What Was Hot in 2017? A Recap of the Best Digital Marketing Trends

The Think Team savored 2017. As a digital marketer, I LOVED seeing ecommerce expand, new technologies enter the marketing world and creative strategies gain traction via social media marketing. As I was reflecting on 2017 with our founder, Shahla Hebets, we couldn't believe how much had changed and developed in a mere 12 months. You’d think we would come to expect such exponential growth after working in a field that is ever-evolving, but it never ceases to amaze us. With all that influenced digital marketing in 2017, we are ecstatic to see where 2018 takes us and our clients. 

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Below we have listed what we noticed to be the top 6 trends in digital marketing for 2017. As I dug deeper into each topic, I began having flashbacks to work we accomplished for clients and blogs written throughout the year. If you are interested in learning more about these topics and how you can implement them into your digital marketing strategy, we would love to hear from you!

1. Micro-influencers
With social media booming and more companies realizing the importance of influencer marketing, micro-influencers took center stage. In 2017, this developed from a move away, or in addition to, celebrity influencers to micro-influencers. These micro-influencers have much smaller audiences than celebrities, but much more focused niche allowing them to better promote products. Consumers find trust in influencers with a smaller following and very specific interests or niches, allowing them to be perfect for companies to partner with.

Micro Influencer Blog:
http://www.thinkmediaconsult.com/think-media-consulting-blog/why-do-social-media-micro-influencer-partnerships-work

2. ChatBots
ChatBots are an exciting tool that companies can use as customer, sales or entertainment support. Although Facebook began developing and allowing ChatBots on the Messenger platform in 2016, the use of ChatBots grew as more than 100,000 became available for use as of June 2017. Messenger ChatBots exist to make day to day life easier and decrease the excessive amounts of apps downloaded onto your phones. Read our blog below to learn more about what ChatBots do and how you can use them!

Messenger ChatBot Blog:
http://www.thinkmediaconsult.com/think-media-consulting-blog/are-you-using-facebook-messenger-chatbots-for-your-business-you-should-be

3. Virtual reality and Augmented reality
The popularity of VR increased this year, as the quality of the imagery and the availability of headsets in the market have grown. While it is unclear just how many VR headsets have sold throughout the year, it is believed to be in the multimillion range. While 2017 was a year focused on developing VR content, 2018 could focus on improving the actual VR hardware.

Virtual Reality Blog:
http://www.thinkmediaconsult.com/think-media-consulting-blog/how-virtual-reality-can-be-a-friend-or-foe-to-small-business

4. Artificial intelligence - machine based learning
2017 proved to be a year of exploration and development, specifically in the realm of Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning. Forbes reported that in just the past year, the availability of tools and frameworks for AI doubled, and we began to see AI infusion in business applications. These are exciting developments for a tool that is expected to change the way we live our future lives. We have already seen AI and ML in the forms of autonomous driving, ChatBots, automating financial assessments and much more. 2018 will surely be a year of further artificial intelligence and machine learning development, and hopefully more business tools available for implementation.

5. Content marketing
While content marketing is not a new trend as of 2017, it has become increasingly more important. Consumers are tired of traditional advertising and are searching for products that provide greater value and relevance. This year, more and more companies saw their engagement and sales increase through the implementation of a quality content marketing strategy.

Instagram for B2B Blog:
http://www.thinkmediaconsult.com/think-media-consulting-blog/think-instagram-is-just-for-consumer-brands-think-again

6. Live streaming video
In 2017, Facebook Live, Instagram Stories and Snapchat My Stories afforded companies the opportunity to improve engagement and gain views and engagement. Live videos have the special ability to feel more authentic, fresh and honest due to their unrehearsed recording. This allows consumers to feel even more involved with the product because they are participating in an “experience” while watching the live video. If live videos were not a part of your content marketing strategy in 2017, we highly recommend implementing a plan for them in 2018!

​Meet our favorite videographer!:
http://www.thinkmediaconsult.com/think-media-consulting-blog/video-maestro-meet-garrett-evans





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