5 Meaningful Digital Marketing Trends to Use in 2019
Every year, technology gets smarter, and prospects get savvier.
Currently, digital marketing spend is set to hit a value of $118 billion by 2021.
For companies in search of better sales, 2019 is a new opportunity to make deeper connections and nurture lucrative leads. The question is, with so many evolving trends on the market, how do you differentiate between the wastes of time and the options with real ROI potential?
Here, we’re going to look at the 2019 marketing trends with the highest levels of proven value so that you can start the year the right way.
1. Generic Marketing is Dead: Long Live Personalization
Let’s start simple. Your customers are tired of copy-pasted, spray-and-pray marketing campaigns. If you want to stand out in 2019, then you need to treat each customer as an individual. That means personalized emails and custom content. As long as you’re following the latest privacy rules of GDPR and ePrivacy, there’s no harm in using your CRM or sales system to gather information about your customers. Once you do that, you’ll have no problem personalizing your touchpoints to suit customer needs.
Not only is customised content better at capturing audience attention, but it increases the chances that your customers will buy your products – repeatedly. According to an Econsultancy study, 44% of users who have a personalized shopping experience online are likely to become repeat buyers.
Using your lead’s first name in an email or asking them to confirm their location so you can offer tailored product suggestions is enough to make a huge difference. For instance, Groupon always asks customers to establish where they are so that it can deliver relevant deals.
2. Voice Search and Natural Language SEO
Natural Language Processing is a compelling development in the world of artificial intelligence. As machines grow increasingly proficient at recognizing human voice, they’re becoming a natural part of our professional and personal lives. Consider how often you give tasks to your Amazon Alexa or ask Siri to search for something online.
According to a study by OC&C Strategy consultants, voice commerce will reach a value of $40 billion in the US, and $5 billion in the UK by 2022. If you’re not already optimizing for voice, 2019 is the year to get started.
The easiest option is to think about how you can infuse more natural language into your content. “Semantic SEO,” asks content producers to think about the terms that a searcher might use when asking for information from a bot. For instance, you wouldn’t say “Digital Marketing Trends 2019” to Alexa. Instead, you might say, “Alexa, What are the biggest digital marketing trends for 2019?”
This switch to your SEO strategy might be tough to handle at first. However, if you can get used to the presence of long-tail SEO in your content, you’ll benefit from more leads in the long-term.
3. The Value of Video
Video content is everywhere today.
Instead of watching TV, customers stream shows on Netflix. When someone wants to connect with a brand, they don’t watch their ads; they check out their Facebook Live stream. Companies have a whole new world of audience interaction to come to terms with. As challenging as this seems, it’s also a great opportunity.
Cisco believes that 82% of internet traffic will be generated through video by 2021. If you can get started with your strategy in 2019, you’re already one step ahead of the game.
Begin with brief business vlogs. Shoot videos showing customers around your office, or post interviews with thought leaders from your industry. As you begin to feel more confident, move into the “Live” video environment, with real-time Q&A sessions on Instagram Live, or YouTube content streams.
Live video is one of the best ways to connect with your audience because it’s raw, engaging, and it leverages “FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out). People will know they only have one chance to be a part of your live audience, which makes every presentation feel a little more special. Just make sure you have something valuable to share. For instance, Experian runs a #CreditChat every Wednesday to discuss financial issues with their customers.
4. Make the Most of Micro Moments
Did you know that your average customer spends 3 and a half hours on their smartphone?
In 2019, mobile devices are the best way to get in front of your target audience. They’re even better than TV. With that in mind, it might be time to re-think the way you capture buyer attention.
Micro-Moments is a term coined by Google, that refers to smaller, meaningful interactions between brands and customers. For instance, if your customer’s looking for something to eat, they might look for “Places to Eat Near Me” on Google.
If you’ve set your restaurant up with Google My Business, then your clients should be able to see your location, and where it is on the map. They might even look your business name up, check out your Instagram page, or message you on Facebook. All of those small interactions are micro-moments.
To truly take advantage of these touchpoints in 2019, you’ll need to understand your customer’s journey from start to finish. If you haven’t already upgraded your buyer persona’s, now is the time to do it. Think about all the tiny interactions in a day that might lead a customer to your business, and make sure you’re present wherever they’re searching.
5. Chatbots and Messaging Apps Gain Weight
Finally, consumers in 2019 are more sophisticated than ever.
When your clients come looking for your business, they’re prepared to interact through a variety of channels. Your people might message you on social media, then eventually send you an email, or ask for a quote over the phone. An omnichannel approach to marketing is a great way to capture more leads. Studies show companies with omnichannel strategies retain 89% of their customers, compared to only 33% for those without.
The only problem is, finding a way to stay on top of all those different channels. One option could be to invest in chatbots. 1.4 billion people interact with chatbots today, and research suggests that they’ll help companies save about $8 billion a year by 2022.
Try employing a chatbot in 2019 to manage some of your customer inquiries, send automated marketing messages to clients, and even trigger emails. You could have your bots automatically send messages when someone’s about to leave a cart without checking out. Uber uses their bots to help customers book and manage their trips:
Ready for the Future of Marketing?
Not every digital marketing trend that we’ve covered today will be relevant to your brand.
Different companies approach their customers in unique ways. It’s up to you to work out which methods will resonate with your target audience. However, it’s a good idea to keep your mind open to the latest trends. Tracking what’s new in the marketing sphere each year ensures that you stay one step ahead of your competition, instead of falling behind.