Most companies that deal in the ever-changing world of marketing might say that it is nearly impossible to predict. Well, we’re not most companies. We dusted off out crystal ball and read the proverbial palm of 2017 just to give you a better idea of what this new year may hold for us marketers.

The Future Foretold!

Facebook, Google & Skynet Domination

All Terminator references aside, these two digital powerhouses are practically owning the digital advertising industry. Outside of these two major platforms, the rest of the industry is shrinking rapidly. It is likely that this behavior will continue into the new year.

No Native Advertising

In this new year, the hype surrounding native advertising will subside and maybe even disappear entirely. Companies will begin to figure out that publishing content on third party websites owned by publishers has hardly any value.

Instead of using third party websites, many companies will run their content on their own properties. This will allow these companies to own their audiences and their acquired data. They will be likely to use google or Facebook to drive their website traffic and will be sure to buy the same or a similar audience as they would find with that third party publisher.

A Diminishing Digital Footprint

As the new generation becomes older and wiser, they are realizing that oversharing on social media has a lot of risks pertaining to their large digital footprint. So, naturally, they are all herding over to ephemeral platforms like Snapchat.

This change in platform and new lack of insight will provide new obstacles and challenges for marketers who have had the pleasure of these people’s vast amounts of information.

Progression Through Personalization

As we progress into the future, each and every consumer seems to grow more cunning and sharp by the minute. They catch on quickly to marketing efforts that are personalized merely on a first name basis.

Marketing, as we know it, is generic. Most of us tailor campaigns and landing pages to fit the needs of most people. Many companies will attempt to figure out the necessary tools in order to create custom experiences for individuals rather than a population.

To properly personalize, we will move on from using a buzzword to other channels of information at our disposal.

Personas No More

In 2017 we will be done fitting populations of people into personas that fit a certain profile. Creating personas in our marketing efforts seems outdated and archaic.

Companies will retrace the steps they have taken in their marketing efforts in order to focus on interpreting the customer journey in depth, content consumption, social sharing, purchase behavior, and any other information we can get our hands on.

Mapping this journey will become the norm for the majority of modern marketing efforts, creating an in-depth experience for each consumer.

Cross-device Targeting

Consumers use all of the technologies at their disposal, which may mean that they use multiple platforms and types of devices. No matter what they’re using, consumers are interacting with brands on their range of devices.

2017 will bring about the creating of consistent user experience on each platform for each different brand. No matter what they’re using, brands will create a consistent experience for each user.