Look at us, throwing fancy concepts right into our blog headlines! Now that we have your interest, what’s this whole “futureproof” thing about?
Put simply, the concept is to produce work that will withstand the winds of change – no matter what direction those winds are coming from and how hard they gust. The benefit is that your marketing content holds up better, so you don’t need to keep producing as much new stuff on a ton of new platforms.
We have to admit, it’s an attractive concept. But at the same time, with the online marketing landscape changing monthly, it’s harder than ever to cover all your bases for what might be in store.
A Few Scenarios
Let’s look at just a few of the many ways the web could evolve in the coming years.
- The Illiterate Web: Who’s to say that written language will continue to drive the web? Voice search is becoming bigger by the day, and consumption of multimedia content, social content, videos and images is at an all-time high. So all those charming blogs and meaty descriptions of your services? So long.
- The Unequal Web: No one knows exactly what the internet will look like without net neutrality. But it’s very easy to imagine that your website won’t be the easiest place to learn about you in the very near future. If your site takes 10 times longer to load than your Facebook or Google Business page, where do you think users will gravitate to over time?
- The Everywhere Web: The “internet of things” concept has been around for quite some time, and we are certainly seeing products on offer that connect and talk with other web-enabled devices. How quickly those will end up getting adopted is up for debate. So too is what content will make its way to all the myriad web-connected devices of the future. Will people be willing to watch an ad before they’re allowed to open their refrigerator to get a glass of milk? Time will tell.
- The Censored Web: No folks, we’re not talking 1984. There is already serious censoring of the web happening in many parts of the world today, and with an uncertain political landscape in the United States, it would be foolish to think that some level of censorship isn’t at least possible. If you happen to be marketing a service that could be called into question morally (and plastic surgery has fallen into this category before), it isn’t out of the question that you may need to be more sensitive in how it’s marketed and discussed in the future.
The point of this post is not to envision every possible scenario for where the web might head in the next 5-10 years. Like we even could! But you should have a good sense of how difficult it is going to be in the years ahead to plan on certain outcomes and build content accordingly.
Forward to the Future
Instead of trying to peg your hopes on evergreen content, we believe that (1) opportunity discovery and (2) reaction speed are going to be the main areas where marketers compete. You already see some of this now as new platforms and technologies are launched.
- Opportunity Discovery: With ever more competitors for views and clicks, it’s inevitable that some platforms will win and some will lose. There’s a marketing edge for the businesses that find winning formulas to reach potential customers with the right message. Think of early adopters on Pinterest, Snapchat, or even Google AdWords. When you find the places where marketing investment pays off, and continually review those platforms and others for strong ROI, you stay a step ahead.
- Reaction Speed: It’s not enough to be “on” social media or “have an ad” on YouTube. You have to be on the lookout for ways to capitalize on hot trends, important news, and competitor offers. As an example, in 2016 when Donald Trump Jr. tweeted an analogy between Syrian refugees and a bowl of Skittles, the company responded that it would “refrain from further comment, as that could be misinterpreted as marketing.” It was a smart move that won praise. Similarly, when the lights went out during the Super Bowl, Oreo famously tweeted a picture of its cookie and the phrase “you can still dunk in the dark.” These may be lightning-quick responses to big trends, but the idea is the same: always look for where your audience might be and how you can reach them at the right time with the right message.
The future of online marketing is coming at us fast, and whatever it looks like in the telescope, it’s gonna look a whole lot different when it’s up close and screaming in our faces. You likely can’t futureproof your efforts, but you can practice good habits for marketing success today and in the years ahead.