The only thing constant in the world is change and the same applies to the digital marketing landscape. The online marketing trends have changed drastically over the past 10 years. From a traditional marketing approach, a dynamic shift to digital marketing is happening across all industries.

There has been an unprecedented growth in social media marketing, video marketing, data-driven marketing, and mobile marketing. As the digital marketing sphere is constantly changing, it is imperative for businesses and brands to always keep on top of the trends.

So, before planning your marketing plan for 2019, here are the top 10 digital marketing trends to watch out for in the year ahead.

1.Voice Search Will Rise and Rise

With “Okay Google” and “Hey, Alexa” entering people’s lexicon, it becomes essential for businesses to take advantage of the voice search technology. According to the Global Web Index Voice Search Report, nearly 27 percent of the global online population is now using voice search on their smartphones.

In fact, 50% of all searches will be conducted via voice by 2020. So marketers must optimize their websites and content to adapt to this fast-growing phenomenon to capture the voice search traffic.

2.Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Will Gain Traction

New cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are transforming the digital marketing sphere. The application of AI and ML in marketing helps to personalize user experiences and provide smooth search sessions.

Marketers need to analyze customer data to understand their online behavior, preferences, choices, purchase patterns, and characteristics to deliver unique, one-to-one customized content and ads.

3.Video Marketing Will Become More Than a Buzzword

Video marketing has been a popular marketing tool in 2018 and it will continue to be in 2019 as well.Videos are a great way to raise brand awareness, engage customers, attract more traffic, and inspire lead conversions.

As per a latest study, 54 percent of consumers love to see videos from brands over other content types. If your target customers love watching videos, then why not reach those people with your marketing video!

4.Content Marketing Will Still Remain the King

“Content is King” – a well-known phrase in the digital marketing world. And it will continue to be so in 2019 and beyond. Creating consistent, engaging, user-friendly, relevant, and unique content is the key to establishing stronger relationships with your audience.

An effective content marketing strategy is essential for enhancing your position on search engine results, engaging prospective customers, and getting more conversions. So keep content marketing at the forefront of the digital marketing scene this year and for the years to come.

5.Chatbots Will Become The New Normal

A chatbot is an AI-powered computer program that mimics human conversations. The first wave of intelligent chatbots was seen in early 2016. They have become extraordinarily popular in 2017 and 2018, so expect them to become more normal in the eyes of consumers in 2019.

Chatbots can be deployed on a business’ website to solve customer queries, personalize their shopping experience, and provide better customer service. Incorporating a chatbot in the marketing strategy will help businesses to increase engagement, qualify leads, make more sells, and give an even more personalized experience.

6.Instagram Marketing Will Soar

One social media channel that is soaring high in organic reach, it is Instagram. Businesses and entrepreneurs who shifted to Instagram in 2018 saw tremendous improvement in their social media marketing results.

Instagram is rolling out amazing new features including Instagram Stories, Instagram Live, IGTV, and Instagram Shopping. If you have not taken this social platform seriously yet, you must start growing your followers and engage them to generate more social capital.

7.Micro-Moment Marketing Will Evolve

Consumers experience micro-moments on an average 150 times a day, such as research moments, discovery moments, and purchase moments, just to name a few. The key of micro-moment marketing is to understand that you have got a few seconds to capture the attention of your target customers.

Therefore, offer short, engaging messages to educate customers about your products and services and drive positive brand sentiment. Embrace value-based exchange and provide competitive offers, exclusive deals, insights, and discounts to interact with and influence customers at each stage of their buying cycle.

8.Usage of Social Messaging Apps Will Grow

The average daily time a user spends on a social messaging app is expected to be 12 minutes in 2019. Data privacy concerns are increasing and people are moving from social media platforms to messaging apps.

Big brands and publishers have already started to leverage the messaging trend. Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat, and Viber – these social messaging apps dominate the messaging market and play an important role in adding values to the user experience.Incorporate these platforms into your 2019 marketing strategies to offer direct, personal connection to your clients.

9.Influencer Marketing Will Be the Next Influential Technology

Influencers on social channels like Instagram and YouTube certainly seem to have a good place in brand awareness campaigns.

So what could be expected in 2019? Professional influencers will become more valuable this year and micro-influencers working at a country-level will be in demand as brands move into experiential marketing.

Businesses need to focus on the quality of engagement, content relevance and voice of the influencer, audience relevance to interact, engage, influence audience.

10.Augmented Reality Will Be The New Frontier of Advertising

After the breakout success on Pokemon Go in 2016, new Augmented Reality-based ad formats have started to pique the interest of consumers.

And, the availability of AR on mobile devices has brought the AR advertising technique into the mainstream. Brands, agencies, and publishers can potentially provide better user experiences, meet customers’ specific needs and entertain them with AR advertising.

Final Thoughts

Digital marketing in the year 2019 will be about providing quality customer experiences with AI-powered technology, customized content, video and social media marketing, messaging apps, chatbots, influencers and AR. Incorporate these digital marketing trends in your marketing strategy to stay ahead of the curve in 2019.

Engage with the right digital marketing company to implement your marketing plan that helps you to build your brand, tell a great story, get more leads and conversions, and provide seamless user experiences across multiple channels.