Digital Marketing in the IoT

Before we talk about the possibilities the IoT (Internet of Things) will provide for digital marketers, let me answer a question you may be thinking: “what in the world is the IoT and how real is it?”

IoT: the network of physical objects – devices, vehicles, buildings and other items that are embedded with electronics, software, sensors and network connectivity – which enables these objects to collect and exchange data.

We agree with this article from Wired, The Internet of Things Is Far Bigger Than Anyone Realizes. The development of the IoT has been slow but steady and is increasing everyday. This means that everything is going to become what we know as “smart.” With the use of cloud computing technology, we connect machine-to-machine (M2M) or sensor-to-machine (S2M) and begin to allow these parts of our everyday lives to communicate with one another and make changes that will affect us.

So, dear digital marketers and industry leaders, why should we care? What will this mean for us?

As systems begin to integrate with one another, brands will be competing for optimization and automation. Let me put it this way:

• Your service-providing clients will want to be the service that integrates seamlessly with Amazon’s Alexa assistant as it senses that the outdoor temperature is rising, thus triggering a response that the yard will need to be mowed soon, followed by notifying a local lawn care service to schedule an appointment.
• Your product-providing clients will want to be the brand that Google Nest’s “smart” fridge (not an actual thing yet, but go along with us) can automatically order when it notices you are running low on milk.

Double Data

The number of B2B and/or B2C touch points will increase, and with that, so will the data gathered from these encounters. This data will allow digital marketers to target customers and tailor interactions in an even more refined way.

Supercharged SEO

SEO will become even more important – these “smart” objects will have their own algorithms paired with search engine algorithms to produce the best results for users. Organic traffic to websites will change, as search engines will work to incorporate the new data provided by the IoT.

Actualizing Automation

Because of the overwhelming amount of data the IoT will provide, digital marketers will have to trust technology to make the best decisions and draw accurate conclusions from the data. Digital marketing decisions themselves may start to become more automated, spitting out recommendations for best practices within certain industries.

Digital marketing will only increase in relevance with the growing emergence of the IoT. The idea of a direct digital relationship between businesses and their customers will become more one-on-one as “smart” products and services become a part of homes, cities and a variety of industries, namely healthcare. This should also increase accuracy and ROI on digital marketing campaigns.

These predictions look to the future, because at Pyxl, we’re always thinking about what’s next. How do you think the IoT will impact digital marketing?

Updated: Apr 13, 2022