Online marketing trends 2018

We have been saying for years that the following was on the mobile. Well, at last this is definitely what online marketing is concerned, because both Google and users wanted it so. 

Traffic from these devices surpassed which the old and good desktop is capable of generating throughout the last year. So, strategically, it has no sense to follow based on the desktop version, working the design from that point of view and then adapt to mobile. 

Concerning Google, it has already said that from next summer mobile will be the version that weighs for indexing purposes (the famous Mobile First Index) and, moreover, the loading speed on these devices becomes a ranking factor. 

This means that SEO goes through mobile, but the rest of the strategies and tactics too. Transversally, we must think about mobile: PPC creatives, landings with Mobile First design, email marketing campaigns... 

More and more merchants are opting to take the leap to online sales through marketplaces. Rather than recommend or not all customers to pass through this model, the truth is that it is and will be a trend in 2018 and we will need to be prepared. 

This will mean that we will have to fight according to their rules, therefore we will have to start doing SEO and marketing for this type of portals if what we want is to stand out organically on them. They have completely different rules, maybe more simple, but requiring an optimization at products listing level that cannot be overlooked. 

And pay attention to the PPC from Amazon, because anyone selling there will thank a good campaign that improves sales and, consequently, the level of quality of the seller, that has at the same time a great weight in the products positioning in searches. It is a vicious circle. 

They are becoming more popular. Many eCommerce are using this type of conversational software which solves queries based on a database of answers and artificial intelligence, since it is one of the most important features of these bots: the ability to learn from the previous experience. 

In any case, we doubt much that its consolidation will mean the disappearance of customer services as we know them. 

The feeling is that they are still a little undeveloped and people still need certain empathy, and more when it comes to sensitive issues such as orders that do not arrive, in bad conditions, or any incident that requires a minimum of left hand.

That said, there is no doubt: chat bots are in the top 3 of trends in online marketing for 2018 on its own merits, and it is likely to continue growing in 2019 and 2020. 

We cannot ignore that the Internet of things is a reality that will also go further. This has many more implications for marketing that those me may see at first glance. 

Most of this type of device have in common the characteristic to be operated by voice, so that the interaction becomes more natural, but, somehow, more limited. 

What usually is to present the user with a list of options so that they can be managed, it is limited to a single response that must be very accurate. 

It is like the Google button "I'm feeling lucky" but taken to the extreme, because it will affect both search engines and multiple everyday aspects (including online purchase through various portals and eCommerce). 

Which way will the shots go? It is difficult to predict for sure,but the first experimental campaigns have already been at Amazon Echo. And this year the programme sponsored for Alexa could be officially launched (own Amazon´s wizzard). So,be up to date about this. 

Since video is brought out, it would be nice to review what is coming in this aspect. The rise of this format is undeniable and goes far beyond a typical YouTube channel: it is the material which is consumed with more joy by users, who have an almost infinite hunger for it. 

What you have to keep in mind is that video is a live format. The evolution is evident, since it has moved from a clip of a fixed-term embedded in a post to live streaming video or videos in 360º, something we would called science fiction not far ago, and which open a lot the range of possibilities for marketing purpose. 

By the way: If we combine phone´s great features and the improvement of mobile connections to the "mobilization" of traffic, the equation is solved very fast. It is necessary to take the step towards the content in video, including ads optimized in any platform, like YouTube or Facebook Ads. 

Special mention to live video, whose promotional use will continue growing during the coming months. 

Short video format with expiration date, which was uncovered at the time by Snapchat and captivated Facebook, is absolutely essential for a broad segment of population. 

Instagram Stories has increasingly more possibilities as a marketing tool and, as we already said, a huge audience back. Promoting something on this platform not only requires synthesis capacity: also it is also necessary to know to understand the characteristics of the media, which are part of the message. Concision,urgency and ephemeral as a part of the story. 

Last year, Facebook opened to companies the possibility to advertise on Stories. After a beta version closed to 30 advertisers (which was successful for some of them, like Airbnb), this feature was released. Important to take into account for this year. 

Data protection is the less attractive but more important. 

The European Union had long been warning that it was going to focus on this aspect. As it is already a reality, the famous GDPR or General Data Protection Regulation shall come into effect on May 25. The process of adaptation to which many have arrived late, will be one of the recurring themes during the first months of the year.

It is a too dense matter, but it will affect e-commerce in general and it cannot be ignored because the consequences can be quite serious. 

It has always been important, but it is becoming increasingly more. Companies such as Amazon or Zappos, those that put the client as a priority no matter what it costs, are that have better understood a new paradigm in which the user is the one who really rules. 

A good online reputation so far was something positive in an indirect manner. Today, the social proof is basic, and will go further because it has direct effect. 

Without going any further, when selling on Amazon, one of the most important factors is the positive feedback. The more 5 stars you have, and better your ratio of response is, of completed deliveries in time, absence of complaints or returns... the greater your visibility will be.

But if you fall below a minimum parameters, you face the possibility of being even suspended as a seller. 

It is an example of the impact that customer service will have in your sales. 

Local marketing embraces digital marketing, and this trend is growing every month. Partly because we are moving to a more and more onmicanal model, in which the barriers in the shopping experience fade between channels. 

In addition to this, we return on mobile: native capabilities of the same, as the very accurate geopositioning, allow to develop strategies that were unthinkable a few years ago, both at organic and PPC levels. 

Facebook Ads, without going any further, even allows street segmented campaigns aimed to generate rotation in retail(because the ad click mortar and the "retailizacion" of e-commerce is another of these major trends).