Key takeaways
- SEO remains central. Use both broad and local SEO to boost rankings and target audiences by income, interests, age and gender.
- Search engine marketing can raise rankings on Google, Yahoo!, DuckDuckGo and Bing and provides comprehensive analytics on visitors.
- AI is increasingly able to learn from users and will grow in data mining, communication and customer service.
- Launching an online store expands revenue, builds brand credibility and is supported by marketplaces and social platforms.
- Video ads and professional animations typically capture attention more effectively than text ads. Use them to maximize ad budgets.
- Live streaming (Periscope, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram) builds authenticity and community around products and brands.
- Social media remains essential. Use platform tools (notably Facebook) and A/B testing to refine campaigns and learn audience preferences.
- Optimize for voice and mobile search. Voice queries often use different language than typed searches and mobile browsing changes campaign strategy.
- Micro-moments (including “near me” searches) let you target users by intent, location and related keywords, expect growth in micro-moment strategies in 2019.
Introduction
Digital marketing is one of the most popular industries with the advent of the Internet, social media and smartphone technology. Knowing how to effectively market to a target audience is essential for companies looking to stand out and expand. Understanding the top digital marketing trends of 2018 is a great way to craft a working strategy for 2019.
The Importance of SEO
SEO, also known as search engine optimization, is an integral part of growing any online business and presence. Using both local and expansive SEO is a great way to maximize your online reach while providing ample opportunity to attract new visitors and prospective customers to your website.
Search engine marketing is one of the biggest trends used to promote websites. With effective search engine marketing, boost your website’s ranking in top search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, DuckDuckGo, and Bing, even if you are working in a highly competitive market.
Search engine marketing not only provides you with the opportunity to outperform your competition with the right advertisement, but it also delivers comprehensive analytics and data relevant to your users and those who visit your website.
Use local SEO to reach those in your community who may be searching for the services or products you offer. Local SEO optimization allows you to hone in on specific groups of individuals based on income, interests, age, and gender. With the right optimization, boost your website’s rankings in local search engine results near you.
The Increasing Role of AI
AI, or artificial intelligence, is getting smarter each year. New developments now allow software to learn from users and make adjustments to the system on its own to better suit potential customers. In the near future, it’s likely that AI will continue to grow and become more useful in data mining, communication and even customer service.
Expansion of Online Shopping
Launching an online store is another way to maximize revenue while promoting your company. One of the biggest digital marketing trends includes creating an online store that can be easily accessed from anywhere in the world. Use an online shop to build brand credibility while establishing your business as an authoritative source in the market or industry you work in and represent.
Online shopping has become commonplace with the advent of Amazon, eBay and even social networks like Facebook and Instagram. Using an online store is a great way to bolster a new or existing business.
Video Engagement
While text ads and traditional link campaigns are effective when done right, video media is one of the most popular methods of reaching an audience, regardless of age, location or interests. Videos stop users in their tracks while scrolling through social media and preferred websites. With thousands of sponsored ads and text posts appearing in news feeds each day, standing out is essential to prevent getting lost in the crowd.
Use professional video campaigns, animations and graphics to captivate your audience while drawing more attention to your message. Video ads are notorious for providing better results than traditional ads, allowing you to maximize your ad budget without overspending or wasting money.
Live Streaming
Live streaming has generated plenty of buzz in 2018. With platforms such as Periscope, Facebook, Snapchat, and even Instagram, choose to stream live to attract new viewers, followers, and prospective customers. Live streaming is a way to showcase your products, services, and even the company you represent to create a sense of community among your followers and fans. With live streaming, appear more authentic and less corporate,
The Steady Climb of Social Media
Social media marketing is still on the rise for advertisers and those developing campaigns for businesses and brands alike. Using social media is a great way to boost your online visibility while building a positive online reputation.
Platforms like Facebook offer extensive options for launching online campaigns, allowing you to hone in on your target demographic while gaining valuable insight into your users’ wants and needs. Use social platforms to launch A/B tests with each ad campaign you launch. This will help you to learn which method of advertising is most effective and which style resonates most with your target users.
Using Facebook has become a key element of success for many businesses, both large and small. Whether you’re launching a startup or expanding an existing company, Facebook offers tools that are useful when it comes to creating effective campaigns.
Use social media to gauge the interest of your followers regarding the types of products and services you promote. A/B testing is a great way to see how your users use the Internet to create more effective future campaigns.
Voice Search Optimization
Voice search has become increasingly popular with the expansion of the smartphone market and mobile technology. Using voice search provides allows users to quickly seek out information within seconds without the use of traditional typing and keyboards. Voice search optimization is important to keep in mind as it shifts the way users may be locating your website. An individual may use a different language when searching for content or information with a voice tool as opposed to typing in their desktop browser or utilizing their mobile phone’s keyboard.
Mobile Search Optimization
The rise of mobile browsing has shifted the way that advertisers create strategies for campaigns and promotions. Mobile search optimization is extremely important for advertisers and web developers alike.
The Growth of Micro-Moments in 2019
Micro-moments are a newer development in the advertising industry that has recently been introduced in 2018. A micro-moment allows you to target users based on specific searches, locations or even similar product keywords they’re searching for. “Near me” searches offer users links to your website or more information regarding your business even if they didn’t originally search for you.
Sharing relevant links to users browsing for another item provides you with more opportunity to expand your reach, even if you’re not reaching users using your exact keywords and phrases. We’ll likely continue to see more micro-development strategy solutions in 2019 as software becomes more knowledgeable of users, their interests and their desires.
Since digital marketing trends and AI are ever-evolving, it’s important to keep up with user demands and put your collected data to use in the best way possible. In 2019, marketing trends will skew towards even more AI, voice search and micro-moments that impact prospective consumers’ lives. Staying ahead of the latest digital marketing trends is a way to outperform the competition while taking advantage of even more opportunities for future growth.
FAQ
Use local SEO to hone in on specific groups (income, interests, age, gender) and optimize your site so it ranks higher in nearby search results. This increases visibility for people searching for the products or services you offer locally.
Search engine marketing promotes websites to boost rankings on engines like Google, Yahoo!, DuckDuckGo and Bing. It helps you outperform competitors with targeted ads and delivers comprehensive analytics and visitor data to inform campaigns.
AI is becoming smarter at learning from users and making system adjustments. Expect continued growth in AI-driven data mining, communication and customer service applications in marketing.
Use professional video campaigns, animations and graphics to stop users while they scroll and to deliver stronger ad results than text ads. Use live streaming on platforms like Periscope, Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram to showcase products, appear more authentic and create community among followers.
Use social platforms, especially Facebook, for campaign launches, take advantage of platform tools to target demographics and run A/B tests on each ad to learn which approaches resonate most with your audience.
Recognize that voice search users may use different language than typed queries. Optimize content for natural, spoken phrasing and consider how voice behaviour could change how users locate your site.
The rise of mobile browsing has changed how advertisers develop strategies. Mobile search optimization is essential for campaigns and web development to match how users discover content on phones and tablets.
Micro-moments target users based on specific searches, locations or related product keywords. Tactics include capturing “near me” searches and sharing relevant links to users browsing for related items to expand reach beyond exact keyword matches.
