While no-one disputes the power of effective digital marketing, what continues to evolve are the most appropriate digital platforms.  We explore what the top 8 digital marketplace trends are in 2019 and what this means for marketers.

Cyberspace has been steadily growing since 1990. Now it’s a major virtual marketplace for the majority of people on the planet.  For marketers, if you want to go where the people are, you need to be active online.

As the late, great ad man David Ogilvy said, “You can’t save souls in an empty church.”

1)  Facebook has a personality change

While Facebook is still the #no 1 social media platform in the United States the demographic has shifted.  With 41% of its users being over the age of 65, it remains a great platform when targeting a senior demographic.  However, it is continuing to experience a downward trajectory among the younger demographic.  When you take into account the massive changes announced by Mark Zuckerberg in our recent article, this original and highly effective marketing platform is morphing from ‘mass media’ to a more personalised approach.   Digital marketers need to be mindful of who their target audience is and whether they are still on Facebook.

2)  Instagram is a hit with the kids

Instagram’s meteoric rise to over 1 billion users is no threat to Facebook since they own this rapidly growing platform.  Where Facebook is shedding followers, Instagram is gaining.  The image and video-based social media platform is optimised for users to share photos and videos directly from their phones.  This makes it more attractive for the younger demographic, especially under 30.  Cell phones are now the computer of choice for the general public.

3)  Chatbots are on the rise in digital marketing

Chatbots act as a ‘virtual assistant’ communicating with users to guide them online.  They are primarily featured in text chat windows, but verbal interactions are also possible.  Facebook uses thousands of chatbots for weather reports and basic customer support functions.  They allow users to receive personalised attention without draining limited human resources.  Their effectiveness and usage are likely to continue growing for digital marketing in 2019.

4)  Video Marketing still tops

More than half of all Americans engage with YouTube.  Engagement was measured at a staggering 73% in 2018.  According to TechCrunch people watch 1 billion hours of YouTube social video per day and it’s predicted that 80% of all traffic will consist of video by 2021.

While YouTube is currently the most popular video viewing platform, this doesn’t negate the value of posting your videos on other social media platforms like Facebook.

Video digital marketing is a very versatile marketing tool allowing you to communicate a lot of information in a more interactive way.  In a world of ‘information overload’, users welcome a personal touch like seeing you talk about your product.  It lends personality to your brand, authenticity and it equates to more brand trust.

5)  Live Video is the rising star of digital marketing

Live video has become the fastest rising star in digital marketing.  Its popularity is partly due to the increase in streaming services. Live streaming using an influencer or traditional sources, such as athletes or celebrities, is rapidly becoming more appealing for audiences. This is due to the interactivity and spontaneity of live streaming as users are interacting directly with real-time commentary.  This breathes life into your brand.

6)  Good Content is still king in digital marketing

While good content remains a vital component of digital marketing, the demand for more nuanced content and specialised content is emerging.  Marketers need a more sophisticated understanding of their audience in order to generate content that is specifically relevant and useful to them.  One way of doing this is to improve the techniques that measure content effectiveness.

7)  Email Is Getting More Personalized

Email marketing remains an important part of the marketing mix with billions still relying on it for personal and commercial uses.  Email marketing is here to stay, however, it is also evolving and becoming more personalised.  One way of doing this is to follow the user’s journey.  An email marketing campaign may trigger a user to browse a specific product on your website.  Sending them a follow-up personalised mail with a promotional price on that product can be very effective.  Email is often the final ‘trigger’ to motivate consumer action and works well in combination with remarketing techniques.

8)  Voice Interaction is on the rise

With the advent of Siri, Google and Alexa on smart devices, consumers are showing a preference for taking as a way of interacting to search, shop, and discover new things.  This consumer preference cannot be ignored by digital marketers and does present a few challenges.  When you search using text your search results are delivered one page at a time.  When someone asks a device verbally, the search displays only a few choices at most and often just one choice.  This impacts on how you optimise your website for verbal searches versus text searches. For instance, writing meta-descriptions of websites might need to be optimized for speech so that it “reads better” out loud, when being spoken, rather than the drier style used for a strictly text-based search approach.

Considering the rapidly evolving landscape, the digital marketing space remains an exciting and challenging one.

Creative Imagineering is a full-service boutique digital marketing agency.  We specialise in web design, SEO, graphic design and content marketing.  Let’s ensure you amplify your digital footprint and start your journey.

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE SOURCE:   https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/