In the blink of an eye, another year has all but passed. 2019 is fast approaching, and as always, the hard work of marketers and entrepreneurs never stops. As the digital age keeps churning, it’s crucial that you make sure you are using the most effective marketing techniques to grow your business.
There are a million and one different methods for promoting your business. Every year, some of these trends stick around, others go away, and interestingly, new patterns emerge.
We are going to explore some of these new trends that many think are going to become prevalent in the coming year, as well as discuss some tried and true marketing trends you and your business can’t live without in 2019.
Voice Search is the Future
As 2019 comes into focus, it’s clear that searching with your voice is becoming more popular than typing. Many are suggesting that by the year 2020, voice search will account for half of all search queries.
Technology is improving and becoming more refined. Machines like our smartphones and Amazon’s home assistant Echo devices (pictured below) are starting not only to recognize what we are saying but also calculate why we’re searching.
As a marketer, it would be wise to start thinking about your search engine optimization and how voice search could change the future of how people search for you forever. For example, if you own a pet store, you might target keywords like “New York Pet Shops.”
In a text search, that makes sense. But a voice search may shift the results. These devices recognize our location and make the name of the city almost obsolete in the search. If you’re using your Amazon Echo, you’re just going to say “Show me pet shops,” it’s that simple.
Start thinking about voice search now, because if you wait until this time next year, you may find that you have a steep hill to climb if you want to rank with the marketers who recognized this emerging trend.
Social Media Growth is Key
There is one marketing trend emerging that you absolutely cannot afford to miss out on — the coming of age of Gen Z. This new generation is going to account for about 40 percent of all digital shopping by 2020. In other words, you have to prepare your marketing for this crowd leading into 2019 so that you’re ahead of the game.
The number one way you’re going to reach this crowd — and many others — is through your social media marketing plan. You have to aggressively market on all of your accounts including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
It’s estimated that there are around 2 billion active monthly users on Facebook. Instagram boasts around 1 billion monthly users. While there is no doubt that these two figures slightly overlap, the numbers are still worth noting.
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You can grow your social media in multiple ways. One of the best ways to accomplish your goal of becoming a social giant is by trial and error advertising. You can use Facebook Ad Manager to create multiple promotions targeted towards your audience.
As you create multiple campaigns, you’ll begin to notice growth patterns. Keep the ads that get you follows, shares, and website traffic, tweak the ones that getting you slight growth, and trash the ones that aren’t working.
Bring in the Bots — Chatbots
When you were younger, you probably heard about how robots are going to take over the world. Going into 2019, there are still plenty of robot-free jobs, but due to the growth of many online businesses, there is a new market. A market for chatbots.
If you’re concerned that chatbots might impact the experience of your customers in a negative way, don’t fear! One survey showed that 70 percent of people who used chatbots as a way to solve their customer service issue reported that they were happy with the experience. Why, and what makes a good chatbot?
The “why” has a lot to do with our current generation. The previously mentioned Gen Z is the generation of instant information. Chatbots allow customers to get the answers they need, morning, noon, or night, without delay. If people have a problem, they love being able to go to your website or social media page and get help instantly.
A good chatbot is not just helpful but has an authentic feeling personality. Below we have a sample chatbot conversation, and it shows how a robot can sound just as happy and authentic as a real person. If someone is getting the authentic experience of talking to a human being while getting instant help, it’s a combination for success.
Chatbot technology is becoming more responsive over time. They can help your marketing in numerous ways. Besides helping current customers and keeping them happy with your brand, you can also convince new customers to purchase your product by putting a tool in front of them that gives them information about your brand, products, or services, instantly.
Conclusion
Now that 2019 is around the corner, it’s time to start planning your digital marketing strategy for the coming year. You have to think about these things if you want to see constant growth throughout the years.
It all boils down to interactivity. Customers want a brand that they feel like they can fully interact with at a moment’s notice. Social media and chatbots can help you bring in customer and give them the answers they desire, while voice search is a valuable tool that will result in bringing more new people to your landing page.
As you develop your marketing strategy for the new year, you’ll learn what works for your company. Continue crafting and tweaking your marketing plan all the way into 2020 and beyond, and you’ll be on the path to a successful business with no end in sight.