole picture on Return On Investment from live events, and Facebook.
Should we be worried about recent Facebook moves? The consensus leaned toward Speed Bump rather than Fundamental Change. However, organic Facebook may be dead.
What’s Next in a Multi-channel Marketplace?
Video
We can’t overemphasize the value of video in establishing personal, emotional connections, says Weiswasser.
Morgan pointed to Lean Cuisine’s successful #weighthis campaign. Consumers wanted to move away from talking about diet foods, she explained. The campaign speaks about values extending beyond shape, weight, or size. “When you tap into the emotional needs of the client – hit them at the heart, not the head – you don’t need to spend as much to get results.”
Voice Search
Panelists described voice search as crucial but frustrating because the algorithms keep changing.
Voice activated search, now making up 20% of all searches, impacts how we tag our content with longer tail keywords, according to Kerry Morgan.
Imagine how a smart-home owner might enquire about concert tickets. Instead of choosing “Elton John tickets at Madison Square Garden”, we can now use keywords like “Alexa how much are Elton John Tickets at Madison Square Garden?”
Virtual Reality
While Weiswasser sees strong potential in the real estate niche for VR, Rinehart said it’s still too early for the technology to enjoy a broad base.
Meanwhile, in the conference display area, Alex & Tom rocked a large-screen VR display. Several blocks away, the National Geographic Museum offered AR/VR tours of the Temple of the Holy Sepulcher (fascinating – see it while you can!). And some of the statistics I’ve seen are out of this world. How long will it take for this to go mainstream?
Related: http://www.judyolbrych.com/7-jaw-dropping-video-statistics/
What’s in YOUR digital marketing future? What changes will we see before the Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit in 2019?
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