If you want to succeed with your marketing campaigns you need to stay current with the very latest developments. New technologies, platforms, and business strategies are rapidly changing the face of digital marketing. Here are the top 5 trends that you need to know about in 2019.

 

1. Videos Will be Better Targeted and Optimized

Videos continue to dominate social media. They also help to drive consumer behavior. According to research from Animoto, 64% of consumers have been influenced to make a buying decision by watching a Facebook video. However, to get the best results with videos, businesses need to optimize them with the right SEO keywords in the title, description, and URL. It’s also crucial to make sure videos are accessible to the rapidly growing mobile audience. Using innovative video formats such as 360 and VR videos will also help you reach a wider audience.

 

2. More Personalization and Segmentation in Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the oldest types of digital marketing. It’s also one of the most competitive. According to Statista, Gmail alone had more than a billion worldwide users in 2016. This figure is going to rise in the coming years. As inboxes get ever more full, you have to work harder to get recipients to open and read your messages.

 

One of the best ways to improve engagement is to personalize and segment your messages. This means laser targeting your messages so that they are relevant. This means finding out as much about your subscribers and customers as possible. It’s a little more work as you need to create multiple lists but research indicates that this is an effective way to increase responsiveness. Campaign Monitor found that segmentation resulted in a 760% increase in revenue.

 

3. The Rise of Geomarketing

Geomarketing is an important trend that lets businesses target customers based on their current location. If you own a store, for example, it’s extremely powerful to be able to send a message to someone who’s right on your block or in the mall where you’re located. With geofencing, you can automatically send your contacts a push notification, coupon, or message whenever they enter a certain geographical area. Geomarketing lets you grab customers when it’s most convenient for them to patronize your business. It also helps you steer them away from competitors. This tactic is becoming an essential aspect of local marketing.

 

4. Brands Will Engage More on Social Media

The very idea of social media implies engagement. However, in recent years many businesses have used social media to promote and broadcast their own messages without asking for input from their followers. People are tired of simply listening to messages. They want to engage in actual conversations. When creating social media content, it’s important to ask questions and request feedback. Make it clear that you don’t just want to toot your own horn but are genuinely interested in what your followers have to say.

 

5. The Growth of New Technologies such as AI, AR, and Voice Search

The growth of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality will have a dramatic effect on digital marketing, giving businesses new ways to engage with customers. Here are just a few examples of how these rapidly developing technologies are being used in marketing.

 

• The continued expansion of Big Data. AI makes it possible to accumulate more refined and accurate data to better serve your customers.   
• Chatbots on websites and social media help to engage visitors and provide useful information.
• More and more people are using voice search rather than traditional typed searches. It’s estimated that half of all searches will be voice searches by 2020.
• AR and VR make it possible to create more compelling and innovative marketing. Industries such as real estate, hospitality, interior design, and many others give consumers an immersive look at their products and services. Retail stores are also leveraging the power of these technologies. A recent study found that 61% of consumers prefer stores that provide AR experiences.

 

These are some of the top digital marketing trends that can help your business grow in 2019. It’s important to stay current with such developments if you want to keep up with the competition and meet your customers’ expectations. If you’re looking for digital marketing strategies that’ll suit your business needs, contact MAB today.