5 Things Every Marketer Should Be Thankful for This Year [Infographic]

5 THINGS EVERY MARKETER SHOULD BE THANKFUL FOR THIS YEAR by O@MDGadvertising Being a marketer today can be challenging. Keeping up with the latest trends on top of handling day-to-day tasks often feels overwhelming and nearly impossible. Yet, there is also so much to be grateful for. The rapid changes brought about by digital and demographics feel jarring, but they've ushered in a host of exciting changes and opportunities. Marketers can now do things that were unimaginable just a few years ago. With new tools and approaches it's possible to engage audiences more deeply, and at a lower cost, than ever before. Here are five things in particular that every marketer should be thankful for this year: 1 THE REWARDS OF CONTENT QUALITY Not too long ago content marketing was about volume. Brands were encouraged to produce a torrent of short, keyword-heavy pieces as quickly as possible. Thankfully, that's changing: quality is increasingly rewarded over quantity. This evolution can be seen most clearly in what search engines have come to value. Google's Algorithm Now Prioritizes High-Quality Content That Is: Comprehensive: Covers the topic in-depth Rich: Includes media such as images and videos Relevant: Is directly related to the subject matter Clear: Uses easy-to- understand language Engaging: Keeps the audience's attention All of this is driven by a simple fact: good content is valuable to consumers. That's why, as marketers have refocused on quality over quantity, effectiveness has increased: 85% of B2B marketers and 77% of B2C marketers say their efforts were more successful this year because of improved content quality and efficiency The shift from quantity to quality is a win-win for everyone: consumers get better, more useful content, and marketers can concentrate resources on creating fewer, but more-effective pieces. THE POPULARITY OF SMARTPHONES It's hard to believe that the first iPhone was released just over a decade ago. In that short amount of time, these powerful little devices have become nearly ubiquitous with consumers. Smartphone Ownership in the United States 77% of American adults own a smartphone 89% 92% of college graduates own a smartphone of adults age 18-29 own a smartphone Why is this popularity something marketers should be thankful for? Because the smartphone is a dream device for marketing to consumers. Key Capabilities of the Typical Smartphone 11:30 Always-on Internet access NFC and Bluetooth GPS location services Payment and wallet integrations Camera and visual recognition Ability to run third-party apps The rise of the smartphone has already sparked a host of new marketing channels/tactics, including geofenced campaigns, chatbots, branded apps, QR codes, and MMS engagement. And that's just the beginning. As smartphones evolve and as marketers become more familiar with the technology in the future, even more powerful approaches are sure to emerge. 3 THE RIVALRY BETWEEN GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK While there are countless digital advertising platforms out there, there are two that now stand head and shoulders above the rest: Google and Facebook. The influence of these firms is so strong that the market has become in many ways a duopoly. How Facebook and Google Dominate Digital Advertising f Facebook receives 21% of all spend 63% of all US digital ad spend goes to Google and Facebook Google receives 42% of all spend This concentrated power has downsides, but there's also a big upside: The fierce competition between Google and Facebook has led to the creation of powerful tools for advertisers. Over the past few years the two companies have developed and enhanced a wide range of ad formats/capabilities that significantly help marketers reach consumers effectively. Some Areas Where Google and Facebook Are Competing Display Advertising Video Advertising E-Commerce Advertising Retargeted Advertising Geo-targeted Advertising Audience Targeting Analytics & Measurement These are just a few of the many areas in which the two firms are battling. And this is just the start; as approaches like Al evolve and more ad dollars migrate online, the arms race is sure to ramp up. That's great news for marketers looking to make the most of their spend. 4 THE CAPABILITIES OF MARKETING TECH In many ways the outcome of a marketing effort is determined by the tools powering it. The more sophisticated the platforms used, the more likely it is that a campaign will be successful. Luckily for marketers, in recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number-and quality-of marketing technologies available. @ THERE ARE NOW MORE THAN 5,000 COMPANIES CREATING MARKETING TECH OLOGIES This rapid expansion has led to brands quickly adopting more and more tools. In fact, most firms now utilize six or more different marketing-related software programs. Number of Marketing Technologies Used 38% 6-10 24% 29% 10-20 0-5 6% 1% of firms 2% 21-50 Don't know 51-99 What are markers using these tools for? A wide range of different tasks, including measurement, social media management, and email campaign management. Most Used Marketing Technologies 75% 53% Analytics Email Campaigns 62% CRM 55% 59% Content Management Social Management What's interesting is that many of the most powerful tools are still not utilized by the majority of marketers. For example, only 40% of marketers use automation platforms. In other words, MarTech is already improving marketers' lives but there is potential for these tools to help even more. 5 THE DESIRE FOR PURPOSE-DRIVEN MARKETING In the past, one of the difficulties firms faced with purpose-driven marketing was that the spend was hard to justify. Supporting causes was often seen as being at odds with boosting revenue. That is changing quickly. Why? Because consumers-especially younger ones-expect brands to be socially responsible and forces for good. O:) 74% 86% believe business success of Millennials say businesses can and should have a should be measured by more than financial positive social impact performance This belief is directly tied to consumers' spend behavior. 91% of Millennials say they would switch to a brand associated with a good cause There is a wide range of areas in which consumers want companies to engage. The Types of Causes Consumers Most Want Brands to Support Hunger, homelessness, and medical relief Environmental and wildlife Education Animal rights What's important to note is that consumers judge social responsibility not just by how a brand supports causes, but also how it behaves more broadly. Top Ways Consumers Judge Corporate Social Responsibility How it treats its Whether it behaves How it treats its employees ethically customers Put simply: consumers increasingly expect brands to engage in causes as well to treat their employees, customers, and community with respect. This is a huge opportunity for brands. It opens the door to making both the firm and society better through powerful storytelling and smart partnerships. Ultimately, it gives marketers a chance to both do good for their business and to do good for the world. Imdg Sources: ChiefMartec, Conductor, Content Marketing Institute, Clutch, Deloitte, eMarketer, The Harr is Poll, MarketingProfs, Search Engine Land, Toluna. mdgadvertising.com Twitter: @MDGadvertising