Keeping you up to date

2019 is upon us! Let’s have a look at some of the highly anticipated key marketing trends:

1. Businesses will make wider use of ‘omnichannel’ communications centred around the customer. This means creating the customer experience so it is seamless and consistent, whatever channel they are using.
2. Responsive websites are old news now. For 2019 it’s all about greater speed (thanks to Google’s Speed Update) and enhanced personalisation so customers get a truly personalised experience when visiting your website.
3. Facebook and Twitter’s slow declines will continue. Instagram’s advertising revenue will increase in-line with greater usage and more advertising options. For B2B marketers, LinkedIn is expected to grow, as user numbers and platform revenue continues to rise consistently.
4. Content marketing should remain a key part in any business’s strategy. To ensure cut-through, businesses will need to create super niche content relevant to their customers. And businesses may need to pay to share their content to new audiences, through promoted social posts and search advertising.
5. Video advertising will continue to grow in importance, after video advertising revenues overtook display advertising for the first time in 2018.
6. As artificial intelligence and machine learning continue to evolve, the future of lead generation lies in marketing automation. HubSpot, for example, already offers predictive lead scoring (how likely a lead is to convert based on their behaviour on your website, social channels and emails).
7. The decline of traditional media means the continued explosion of influencer marketing. Finding the right ambassadors for your brand will be critical in 2019. Similarly, long-form sponsored content (native advertising) will become a core part of marketing communications as publishers seek new revenue opportunities.