Digital opportunities for brands to engage with consumers have never been greater. With voice search on the rise and programmatic spend increasing, here are three digital trends to watch this year.

Voice search

Voice search technology has made great strides since launching. By 2020 it has been reported that 30% of all website sessions will be conducted without using a screen. Put simply, we’ll increasingly talk to a device instead of typing.

With more consumers turning to voice search, this presents some excellent opportunities for brands that are willing to embrace technology and interact with consumers in a more innovative way. Current innovators include Burger King and Estee Lauder, launching clever campaigns that show what can be done with voice activation.

As voice-activated technology continues to evolve there will be more opportunities to monetise content and build specific campaigns for targeted audiences. It’s an exciting time for higher education providers that are willing to think creatively and experiment with new channels. So it’s time to embrace Alexa, Siri, and Google Now – it looks like they’re going to be around for a while.

Personalised content

In a world full of ultra connectivity, omni-channel browsing and digital consumerism, it can be hard to find truly personalised experiences. Using analytics, purchase history and website data, brands can personalise communications to create authentic connections with consumers. It’s all about knowing what consumers want before they do.

When an experience is personalised, consumers are more likely to develop a connection with a brand. Execute a campaign well and they’ll feel like their user experience was seamless, getting the information they wanted straightaway rather than spending time searching and scrolling for all the answers. As tech continues to advance, so will the opportunities for personalised experiences. So embrace the data and analytics and get ready to use it more intelligently.

Programmatic advertising

Despite uncertainties around General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), spending on programmatic advertising continues to grow in the UK. Programmatic uses AI to automate the ad buying process in real-time (mostly through auctions), targeting specific groups of consumers, streamlining the buying process and leading to higher conversions.

Figures from eMarketer show that £6 billion is set to be spent on programmatic in 2019, with it accounting for 90% of display spending. Programmatic buying allows clients to utilise a huge amount of data and map the consumer journey across multiple devices, which can help marketing teams plan effective digital campaigns and strategies.

As consumers’ attention spans get shorter, marketeers must think of different ways to capture audience’s attention – programmatic is a highly effective way of doing this. Education Cubed specialises in using programmatic for many of its higher education clients – talk to us today about how we can help your institution.