Planning for Budget 2019? Thinking about the trends you can't ignore?
2018 has been a year of improving and building off of 2017's trends. So far,we've seen a continued uptake in augmented reality, video content, and influencer marketing. But now that 2018 is one-third of the way over, you may find yourself wondering: “what does 2019 have in store for us?”
In their blog Social Report predicts how the ever-changing digital marketing landscape may look in just a few months.
The Rise of Smart Speakers
This might come as a surprise on a digital marketing trends list. Smart speakers like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomePod have made waves in the consumer technology market over the past couple of years. And consumers love them: 65% of smart speaker owners say they wouldn’t want to go back to life without their voice controlled assistant.
So how does this tie in with digital marketing? We will likely see more and more online publications embrace voice and publish audio content to these devices. They'll do this in hopes of landing a sport on listener’s “Flash Briefing”, encouraging their followers to follow daily.
Furthermore, we expect to see more ads on these platforms—after all, publications need to monetize content. Amazon, Google, and Apple may very well launch their own advertising platforms for this, making it easier for companies to buy and sell ad space. Think Adwords but for your Google Home.
Internet Will Catch Up To Television
Research shows that internet will catch up to television in 2019 in terms of hours watched. According to the study, people will spend 2.6 hours a day online and 2.7 hours a day watching the tube in 2019. 45 minutes of an average person’s internet time will be spent watching mobile video.
Because of this, we that predict companies will spend less money on television ads and more money on web video, social media, and web ads in the New Year. Will your company do the same?
Social Media Will Be More Deeply Integrated Into Other Services
Social media companies will continue to integrate their services into third-party applications. For example, like how Facebook and LinkedIn allow users to sign up for third-party services with their accounts and share data with third-party services.
We expect this trend to continue and for social platforms to become even more integrated with other services. Social media apps may start to share more user data with their audiences and create a more seamless experience across third-party apps. This helps social media companies retain their dominance, gain more info about users, and provide better services for smaller websites and apps.
Live Video Will Keep Growing
It’s no secret that YouTube, Facebook and Instagram’s live video services made waves in 2016, 2017, and 2018. In fact, in 2016 more than 80% of internet users watched more live video than the year prior—likely due to the rise of more modern streaming services.
Don’t let your brand be late to the live video bandwagon. 67% of live viewers say they are more likely to purchase a concert ticket to see a band or attend an event if they’ve seen a live stream of a similar event online.
Further, 45% of live audiences would pay to see a favorite athlete, team, or performer on an online stream. Check out Facebook’s recent Facebook Live infographic for more information on live video’s growth.
Video (And Video Ads) Will Keep Growing, Too
Like live video, traditional video will keep growing too. Studies expect video to account for a whopping 85% of total internet traffic by 2019. Further, 54% of internet users already watch video on a social media platform monthly, and that number will only grow over the coming years.
Video ads are on the rise too. 65% of ad impressions on Instagram were the result of video content, and we’re expecting that number to grow even further.
Marketers should consider adding video for their 2019 social media strategy. Some ways of doing this are by running video ads on YouTube and Instagram, creating video content in-house, or partnering with an influencer for paid product placement or endorsement in their videos.
Chatbots Will Become A Normal Thing
We expect chatbots to continue growing in 2019—and they'll likely see become more “normal” in the eyes of consumers. In other words: the novelty will fade but we will see them become more widespread and usable.
By 2019 we expect chatbots to be the first place someone goes to order a pizza, choose a mobile plan, or even book a hotel room. Chatbots enable your users to do all of this without the hassle of downloading a native app.
Data says chatbots will dominate too. According to a study out of LivePerson, only 19% of the 5,000 people surveyed had a negative perception of chatbots. Further, 33% had a positive view and 48% were indifferent so long as their problems were resolved.
Stay ahead of the curve and develop a chatbot for your brand. They’re relatively easy to develop and may make the difference between closing a quick sale or losing a customer to a service with an easy-to-use chatbot—especially for food delivery.
The Rise of The Social CEO
In an era of fake news, it’s important for CEOs and other top executives to be social. This boosts your company’s reputation, helps build trust with your users, and even makes your company more appealing to job applicants.
According to data from OkToPost, in 2016 only 40% of CEOs were active on social media. Of those users, 70% only used LinkedIn. However, we expect this number to grow as distrust in the media continues, making people want to hear news right from the source.
There are a number of ways that a CEOs can have his or her voice heard. A few of the best ways are by posting to the company blog, writing on Medium, Tweeting from a personal account, or writing blog posts on LinkedIn.
Future Proof Yourself!
And there you have it: seven digital marketing trends that will dominate 2019. Even though 2019 is nearly half a year away, stay ahead of the game and use these tips to future proof your company against the ever-changing digital marketing landscape.
