Know These Now: Digital Marketing Trends on the Rise.

Have you ever thought it would be cool to predict the future? Yeah, us too. Though we’re not going full crystal ball and tarot cards, we’ve got some pretty important insight into the future. No, we’re not going to tell you who you’re going to marry and how many kids you’ll have. But, we can help with some of the upcoming trends in marketing. Here are trends on the rise.

Chatbots will soon be our new BFFs! With chatbots making it easier than ever for brands to interact with their audience, who needs humans?! After all, chatbots can talk to our customers at any time of day, giving brands the opportunity to provide the quickest possible customer service. But seriously. Do you think chatbots can really replace human beings? Personally, we’re just hoping they won’t make up their own language like Facebook’s bots Alice and Bob. Not cool, Alice and Bob. Not cool.

Gen Z—you know—the generation that multi-tasks across five screens on average? Yeah. They’re old now. Well, old enough to have jobs. Scary, huh? Halloween is soon. And with their jobs comes their money. So, as marketers, we’ll need to pay extra close attention to how we can build brand awareness among these young folks. The best place to start? Quick, snackable content on their favorite channels like Snapchat and Instagram.

Shoppable content will become more and more popular. Instagram recently rolled out a new feature that allows businesses to tag products in organic posts. And when a user clicks that product, they’ll be taken out of Instagram and onto the brand’s site to purchase the product. Lucky for people who like to shop, getting your favorite must-haves from social media is so easy you can shop and shop and never drop!

Virtual and augmented reality will become mainstream marketing applications for brands. Word on the street is that Facebook is working on a feature called “Spaces” that allows friends to connect in virtual reality. And soon enough, brands will be able to project products into consumers’ homes by use of augmented reality. Think that Ikea chair might look good in your living room? Just plop it in via augmented reality and give it a try!

Facebook video cover art is allowing brands to feature their most relevant stories front and center on their Facebook pages. Chipotle is promoting its new queso via its cover video. Other brands embracing the feature are Forever 21, Humana, and Anthropologie, which tells a story about the art of napping. Coca Cola has chosen to upload a cinemagraph to its channel with water subtly moving and glistening in the background of its gorgeous image.