5 Digital Marketing Trends To Watch Out For

More than ever technology is playing a major role in our everyday lives. Digital innovations continue to increase, making it difficult for organisations to keep their marketing strategies up to date with the latest trends. It's vital that new developments are explored and introduced each year so companies stay competitive.

Here are a few trends which we expect to play a major role in 2019.

1. Artificial intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is changing the shape of data capturing and technology as we know it. This new development is providing companies with cutting edge customer profiling opportunities to be used on a number of platforms.

Organisations can use artificial intelligence to their advantage. Through the use of this technology, companies will have a better understanding of their target audiences allowing for higher engagement from targeted campaigns.

43% of marketers are using AI for audience expansion, 39% are using it to target an audience. AI allows product personalisation to reach a new level allowing companies to learn from feedback and consumer choices, so correct solutions are made apparent. Just think of your Spotify Playlist for an example, working from the songs you are listening to, a unique list is created for you based on the music you have been listened to.

2. Chatbots

Chatbots have revolutionised communication online. They allow users to gain assistance wherever they are meaning individuals can complete their goals online. This technology allows companies to improve their customer service while controlling their budget.

Chatbot technology developed significantly over 2018. With such innovations, we expected this technology to have a major impact on digital marketing in 2019.

Today, Chatbots allow you to receive an immediate and personalised response through analysis and understanding of demand, digital. In fact, chatbots originally used response libraries according to predefined questions, but advances in artificial intelligence now allow them to analyse and understand messages up to a certain level, thanks to machine programming. It will be interesting to see the next steps for Chatbots, and what further impact this will have on a companies communication.

3. Voice Search

Voice searching has been growing exceptionally over the last few years. With the introduction of Siri, Alexa and Google, verbal interaction devices are changing the way we surf the internet to discover new things.

When it comes to Search Engine Optimisation, organisations are going to need to reevaluate their marketing strategies. Voice search results perform differently compared to text-based search, where you receive 10 search results per page. Verbal search options provide you with a few choices at most, with frequently only one being supplied.

To keep up-to-date, and to compete, websites now need to make sure all content is optimised for speech, making sure it reads well out loud. Meta-descriptions are now a must on all content and photos posted helping your results boost in the ranking. The way search marketing will change this year to keep up with voice search is to be seen, one thing is for sure, the way we search online is changing.

4. The video format

Integrating video marketing into your strategy is a must in 2019. It's expected that video marketing will account for 80% of total internet traffic by 2020. The fundamentals of good video production, that captures a campaign objective or a brands personality can lead to impressive gains.

There is a number of different formats companies can use to the integrate video into a campaign to build on customer engagement and traffic. Whether you are looking at short-form social media videos, long-form informational videos, or even live video technology to interact with your audience, using videos in your marketing strategy in 2019 is a must to maximise your audience rate.

5. Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality

Today companies want two fundamental things from users: that they engage and actively participate in the brand's strategy, in order to best meet their needs. Virtual and augmented realities will meet these needs by providing brands with strong customer experience opportunities.

Some companies are already using this innovation to generate brand awareness and sell individual products.

This new technology is increasingly present as a digital marketing tool for brands. If you have not yet adopted or explored how these may work for your organisation, 2019 should be the year to discover and try new technology innovations in your digital marketing strategies.

If you would like to learn more about creating a digital marketing strategy, get in touch today.