It’s December. Otherwise known as Potluck Season. Yep, it’s the only perk you miss out on when you telecommute. Well, that, and the weekly smell of burnt popcorn wafting from the breakroom microwave. Consider this post my potluck approach to predicting trends in 2016. What do you think will be a crowd favorite? Let’s dig in.
#1. Search. Engines. Galore.
Prepare for the new SEO in 2016: Search Everything Optimization. Pay close attention to how the sophisticated search capabilities of social channels give brands a boost. It’s already happening. Consider this: YouTube is now the 2nd largest search engine. Have you noticed your search behaviors changing at all?
#2. Goodbye, UX. Hello, UVX.
Ever heard of Oculus Rift? No, it’s not a sea creature. (Good guess though.) It’s actually a virtual reality sensation. The experiential marketing of the future will be a full immersion. Just when you thought you were starting to get the hang of user experience comes this idea of the user virtual experience. Hey, nobody ever said the world of marketing was dull. That’s why we love it, right? Learn more about Oculus here from AdWeek.
#3. Micro-Stories
If you’re like me, you probably overthink brand storytelling. Why don’t we just post a quick behind-the-scenes video? Create a simple how-to post? Or even better, inspire user generated content around the little things in life that matter most to our audience? Google refers to this shift in consumer behavior as micro-moments. So, let’s tell micro-stories. What’s your audience interested in right now, like, right, this, very, second? That’s your story.
#4. Welcome to The Internet of Things
How much stuff do you own that’s connected to the Internet? If you think about it long enough, you might get creeped out. It’s hard to believe that the IoT is estimated to have an economic impact of $11 trillion by 2025 (McKinsey Global Institute). Yet according to our friends at Forbes, the majority of people (87%) never heard of the term “Internet of Things.” We’ll see how much difference a year can make.
So, what do you think?
MogLand Media 
Laura.
Great post! I have to agree that 2016 will be an exciting year for emerging media–Or scary depending on how you look at it. The IoT is one of the most exciting and scary things that I think will become a bigger issue in the coming years as people learn what it is an become more aware of the potential privacy issues involved. However, if we keep demanding more and more out of IoT, and as marketers meet our demands, is it realistic to assume we should still have this thing called privacy?
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Hi Bridget,
Thanks for the comment! I agree with you that our privacy is fleeting. But here’s what is shocking: I read that 2/3 of smartphone users don’t use any form of security on their phones (Google Think). We should at least do what we can to protect our info! Don’t you think?
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