The world of marketing is constantly changing, especially in the modern age of social media and automation. Brands need to stay on top of these changes to successfully reach their audiences, especially as consumers become savvier and to future-proof their business. So what are the biggest trends we predict:
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence (AI) is any technology that mimics human intelligence. It can respond to questions, make decisions, and recognize images or speech. A good example of this are Chatbots which are popping up everywhere, both in Facebook and other live chat solutions. As chat-based AI takes off, expect to see more chatbots being utilised in everything – answering FAQs, placing orders and getting in touch with customer service.
2. Video marketing
The two biggest trends for 2019 in video marketing are 360 degree videos and ‘snack ads’. The benefit of 360 videos is they allow customers to immerse themselves in your brand, and allows them to see products from different angles and show a product in use. While the snack ads are short videos less than 10 seconds long that meet customer’s shorter attention spans.
3. Social media influencers
According to a recent Nielsen study the four most-trusted sources of advertising are: people you know, branded sites, editorial sites, and reviews. Customers are increasingly turning away from advertising, in favour of content. Customers are turning to others for their reviews on products and services. Hence, getting your brand onside with social media influencers is a key way to promote your products and services while getting that valuable third party approval.
When looking for an influencer it’s important to ensure that their audience aligns with your brand values. As any association needs to come across as authentic rather than just another paid advertisement.
4. ‘Always on’ campaigns
Also known as integrated campaigns, this is a major trend and will continue to grow in the new year. Integrated campaigns use multiple channels to share the same message with customers. A single campaign that spreads across TV, print, social media, a business website and radio is a good example. The same message is shared across all channels with planned release to reach customers in a variety of places at various times. These campaigns are always on as they become pervasive in the customer’s life during the period of the campaign.
5. Voice search
ComScore estimates by 2020, half of all search queries will be voice-based. Voice search provides customers with a convenient method to find information, quickly and hands-free. However, it requires marketers to think smart about how they position their product. Marketers have to think about how customers say their search query rather than how they type it. This has major impacts for SEO. The best way to adapt to voice search is to start developing content that has a more conversational tone to align with voice search and optimise your website for mobile search.
Preparing for these trends for your marketing campaigns in the year ahead should position your brand for success. The key is to start planning and outlining your marketing strategy now to get the best possible position for your products and services.
