The world of digital marketing is ever-shifting. Marketing has come far from its humble beginnings. Between technological innovations, advancements, and an overall greater understanding of what consumers want to see in messages, marketing is more dynamic than ever.
Below, we’ve outlined some of the key digital marketing trends that you should be leveraging over the coming year. 2019 has brought us a host of unique, immersive, and compelling marketing efforts that any savvy marketing team should be striving to emulate. Read on to find out more about what you should be on the lookout for – and what you should consider implementing during the months to come.
Notable Digital Marketing Trends
Targeting Younger Audiences Via Instagram
The under-thirty demographic is one that’s widely coveted. “Connecting with the kids” can prove to be a frustrating endeavor if you don’t have the means to market to them effectively. Fortunately for businesses, Instagram has become a hub full of young consumers who are eager to keep up appearances.
The social media platform already has well over one billion registered users – over half of them are in the 18-24 age demographic. More than 60% of users log in on a daily basis, and savvy marketers recognize that these three statistics form a considerable case in favor of using Instagram for marketing.
Videos are Key
Consumers today are busy and run-down. By the time they’ve escaped a long day at work, made it through their evening commute, and run a few errands to get dinner on the table, they don’t really have the time to read research-based white papers or long, rambling newsletters.
Appealing to this crowd means you need to be quick.
The only surefire way to keep your message short without sacrificing effectiveness is to opt for video. Whether you’re leveraging the popularity of an entirely video-based platform like YouTube or getting short advertisements in a variety of places on the Internet, getting into video gets you ahead.
Omnichannel Marketing is Essential
Omnichannel marketing is intended to provide a seamless, consistent means of communication for brands and consumers. Regardless of the channel they’re relying on to receive these messages (be it on their computers, phones, or even in stores), the idea is that marketers will tailor their efforts and message to create a cohesive advertising experience through each one of these channels.
Studies have indicated that companies who leverage omnichannel customer engagement strategies manage to retain around 89% of their customers. Compared to the standard 33% customer retention rate of traditional marketing, it’s obvious why so many businesses are on the move to omnichannel.
User-Generated Content to Boost Trustworthiness
Most of us are well-accustomed to being marketed to. Having brands tell you why what they’ve got to offer is the best option available is a normal part of daily life, but some brands have realized this method may be inching towards “outdated” territory. That’s where user-generated content comes into play.
Allowing your customers to do the heavy lifting of marketing for you can be tremendously beneficial to your marketing effort. Not only are word-of-mouth, reviews, and other forms of feedback totally free, they can also be far more convincing to prospects. Simply put: consumers trust other consumers. Start working with that fact rather than against it, and you may be shocked by how favorable the results are.
AI is Redefining the Marketing Sphere
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is becoming more widely used for a range of different marketing solutions. There are a number of different technologies that incorporate AI in terms of marketing. From product and content recommendations to search engines and data analysis, its uses are endless and it is being utilized at every point of marketing. One of the most interesting applications of artificial intelligence in marketing is in regards to social listening, where conversations are analyzed via natural language processing.
AI streamlines the process, enabling faster, more efficient, and more dynamic marketing. AI reaps data rapidly, allowing marketers to target potential customers with strategic advertisements and discounts based on the info procured through artificial intelligence.
These five digital marketing trends have already been making waves over the course of this year; they aren’t going to stop anytime soon. Not every organization can work every marketing tactic into their fold, but focusing on a handful of the ones outlined above may be just what you need to begin carving a surefire path towards success.
Summary Paragraph:
Digital marketing is becoming increasingly more advanced thanks to the number of technologies on the rise. One of the keys to successful marketing will always be to remain as flexible as possible, as having an agile mindset allows for easier adaptation to new trends and ways of reaching target markets. As times continue to change, it has become evident that leveraging such technologies as artificial intelligence and omnichannel marketing are enabling marketers to better cue into what their audiences are seeking. Additionally, it has become apparent that it is necessary to be more user-engaged by taking advantage of user-generated content, using videos as marketing content to grab attention, and by tapping into younger audiences who are ideal target audiences. Though it may not be feasible to implement every one of these digital marketing trends immediately into a marketing strategy, they are each beneficial and definitely worth taking note of at the present time!
