Our PR and Content Manager, Jenny has been taking a look at the hottest new trends in Digital Marketing including what’s big for 2019…

Chatbots.  They’ve been around for some time, but we’re only just starting to realise their potential and 2019 could very well be their year.  The latest report suggests that over half of consumers will choose a Chatbot over a human to save time. Although, don’t go giving up on the human race just yet as humans we crave interaction and whilst Chatbots are great at solving e-commerce issues and arranging transactions people prefer to deal with a human so they’re not likely to be replacing us just yet. However, it’s apparent that most business will adopt this technology to be able to offer a more efficient and streamlined customer experience in the future.

We’ve all heard that marketing influencers are on their way out, but we’ve yet to see this happen and why would we. Influencers if used correctly, are still a marketing strategy to be reckoned with. That’s why in 2019 we will see brands adopt a new approach to the way in which they use influencer marketing. The new way will favour strategic programs that truly deliver. Influencers will be treated as broadcasters and publishers in their own right, and brands will work with them, collaboratively and respectfully, to ensure credible and authentic output. 

As ever social media will rank high in terms of popularity. However, after a shaky start to 2018 whereby algorithm changes and the rise of fake news left users trust in these platforms damaged. Brands also felt these effects and are only just regaining their consumers’ confidence with thanks to the latest social trend ‘Stories’. Originally adopted by users among their personal accounts. Brands have realised the potential of Stories and are now firmly adopting the trend. Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram stories are paving the way, with video content being hugely popular, brands are now utilising these platforms to tell their own stories and sharing their narrative with the world, a craze that we will be embraced by more brands throughout 2019.

It would appear that if you want to stand out in 2019, then personalisation is the way to go – this includes personalised content, products, emails and more. We’re not just talking about adding a consumer’s name to their email, oh no we’re refereeing to personalised email content specific to the consumers purchasing patterns.  You only have to log on to your Netflix account to see personalisation working at its best. Algorithms track what type of programmes you like to watch and then makes informed suggestions based on your viewing, a genius idea that genuinely makes the user feel like they’ve received that personalised service. In 2019 we will see more personalised email marketing take place as the batch and blast approach is no longer working. A study by Evergrade noted that 96% of respondents praised the ability of personalisation to advance customer relationships, and 88% said it has helped them realise a measurable lift in business results. Staggering when you think about it, that’s why I think that this will be one of the hottest trends for marketing experts this year.

You can forget searching on Google by text too, another new trend set to take-off this year is visual search. Already being utilised by in the industry, Google Lens takes the user to the next level, with visual search consumers can now upload an image to conduct a search and get more specific results. That’s not all you can take images of business cards and save contact numbers, you can capture a landmark, building or piece of art and instantly access more details about what it is – this saves time searching through Google looking for the information does it not?

It will come as no surprise then that social media giant Pinterest has introduced Lens, allowing users to take a photo of an item to find out where to buy it online. They can also search for similar products, or view pinboards of related items too. It won’t be long before other marketing organisations latch on to this time-saving tech.

Lastly, we take a look at programmatic advertising. What is it you might ask? It’s basically about using AI to automate the ad buying process. According to eMarketer by 2020, 86.2% of all digital display ads will be bought via automated channels in the US. Using AI in advertising is complementing the process and will ultimately improve fill rates and increase ROI. It’s helping to change the way the industry works and promises to create more accurate ways to measure the impact and effectiveness of advertising.  A real game-changer for marketers to be able to deliver tailored ads to buyers whilst maximising their opportunity for ROI.

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