3 ways in which wearables will change internet marketing as we know it
People have been browsing the internet on a desktop or a laptop for years now. They intuitively know what to do and marketing teams know all the little secrets to effectively target their buyer personas.
However, when it comes to wearable devices as small as a wristwatch or a pair of glasses, it’s yet unclear how people’s internet journeys will look like and how marketers will adapt their strategies. Given that the international market for wearables is expected to grow at a 35 percent annual rate until 2019, the question is: how will the wearable technology boom impact website traffic, engagement and conversion rates? Wearables will definitely play a big role in the customer journey and businesses may want to consider opting for a wearable internet marketing strategy that could make a big difference.
A major indicator that wearables are really taking off is Apple’s entry into the market, with the Apple Watch launched in April 2015. But wearables don’t only include smartwatches. You’ll also see high-tech clothes and jewelry in the category of wearables, many serving as higher tech (and higher style) versions of fitness trackers. However, some provide notifications or displays that could be used for social or marketing purposes.
Specifically, here’s what wearable technology will mean for marketing:
Hyper-targeted ads
Geo-targeting options already exist and are highly used by marketers, particularly when it comes to SEO and PPC advertising. With wearable technology, marketers’ ability to deliver hyper-targeted ads will only improve in the future since they will be able to pinpoint the exact location of their target customers and deliver the right message at the right time.
With the insights gathered from wearable technology, internet marketers will not only have a better sense of how and when to engage with consumers, but will also have the ability to do so in a helpful way, rather than placing unwanted ads.
Another good news is that this will help marketers eliminate wasted ad spend and increase conversions with less effort and costs.
The rise of short-form content
Given that search engines value targeted long form content over short form content, we’re seeing articles get longer and longer. This is something that will change as wearables become more popular. Brands will need to really embrace the theory that less is more and learn to say a lot in lesser words without falling into the trap of creating shallow content. Target buyers will consume messages quickly on tiny screens. Therefore, content marketing may very well look a lot more like tweets than long white papers and interactive eBooks. Images will also grow in popularity to make the content as interactive as possible on a small screens.
Social media will be available at a glance
The evolution of wearable tech is very similar to that of smartphones, which allow us to have social networks in our pockets and stay “plugged in” regardless of where we are. If smartphones bring social media very close to our daily lives, wearables hold the promise of bringing it even closer. Social information and notifications will become visible at a glance on your wrist or in front of your eyes. It’s like a direct channel to the world of social but not restricted to it. Via wearable tech you might be able to dictate to Evernote, get directions from Google Maps on your glasses, or check in on Facebook, without ever removing the smartphone from your pocket.
If studies are right and wearables take off at high speed, it’s very likely that we’ll be seeing new social networks taking advantage of them. We may also see tweaks to existing networks to improve ease of use on wearable devices, given their small screens and limited interface options. For example, the ability to Like, Favorite, Share, or Retweet with the tap of a button are features which some smartwatches are already offering.
Conclusions
Nowadays, businesses and marketing departments are faced with the challenge of meeting the ever evolving demands of their tech-savvy consumers who not only expect to receive great content but also want it delivered to them in a compelling way and on the platform and medium of their choice. This is a great opportunity but also a great challenge for marketers who need to find ways to constantly adapt their strategies in accordance with technology advancements and with consumers’ needs and expectations.
