The Future of Marketing - What You Need to Know Now

TLDR

• Ditch the Influencer. Build the Brand Advocate.
• Shoppable posts are a no-brainer for online sales
• Strategic use of AI - don’t get lazy
• Social responsibility programs should be leading your messaging
• If your brand isn’t communicating what it cares about, your message is likely to get lost in the shuffle.

The Future of Marketing - What You Need to Know Now

There are so many people willing to give you advice on the future of digital marketing and marketing in general. We want to dive deeper than the easy surface tips that you are seeing on other blogs. (They are often just written for the sake of SEO, so it’s a lot of rinse-and-repeat gobbledygook in our opinion.)?

So, to that end…let’s get that SEO going…

Yes, you must have a mobile-first strategy. We’ve known that for a long time.?

Yes, we know that third-party cookies are going away and it is harder to reach your target market… (Our hot take on that is: FINALLY! It is time to protect the consumers’ privacy or at the very least allow the consumer to make money off of selling their privacy instead of the platforms.)

Yes, we know that Integrated Marketing (simply put, delivering your message across multiple platforms) is something we have to do to reach the consumer where they are at.

Yes, we know that video content is important.?

Now that we’ve hit many of the right keywords for SEO, here are our—slightly controversial—beliefs for the future of marketing, digital or otherwise.?

Ditch the Influencer and Build the Advocates

Everyone is still talking about Influencer Marketing as if consumers don’t understand that the Influencers are paid. And let’s be honest, anyone literally anyone, can call themselves an influencer these days. Your crazy lady neighbor who never leaves the house but has an opinion (but no knowledge) on everything can be an “influencer” by posting content and adding “influencer” in her bio.??

The best form of marketing has been and always will be word-of-mouth. People trust other people who believe what they are saying, over people who are being paid to say something.?

Building brand affinity with advocates rather than influencers is the long-term solution to sustained ROI.

?Does word-of-mouth marketing take more time and effort? Yes. Yes it does. Because building a relationship with someone takes longer than paying someone to do something for you. But the time and effort are worth it when you have a customer base who raves about you from a place of sincerity. They also are the ones who stand by your side in rough times.?

Advocates > Influencers.

Shoppable Posts

I have never gone through the Buyer’s Journey faster than I do on Instagram. I didn’t know this product existed until I saw this ad, and now I have to have it immediately. Shoppable posts break down the barrier between Awareness and Decision, making it easier for your customers to purchase your great product.?

I have attempted to make online purchases on many occasions only to find that the checkout process is difficult or the link didn’t take me to the right product—or some other issue that happened between learning about the product and attempting to purchase it. Shoppable posts take all the headache away so I can easily make my purchase and move on with my day.

Over 130 million users tap on shoppable posts monthly; this one is a no-brainer if you are selling products online.

Harness Gently, Carefully, the Power of AI

Yeah, yeah, I know…everyone is using AI for everything! Have we not learned our lesson on this type of thing? Apparently not. So here goes what is likely to be the least popular opinion of this blog.

Stop looking at AI as your Lord and Savior from hard work. Yes, you can use it to build in efficiencies, but don’t use it to skip over the hard work.

ChatBots: don’t like ‘em. Somehow we have found a way to make securing customer service even more annoying with ChatBots. They are so much worse than waiting on hold for an hour, getting transferred five times to the wrong person, only to not have your issue resolved. Because, THANKS ChatBot, but I could have searched for that information myself without your help…and no, you didn’t understand the request in the first place. And when you send me an immediate response to a question on social media, I know you are a bot—not someone who can actually help me.?

ChatGPT, it’s fine. It’s getting better. But in all honesty, it creates more work for us than it is worth. Our team explored the abilities of ChatGPT , and decided not to quit our day jobs to hire a robot writer. We think it’s fine for inspiration and a more in-depth type of search functionality. But it isn’t writing this blog.?

Generative AI for image creation and editing—this is an interesting one. There are some really great aspects of it, especially for those who can’t afford a full-time designer. But I have some grave concerns over the future of deep fakes. We already live in a time when we can’t trust much of what we see on the internet. I am not convinced this is a Pandora’s Box we want to open.?

Social Responsibility Takes a Front-Row Seat

There is a new generation of consumers and top talent entering the marketplace. This generation brings along with it some strong core values.?

They have been taught from a young age the importance of our environment, of diversity, of inclusion, and of giving back.?

It isn’t only about them; it is about their GenX parents they have been able to impact with their core values, and their Millennial predecessors who started the movement toward more progressive and inclusive thinking in the first place. GenZ is simply picking up the baton and running fast with it.?

Traditional forms of marketing and advertising will not continue to work. GenZ sees beyond the funny ad you made. They look into how you treat your employees and your impact on the environment. They are not going to be fooled by a clever ad or the fact that your brand is on TikTok. Those things might work on their GenX parents or their Millennial co-workers, but GenZ is also not afraid to speak up and educate their older counterparts.?

GenZ is changing the game at a time when we need it most.

This isn’t a trend—it is a fundamental shift in humanity.?

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What people care about will impact their buying decisions.

If your brand isn’t communicating what it cares about, your message is likely to get lost in the shuffle.?

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The Wrap Up

I understand that this list isn’t easy to implement. Well, I mean, shoppable posts are super easy to implement…that was a freebie!?

Understanding when to use AI can be tricky. I would just suggest looking into that human heart of yours to find out if it feels right or if it feels lazy.??

You can build brand advocates while sharing your purpose around social responsibility programs. These things help you build a strong foundation rather than finding the shortcut that is likely to show short-term gains and long-term losses.?

Set yourself up for success now by implementing these tactics strategically. Don’t know how?? Well, you know you can call us to help!

About Us

Founded in 1999, sōsh is a Milwaukee-based creative marketing and advertising agency specializing in data-driven strategies for small to large brands. Sōsh focuses on a wide range of disciplines such as creative services, social media, digital marketing, web design, advertising, and our trademark events. Sōsh creates meaningful connections between brands and their audience and does so through strategic communication, and captivating creative, and thoughtful engagement. We are a collection of strategists - creatives dedicated to adding value to both our client’s brands and their consumers’ lives.