With 2018 right around the corner, we begin to reflect on the highs and lows of 2017 and envision what 2018 may bring. We like to discuss future online marketing trends, technology advances, and general miscellaneous predictions about the coming year. Here are some of the predictions that our team at Hall foresees for 2018.
Digital Marketing Predictions
Google will start an a la carte online-only cable television service. This will start a revolution in opportunities for digital agencies to get a piece of the traditional television budget for google ad services they are familiar with.
- Mike Johnston, Director of Web Performance
Marketing automation is increasingly trickling down from enterprise tools to services that mere mortals can afford. More and more small and mid-sized businesses are going to start experimenting with things like email automation, abandoned cart notifications, and product recommendations.
- Geoff Bell, Digital Marketer
Improved Customer Experience
An increase in human-like conversational experiences through the use of chatbots and voice assistance.
- Ludmila MacLean, SEO Manager
I think digital strategy, regardless of the industry, will become much more customer- and feelings-centric. More (and better) digital customer service options, more conversational content, and a bigger emphasis on simplicity and usability, whereas 2017 was more design, bells-and-whistles-first.
- Lauren Garrard, Client Account Representative
Voice Search results will become more prominent as consumers use more and more devices with biometric inputs.
- Tim Howe, Lead WordPress Developer
There will be a lot of focus on voice search with all the voice assistant hardware becoming available to consumers. Looking forward to the shift with this advancement in tech.
- Zach Gilseth, Junior WordPress Developer
Personalized user experiences.
- Jess Lavoie, User Experience Developer
Mobile Trends
Continue to go the way of mobile advertising and performance optimization.
- Stephanie Podraza, Digital Advertising Manager
Larger mobile marketshare.
- Matt Harrison, Vice President of Technology
There will be a continued emphasis on mobile advertising and improving mobile sites.
- Olivia Brown, Client Services Coordinator
More people will go away from a traditional Menu on Desktop/Tablet and use Mobile styled menus for main navigation
- Jonas Levasseur, Vice President of Operations
Technology and Internet Predictions
Without Net Neutrality, well see some companies start to block or hide their competitors online once again. Encrypted decentralized networks will be talked about more as a way to combat it, nothing of substance will come of it in 2018, but maybe it will lead to future developments.
- Matt Harrison, Vice President of Technology
Lots of controversy and turmoil.
- Jess Lavoie, User Experience Developer
Social Media Trends
Next year’s generation of teenagers will use Facebook ironically; they’ll comment on all of their grandma’s posts because it’s so retro, and Facebook’s popularity will skyrocket again. College kids will use LinkedIn exclusively to buy and sell drugs. Medium will go the way of Buzzfeed.
- Hailey Gutwin, Administrative Assistant
Social media is going to ruin our country. Politicians will get fired via Instagram. The President will tweet himself to death. The birth of New Baby Jesus will be broadcasted via Snapchat Story. I think the turn of technology will slowly start to happen – snail mail will become popular again. It’ll be cool to not own a cell phone. Everything is cyclical.
- Lauren Garrard, Client Account Representative
Streaming/TV Trends
Streaming content services will start consolidating and start completely replacing traditional broadcast services.
- Tim Howe, Lead WordPress Developer
Netflix will raise its prices by $2 a month, and people are going to lose it.
- Gary Thayer, WordPress Developer
The Search and Internet Giants are going to get into more traditional media buys. Starting with rights for LaLiga (Spanish Top Flight Soccer), and Amazon, Google, or Facebook will buy the worldwide television rights and start the revolution of traditional television to the internet.
- Mike Johnston, Director of Web Performance
Bitcoin Trends
Blockchain is going to become the new hot tech and work its way into everything … just because. Well, at least until the Great Bitcoin Crash of 2018 causes people to lose faith in cryptocurrency.
- Andrew Chernosky, Web Products Developer
Not technically 2018 but by the time this is published the bitcoin bubble will already have burst. The currency will continue to be extremely volatile until regular people just stop caring, but the idea of blockchain technology is going nowhere.
- Geoff Bell, Digital Marketer
The Bitcoin bubble is going to pop at some point.
- Matt Harrison, Vice President of Technology
General 2018 Predictions
Animal Related
Dachshunds will win the Westminster 2018.
- Ludmila MacLean, SEO Manager
Dogs and cats will live together in purrfect harmony.
- Tom Hall, President
Miscellaneous
The best snow year in a decade and Saddleback Mountain opens in 2018 to much fanfare.
- Geoff Bell, Digital Marketer
I will find $20 in the Hannaford’s parking lot and it will be a good day, continuing with a Chipotle burrito in the forecast.
- Zach Gilseth, Junior WordPress Developer
It will be revealed that the 1988 Roddy Piper movie “They Live” is a documentary.
- Tim Howe, Lead WordPress Developer
3D-printed meat will be sold in grocery stores.
- Hailey Gutwin, Administrative Assistant
Finally, self-driving cars become a thing! You won’t be able to buy one just yet, but you might get picked up by a driver-less Über.
- Andrew Chernosky, Web Products Developer
Now that we have made our predictions it is time to wait and see which ones will be spot on and which ones will fall short. Although we do our research to stay up-to-date on technology and internet trends, you never know what will happen in the coming year. At Hall, we encourage you to make your own predictions to test your abilities and maybe learn something new as you do your research.
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