The top MarTech trends every brand needs to know, marketing and advertising news, ET BrandEquity

Representative image (iStock)

“/>Representative image (iStock)Vineet Malhotra

The marketing industry, among all other domains, is quite susceptible to change and is always evolving. Missing out on the latest marketing trends can leave brands behind in terms of competitive advantage and generating more leads. We’ve seen continued accelerated adoption of digital and cloud technology in marketing this year. Next year will be no different in that respect.

Brands will continue to need to use technology solutions in their marketing efforts to adapt to our increasingly digital lives. Indeed, it will be essential for companies to adapt to the challenges of measuring and reacting to changes in consumer behavior across multiple communication channels. And with the end of cookies soon to come, markets will need more technological tools than ever to get their messages across.

These are the top MarTech trends that all brands must follow and adopt in the coming days.

Hyper-customization

Today, we have access to increasingly sophisticated technologies that allow us to measure and predict consumer behavior. It allows us to identify micro-moments and sales opportunities that last a few seconds. This ability to find and respond to these moments, combined with personalized approaches, will continue to be a priority for marketers.

Brands that understand and respond to the needs of their customers as individuals and offer them something unique at the right time and place have been winning this year. For example, when you arrive in a new city, you might get a notification with restaurant or hotel recommendations from Booking.com or TripAdvisor. Another example is how Clorox brands sense and respond to key signals, such as someone watching flu trends in a city receiving prevention advice from the company.

Consumers are drawn to immersive and relevant content and experiences. Brands can take this hyper-personalized, micro-moment approach to further strengthen their relationships with their customers.

Integration with Wearables

portable MarTech Integration gives brands a new way to get closer to their customers and make connections. Smart watches and other wearable products allow marketers to offer highly targeted advertising. For example, a user can receive a notification from a fashion or utility store when they pass it. Trends in wearable technology and its integration with marketing allow brands to reach potential customers at the right time and in the right places.

Wearable technology in the near future will also play a key role in search engine optimization, as mobile optimization has become the norm when it comes to ranking. Brands may need to optimize their platforms for wearable devices like smartwatches to rank higher and increase their conversion rates.

Blockchain technology for digital marketing

The introduction of blockchain technology has brought about some significant changes in the way people use the Internet. It has also created new opportunities for sellers to enter new spheres in addition to their existing markets. Brands need to familiarize themselves with how blockchain will affect their marketing activities.

Blockchain has found some considerable use cases in the financial industry, healthcare and supply chain. And marketing is no exception to blockchain’s potential use cases. For starters, the technology offers an ideal solution to middleman-centric challenges. Also, the interactive features of blockchain would help brands communicate their messages to the audience.

Another example of blockchain in marketing is the adChain platform, which works as a transformative protocol in MarTech with features like real-time lead tracking and campaign audits. It also leverages the open and shared nature of the blockchain to prevent pay-per-click providers from accessing fraudulent clicks and traffic. Blockchain Martech advocates are also promoting other use cases for the technology, such as better transparency, better security, and reduced privacy concerns for brands, marketers, and consumers.

Mixed Reality in MarTech

The big idea of the metaverse and interconnected digital realities has yet to take off. However, it is a different story when it comes to augmented reality with technologies such as virtual, augmented and mixed reality. Marketers have already started focusing heavily on incorporating them into their marketing strategies and campaigns. And in the future, brands will see it unfold in more connected ways with new innovations.
Augmented reality, or AR, will continue to play an important role in brands’ marketing strategies because of its ability to offer brands the ability to offer virtual trials. Not only will it help brands potentially lower rates of return, but it also provides more immersive shopping experiences, driving brand loyalty.

With the increasing availability of affordable VR headsets, virtual showrooms and shopping malls are becoming a real possibility for brands. Real estate companies are increasingly embracing virtual reality to provide virtual property tools to potential buyers. The development of new tools such as haptic feedback devices also allows users to feel virtual reality. This gives brands the opportunity to give their customers more hands-on experience, which was not possible until now.

(The author is the Chief Technology Officer of Hashtag Orange. The opinions expressed are personal.)