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Digital marketing trends that really boost your business
26 Sep 2019
In many articles I have written, I have taken a closer look at not just what's trending in 2019, but how adopting some of the featured marketing methods can work for your business or brand.
Image credit: Patrick Fore on Unsplash.
The growth of the industry is astounding, to say the least, and these articles have shown that the industry-changing trends happening in 2019 have been numerous.
It’s all quite overwhelming actually from the perspective of a business trying to build an online clientele, but you can build your brand by just focussing on a few key aspects and utilising digital marketing trends that really boost your business.
These are a few key players that have emerged in 2019 from the bewildering mass of 'Johnny come lately innovations’ in the digital marketing playing field – which are being used by business to make more meaningful marketing inroads.
Tell your story
The Stories format is growing 15 times faster than posts in the Feed – with WhatsApp status being by far the biggest. Currently, it registers around 450 million daily counts and Instagram, a not so close, but still impressive, second with approximately 300 million daily counts.
This is evidence enough to encourage more marketers to try them out, and they will become even more popular in 2019. This will be the year that more marketers will integrate Stories into their marketing strategies as an effective method of reaching their customers.
Methods include creating fun polls, countdowns, engaging videos and behind the scenes content that is also interactive.
Making messages
WhatsApp also leads the field in another growing trend – one that has big brands considering how they can tap into it – and that is private messaging. Facebook Messenger is the closest ‘also ran’ here, but there are many successful platforms, as private messaging is just such a massive global social media trend.
Good news for brands wanting to tap into this lucrative market is that WhatsApp is already in the process of developing space for ads to appear alongside its status feature and Facebook Messenger are also finding ways for private chatters to engage directly with business.
Video is vibrant and more than viable!
One of the most significant trends expected to keep growing this year has been the continued massive growth of video as a brand marketing medium. YouTube is obviously leaders in this space, but competition is fierce and 'in the know’ digital and SM marketers can advise accordingly.
It may also be a good idea to seek advice regarding video size and content, as these all play a role in the efficacy of the product as a marketing tool.
Personalisation
The recent changes of the algorithms from key platforms like Facebook and Instagram, as well as WhatsApp’s emergence into business marketing, shows a growing trend towards more personalisation in the selling process.
Personalisation of content boosts the engagement, and building relationships, ultimately, leads to sales.
Digital media bootcamp: Personalise or perish
Adam Mitchell, Ninety9cents 5 Jul 2019
Virtual and voice
Voice search, AR and VR revolutionised the industry, but only recently started being seen as significant advertising methods to build brands. This began in 2018 and has continued gaining in strength this year.
AI and big data
These are two of the most highlighted trends in 2019. It sounds like an oxymoron, but artificial intelligence and big data are now being used to deliver more personalised campaigns. Chatbots are even said to be more popular than human engagement in a call centre application!
Browser push notifications
When visitors to a site have left, these are used to re-alert them at a later stage, thereby increasing conversions. Follow up, as in traditional marketing, still has its significance.
Better email marketing
Previously not always seen as a preferred marketing method, because of a significant hit-and-miss ratio, email marketing has benefitted from improved systems and processes. This ensures more active contacts are moved down the funnel before less viable or dormant ones.
Recognising strong trends can rocket your ROI
I hope this has been of assistance, if you’re a brand builder, to enlighten you about just a few areas where digital marketing has been going and growing this year. In partnership with digital marketing experts, you can get high returns on your ad spend by employing the right strategies and a few digital marketing trends that really boost your business!
About Talitha Spykerman
Founder and proprietor of Pace Digital, Talitha Spykerman has been active in the marketing industry for many years. She was Marketing Manager for 6 leading travel brands in South Africa and Head of Sales & Marketing for Hard Rock Cafe Johannesburg, where she developed her passion for and cut her teeth on creating successful integrated marketing campaigns.
