Digital marketing is constantly evolving. From what appears
to be just strategies comprised of banner or pop up ads, it has grown to
include numerous formats across countless platforms. This constant change has
kept marketers on their feet, ready to apply the trends for the present year.
Before we delve into the recent trends in digital marketing, let us define what
it is and why it is important.
What is digital marketing?
According to well-known digital strategist Johnson Nguyen, digital marketing is the umbrella term used to describe various strategies for businesses to advertise their products and services online. There are various sub-types of digital marketing strategies, all of which serve various purposes. Some of the major branches of digital marketing include:
Content Marketing
This is defined as the production of content in various forms (blogs, videos, podcasts, etc.) in order to build an audience and generate leads.
Social Media Marketing
Known as the strategies involving advertising businesses on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.
Pay-per-click and pay-per-view advertising (PPC and PPV)
These are the earliest forms of digital marketing which include sponsored advertisements on websites which are paid through clicks or views.
Why is digital marketing important?
Gone are the days where small businesses lacked the means to market their products and services. Through digital marketing, they can reach a wider audience, generate leads, and have a sizable amount of income with minimal to no cost.
Digital marketing is essential in the present day and age because people look up information online. Johnson Nguyen says that with the rise of giant online retailers such as Amazon and authoritative search engines such as Google, it is imperative that businesses should learn to keep up with the times. As people find information, purchase their goods, and connect with others online, businesses should harness this opportunity to reach a wider range of clientele.
Below are some of the trends you should incorporate in your digital marketing strategy for 2019.
Digital Marketing Trends in 2019
Artificial intelligence for targeting buyers
Have you ever searched for something online, only to find a similar item advertised across your social media feeds the next day? This is a result of increasingly aware and always listening AI. Sophisticated AI is able to monitor your search history and the questions you ask in real time in order to show you only the most relevant advertisements.
This is what artificial intelligence does–technology in 2019 allows for businesses to utilize the information gathered from the user. Data such as GPS location, previous search engine terms, or biographical information in social media can help businesses make targeted advertisements for potential clients.
Chatbots for responsive customer service
Another rising trend for many businesses is the use of chatbots. Chatbots are helpful for business owners because they can gather inquiries from new or present clients. Even without a human customer service agent on-call, this smart use of chat bot interaction can provide insight into what potential leads are asking about or looking for on the website.
There are various services that help install chatbots on your website. It can be helpful to add a “human persona” with the installed chatbot to increase the response from potential clients.
Omnichannel marketing for seamless service
We can see from previous trends that multichannel content marketing is done to help reach a wider audience. In 2019, this will be slowly replaced by omnichannel content marketing to provide a seamless experience for users. For example, you may notice that people who click on advertisements on social media would be directed straight to the app version installed on their phones. People who click on links in their emails will be sent straight to podcasts and videos on the company website.
This strategy allows for less effort on the part of the user, ensuring customer success for the business.
Personalized marketing automation
It is every business owner’s marketing dream–being able to have personalized content for their audience without having to do the dirty work! Johnson Nguyen describes this 2019 trend as the future of email marketing.
Email newsletters still prove to be one of the types of digital marketing strategies with the highest conversions. Thus, it is important to send individualized emails to clients using personalized marketing automation.
Businesses can now take advantage of various email marketing software that utilize smart insights to create personalized content for an audience. The audience can be divided into several categories and individualized emails can be sent to show matching offers or to provide content that fits their needs.
Video marketing
2019 is a big year for video marketing. According to Johnson Nguyen, people spend an average of 6 hours daily watching video content. That says a lot about consumers’ changing online habits.
Businesses can take advantage of this by incorporating videos in their marketing strategy. Whether through YouTube, social media, or other platforms, videos can be a great platform to advertise and put oneself in a position of authority in a chosen niche.
These are the trends that are expected to grow in 2019 and beyond. As digital marketing continues to become innovative, business owners should always be on the lookout for the latest strategies to get ahead.
