Enhance Your Marketing Toolbox In 2016

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With virtual reality, digital assistant optimization and newsjacking

The range and sophistication of new digital marketing tools seems overwhelming. Yet business leaders need to understand that those willing to be early adopters of these breakthrough technologies will gain the advantage of unified platforms with much more accurate targeted outreach.

Virtual Reality

We’ve been hearing about Virtual Reality (VR) for more than 20 years. Remember all those VR-themed sci-fi movies from the 1990s? –With the much-touted Oculus Rift set for release in early 2016, other devices and software applications will follow through 2020 and beyond. Now is the time to consider how VR could be used to boost your marketing. That window of opportunity for first adopters is quickly approaching.

Well before 2020, immersive VR is projected to personalize marketing, something destined to appeal especially to Millennials who already demonstrate a strong preference for 360-degree technology. This will have immediate application to Internet advertising, the integration of retail and social media channels, online shopping and graphic design. Also important for business– it will revolutionize training simulations, cloud-based work environments, even something as far afield as Employee Assistance Program therapy.

3D Broadcasting + Improvements To Live Streaming

With the introduction of Periscope, Facebook Live and Blab, we’ve already entered the era of live(broad)casting. 360-degree broadcasts are now just a few tweaks away.

  • Periscope lets you broadcast live video to the world. It instantly alerts your followers so they can join you in group and private broadcasting including replay and Twitter feed.
  • Similarly, Blab, lets anyone have their own ‘show’ via live streaming, podcasts, coaching and training.
  • Facebook Live, not yet available to the general public, is used increasingly by celebrities to keep in touch with their fans. FB is eager to make this social media tool available to everyone. With so many available resources, whenever that happens, it promises to be a formidable option.

Digital Assistant Optimization (DAO)

Upcoming upgrades are set to transform Siri and Cortana into full Voice Activated Search Engines, displacing traditional search engines to find requested data. This means that businesses need to update/optimize their online apps and websites so that their information is easily accessible to these digital assistants. DAO is a completely new search optimization arena, which in 2016 will emerge beside the traditional options of SEO and Pay per click (PPC).

Newsjacking

Finally, Newsjacking, is about injecting your brand into a breaking news story to generate timely media attention and generate sales leads. This strategy will become more commonplace in 2016. However, if Newsjacking messages lack subtlety or social sensitivity, it can easily backfire and tarnish your business image. Make sure your marketing strategists are up to the challenge of finessing your messages for best results without damaging blowback.