The digital marketing landscape is constantly experiencing changes. Some changes are imposed by consumers themselves while others are imposed by technological advancements. Digital marketers are always on a lookout for new advertising trends. These trends influence consumer behavior and often reshape digital marketing campaigns and how companies approach their customers. Every business must keep up with these trends in order to remain relevant on the market and not fall behind their competitors.
Businesses that are able to keep up are also able to gain more customers and retain old ones. On the other hand, companies that don’t pay much attention to the latest trends are more likely to fail altogether. The fact of the matter is that the online market is changing at a very fast pace, more so than ever before and mainly because of technology. This makes adapting to new trends increasingly difficult, especially since they can change practically overnight. That being said, here are a few digital marketing trends for 2019 that marketers should be aware of.
Artificial intelligence to aid marketers
There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding the progress of AI technology. Even though AI is still technically in a development stage, it still managed to find its way into various industries, marketing included. Even the AI’s disruptive nature didn’t prevent numerous companies from implementing it. AI’s machine and deep learning capabilities, as well as its natural language recognition, can greatly benefit businesses.
Nowadays, not so many marketers are already using AI to help them design campaigns, but soon AI will become one of the most important assets in every marketer’s arsenal. AI can help marketers obtain valuable information about customers. Aside from that, AI will play a vital role in customer segmentation, retargeting efforts, development of new content and so on. Businesses will be able to leverage AI technology to expand their audience, optimize campaigns, develop new business models and provide customers with an exceptional experience among other things.
The rise of chatbots
Chatbots have become one of the most popular trends these days, which will certainly continue on into 2019. AI-powered chatbots have already proven that they have the potential to revolutionize customer service and support. It goes without saying that more and more businesses will opt for this feature. Even home-based businesses stand to gain from having a chatbot feature. Marketers can leverage chatbots not only for providing a seamless service but also for product placement and providing customers with uniquely personalized offers.
As mentioned before, some trends come from users while others from technology. Chatbot trend encompasses both sides. Younger generations, especially the millennial generation, prefer to communicate with brands through chatbots. On the other hand, brands find great value in chatbots’ ability to provide a seamless 24/7 service to multiple customers at the same time.
More ads on social and mobile channels
It’s no secret that the online market is already oversaturated with not just businesses but with promotions, campaigns, offers and more. Businesses are always looking for a way to get their messages heard and cut through all the noise in the online world. So far, search engine optimization (SEO) and PPC (Pay-Per-Click) ads have proven efficient in achieving this. With the rise of social media networks and mobile traffic, it’s expected that companies will also increase their advertisement spending as well.
Google’s AdWords and native advertising are gaining popularity these days. Businesses are looking for a way to display their ads, only this time without being too intrusive, which proved counterproductive in the past. Therefore, if you’re considering ads as a way to boost your home business presence online, you might also want to look into PPC services, in order to get a sense of how your campaigns should look like. Perhaps consumers will be more willing to disable their AdBlockers in the future.
Video takes the stage
The popularity and usage of video content in the marketing world have been on the rise for a few years now. It seems that video will soon dominate the modern market. According to research, 82% of global IP traffic will be video by 2022, compared to 75% in 2017. The on-demand video content is also on the rise with platforms, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Facebook Live and others providing consumers with video content.
In addition, Live, 360° and 3D videos are quite popular with consumers as well. Re-structuring content into video format will almost become mandatory for marketers instead of just optional. Whether consumers are becoming too lazy to read or they simply prefer to watch videos is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that video will be a dominant format and if marketers want to effectively reach out to their audience, they’ll have to rely more on video content.
The evolution of voice search
With the increase in mobile traffic and the ever-growing adoption of IoT (Internet of Things) devices, consumers are getting more used to voice search. Searching for things on the Internet by speaking instead of typing it into your browser is more seamless and convenient. This disruptive trend is starting to gain significant momentum and marketers should be ready for it if they want to remain relevant to their audience. Marketers should already start optimizing for voice search if they haven’t done so by now.
The main reason is that it’s estimated that by 2020, 50% of online search will be voice search and 30% of those voice searches will originate from screenless assistants, such as smart speakers and other IoT devices. Not only that but it’s also estimated that by 2020, 55% of households in the U.S alone will have a smart speaker of some sorts. Voice search optimization differs from regular SEO and marketers will soon need to adjust their strategies, in order to meet their audience’s expectations, as well as needs. Virtual assistants, such as Cortana, Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant and others are slowly but surely becoming integral aspects of consumers’ lives.
Omnichannel marketing is the future
Nowadays, online consumers are becoming tech-savvier and their expectations grow alongside their needs. Marketers must make an effort to provide an even more seamless experience than before. That being said, omnichannel marketing is the trend that will become more and more present in marketing campaigns.
The main reason is that consumers not only expect but also prefer for marketers to provide them with personalized offers on each step of their buyer’s journey. With so many offers and brands to choose from, consumers want to do business with companies that can meet if not even exceed their expectations. Ensuring customer engagement on every point, whether online or offline, has become essential for business success.
Virtual realities
As technology continues to advance, so do consumers’ needs for better experiences. After all, what’s the point of a digital world if it won’t leave you in awe? Luckily for marketers, even though technology has raised the stakes, it also proved solutions. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have finally made a big entrance. This technology has been in development for some time now but it has only recently seen significant improvements. In other words, it has advanced enough to enter the marketing world and help re-shape customer experience.
Today, many businesses are already leveraging AR-powered apps to provide a mix of digital and real-life elements into the customer experience. Now, consumers have the opportunity to “see” how specific items would look in their homes before they decide to make a purchase. VR experience has so far proven to be efficient in the real estate industry where consumers can have virtual tours of properties without even having to leave their own home. With VR and AR experiences, marketers will be able to provide a whole new meaning to the word “experience” for their customers.
Technology improves as time goes by and technology is the pioneer in creating trends, as well as in influencing consumer behavior. How digital marketing trends in 2019 will disrupt marketers remains to be seen.
