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Four 2019 Online Marketing Trends
Each new year brings us a bunch of weird and wonderful predictions for the big online marketing trends to watch for. Of which the large majority usually prove to be a little farfetched.
Still, the beginning of the year is really the time to start thinking about the things that could be making big waves in 2019. The following four, based completely on factual evidence and statistics, are set to dominate the web scene for the foreseeable future:
1. Your web voice won’t be trusted any longer
For the younger web audiences in particular, the large majority of brands aren’t to be trusted. Even if they have not had any experience with them, today’s web consumer instinctively distrusts most online businesses. Therefore, to make your marketing message heard, it will need to be communicated via somebody else. This is exactly where the power of social media comes into the equation.
Influencer marketing doesn’t really have to mean reaching out to only famous faces and popular icons. Instead, you can simply collect and post reviews, recommendations and ratings from your existing customers. If it speaks volumes for your online business but it’s not coming directly from your mouth, it is far more likely to produce the desired effect.
2. Conformity should be out, creativity gets in
It wasn’t so long ago that just owning and running a website was already enough to give a boost to your brand’s overall performance. These days however, what was once considered quite innovative a few years ago is no longer anything but mainstream. For any web business looking to stand out and gain an edge, the key to online marketing success in 2019 will lie in creativity.
The problem is that modern audiences usually expect a sleek, simple and streamlined user experience. Rather than the technical aspects or mechanics of your website therefore, it is a case of getting creative with your online brand. What could you do to stand out from the online crowd? How could you differentiate your brand from the competition? Does your brand’s USP need any rethinking for modern audiences?
3. You need to know precisely where your customers are
Not just precisely where they are, but also how they are usually communicating. Believe it or not, there are some professionals who believe that at least half of all web searches will be soon carried out through voice search. In any case, modern audiences are becoming more and more fragmented than ever before when it comes to the preferred sources of advice and information.
Some will instinctively follow the Facebook crowd, others are addicted to Instagram and then there is the permanent Google crowd. On the positive side, it is perfectly possible to target even the smallest audiences with incredible precision. It is simply a case of knowing where to search for them, which will be down to you.
4. Customer support will be a big deal
Last but not least, customers in huge numbers are sick to death of the automated chat bots used by businesses. When they’d like to ask a question, they don’t want a looping FAQ that never gives them a straight answer. Customers are being lost far and wide because of excessive automation.
A flawless customer support is not just a welcome addition. It could be one of the selling points in its own right. If your customers know they can reach you quickly and easily, they will be far more likely to do business with you. If you cannot offer real-time customer support, at least think about introducing a ticketing system.