5 Digital Marketing Trends For 2019

Looking back, content creators had a pretty wild year in 2018. So many big changes in the algorithms in the past 12 months made marketing on some platforms more difficult than ever.

However, this is not about to derail digital marketing as each and every year, new technologies come out, existing technologies get smarter and prospects get savvier and more bombarded with marketing.

This will continue to happen every year at a faster pace. That said, the goal of marketing, particularly, digital marketing has always been the same - getting and keeping your audience's attention. The only changes that will continue occurring are where the attention goes, and that's what you need to be leveraging.

1. Content Clusters for improving SEO

Search engines have recently changed their algorithms, instead of favoring keywords they now show preference to clusters of content around particular topics. As such marketers have begun linking content to form clusters around pillars - topics - relating to their category.

According to Power Digital Marketing, the pillars are pages which broadly outline a topic, for example, “South African Hotels”. The cluster’s around the pillars focus on specific long-tail keywords. For example, looking for a hotel in South Africa, the best hotels in South Africa, and so on.

The pillar links to each of these cluster pages and each cluster page links back to the pillar with the same hyperlinked keyword. Meaning when one page performs well the entire cluster will get a boost.

Topic clusters signal to search engines that you are an expert within the category, as such you are more likely to have the top spot.

2. Chatbots

Chatbots are on the rise, taking over customer service for many brands. According to Forbes, by 2020 85% of customer interactions are predicted to be dealt with by chatbots.

Not only are bots an effective way of mass communication, but they also allow for a 24/7 two-way communication channel between your audience and the firm. Which on top of boosting customer satisfaction, will also boost your response rate on Facebook — improving SEO and the likelihood of your brand being recommended.

Chatbots can help with customer service tasks and tie into your various systems to answer repetitive customer questions like: "When will my package be delivered?" "What time is my appointment?" "Where are you located?"

Bots can also be used to warm prospects, schedule sales appointments and help make purchases.

However, some are hesitant of integrating chatbots into their customer service out of fear of poor user experience. But fear not, a recent survey revealed that 70% of consumers reported a positive experience and a further 9% were mutual about the experience.

One thing to keep in mind is that chatbots are not meant to replace complex human conversations. They can help, but they are still evolving and improving.

3. Social Media Influencers

Social media influencers are having more and more influence. Many of which have more followers than small nations.

Using social media influencers isn’t exactly a new trend but its importance in digital advertising is growing.

In the past brands have had influencers openly endorse products. However, consumers are more aware of this now and as such are less receptive.

Brands are adopting a more subtle approach these days. They are developing long-term relationships with influencers as these long-term relationships allow for the two parties to grow together and produce more organic endorsements.

Make a list of the top influencers in your market. Check out podcasts, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and other platforms. Follow them first, and learn about them and their brand. Then, reach out with a casual message and start a conversation.

4. Voice Search

It is estimated by Klick that by the year 2020, 30% of the web browsing will be done without touching the screen. In addition to this, estimates 50% of searches will be conducted through voice commands.

320 million users are searching using voice search, with Google stating that 20 percent of all searches have voice intent.

Undoubtedly, the voice search will play a major role in our day-to-day behaviours. Voice queries make sense, as they allow you to multi-task like never before, whether you are unable to type while cooking or remember that last minute item you need to order while driving. For most people, speaking becomes easier and quicker than typing thanks to the benefit of using this technology almost everywhere and the increased intelligence that has been developed.

As of now, companies are gambling on voice solutions to improve this technology already seen in trending AI apps like Google assistant, Siri and Alexa. While the majority of users are still unaware of the things voice search can do, its prominence in smart devices is expected to rise in 2019. It’s only a matter of time when voice search will be considered a norm by all.

5. Video marketing

Video marketing is slowly but surely becoming the leader of digitisation. Tubular Insights predicts that by this year, 80% of the online content will take up the form of visual representation.

The videos will be the highlight of any marketing venture as these will distribute the message in a better way while providing entertainment to the viewers. The videos along with apt audio will help companies accelerate brand growth and allocate their UPS across all platforms.

Video has become the golden child of communication since the rapid adoption of smartphones in the last decade and social media apps. We are all completely overwhelmed and just trying to keep our head above water, so short videos make both communication of a message more efficient and more enjoyable.

More than ever, it's becoming obvious that video content does not have to be high production and high cost. Don’t shy away from pulling your smartphone out and recording a message to your potential customers about a recent win or to share some insights that will be valuable to them. This more casual style is well adapted as we are all used to watching low-quality videos from our friends and family on our social media feeds.

With all the above-mentioned, now is the time to jump on what is becoming the top biggest digital marketing trends and make them part of your marketing strategy this year.