If you’ve felt at any time in the past couple of decades that technology seems to be changing at a faster and faster pace, you’re not actually paranoid. Exponential growth (increased speed of advancements rather than steady speed, for lack of a better way to explain it) is a very real phenomena. To paraphrase the ever-controversial (but often correct) Ray Kurzweil, in this day and age you have faster computers designing faster computers and the rate at which technology moves forward increases as it utilises itself to improve itself. With marketing, the effect is no different. With Internet Marketing, this is especially true. But before we jump into how this should factor into your attitude towards online marketing, let’s set the scene.

The speed of technology

If you’re not reading this on your phone already, pull it out and take a look at it for a second while considering this. The device you’re now holding, which we’re willing to bet is no bigger than the average drinking glass has a processing power that is roughly 7 million times more powerful than the guidance computer on the first Apollo mission. Think about that. What you’re holding in your hand is millions of times more efficient than the technology that got us to the moon. That happened in only 6 decades.

Now that might seem like a pretty long amount of time depending on what you’re comparing it to, but consider the fact that the first computer was created only about 25ish years before the 1969 lunar landing and weighed about 50,000 tonnes. It was also capable of only very simple calculations.

Then you can consider everything before the computer and the centuries before the 20th and you start to see the rates of progress diminish. Dial it forward again to today and it’s hard to imagine life before Facebook even though it has only existed for 13 years. Smartphones are ubiquitous with our everyday lives even though the first iPhone only happened in 2007. The point is, technology is moving fast and to get to the point, this affects your digital marketing in ways that you are probably aware of but will do in ways you might not be aware of. Luckily we have a pretty good idea of the way things are going to go.

A few fun predictions

We’ve written previously about how we think burgeoning technologies like Virtual and Augmented reality will affect internet marketing, but to break that down into a few very important bullet points:

• These technologies will fundamentally transform the way users interact with the internet over time. Just look at VR Chat for example. The internet is going to become a much more immersive and integrated part of our lives via VR/AR & Wearable Tech.
• If you watched that VR Chat video, then one example of future advertising opportunities should be crystal clear. Actual virtual spaces to advertise in are becoming increasingly popular. The hugely successful open-world online game Minecraft, where users can build pretty much anything they can think of with raw ingredients that they mine, has been the subject of much debate as companies and huge movie and television franchises have advertised inside of it over the years via built structures and “skins”, which allow players to play in a “Pirates of the Caribbean” style world for example.
• The argument could be made that all wearable tech (such as a smartwatch or smart headphones) is AR (Augmented Reality) tech in that it brings the digital world into the real world. But regardless of how you choose to define the two terms when you consider the possibilities around not just getting your product or service in front of someone while they’re searching for a particularly relevant term, but while they’re physically in the vicinity of your business, it can get pretty exciting as an advertiser. Potential customers also might just be going about their day in a way that is conducive to a high likelihood of conversion such as being hungry, looking at related items and services, or even just discussing certain needs at stores they’re in.

And at the end of the day if (like some) you find the technology a little worrying, then we’d strongly suggest you watch this video to help counterweight what you’re thinking. Like any technology, there are pros and cons, but all in all, it’s going to be an exciting new world for advertisers and consumers alike!

So the only real lesson we’re trying to purvey here today is that you shouldn’t be scared of the rate of change when it comes to internet marketing for your business. Yes, it requires that you learn new things, but if as a business you are resistant to learning new things and embracing change then you’re going to have a tough time. So rather than lament the change, embrace it and look for new opportunities! We’re personally very excited about the things that we’ll be able to do for businesses everywhere as technology marches ever onward!

As always if you’d like to leave a comment below then please do, or if you’d like to discuss anything here further (along with any other marketing questions you might have) then feel free to get in touch!