The digital marketing industry continued its evolution in 2018 as an increasing number of large and medium-sized businesses established an online presence and utilized social media platforms and other digital marketing tools to promote their products and services.

But what can we expect from the $192 billion industry in 2019?

While experts believe that more companies will enter the world of digital marketing, there are signs that the industry is headed into a completely new and drastically different direction. SEO, PPC, social media, content marketing – all the major components of the digital marketing landscape are about to witness a major shift.

As the internet and the digital world continue to evolve, new, innovative and high-tech digital marketing trends and strategies are becoming a must-adopt for businesses. In this fast-paced industry, the solutions that yielded great results last year may not be as effective this year.

At Devebyte, we know a thing or two about digital marketing and its precise execution. Here are key digital marketing trends that we predict are going to dominate 2019.

Artificial Intelligence

You can bet that artificial intelligence is going to take some major strides forward in 2019. While it’s not going to take over the world (though it’s inevitable), artificial intelligence is all set to have a greater bearing on digital marketing practices and techniques in 2019.

AI adoption in 2019 can give a significant advantage to business in terms of cost saving and growth acceleration. In addition to effectively analyzing consumer behavior and search patterns, artificial intelligence can utilize data from blog posts and social media platforms to help businesses determine exactly how consumers reach their products or services.

An excellent example is Facebook messenger bots and how effective they are at automating and optimizing the customer service aspect of a business. Gartner predicts that chatbot technology will be implemented by 25% of customer service by 2020. That is staggering when you consider that it was only 2% in 2017.

Programmatic Advertising

Programmatic advertising involves using AI for the automation of ad buying. This will enable the business to target specific desired audiences. An example of programmatic ad buying is real-time auctions or bidding. Programmatic advertising will lead to better conversion rates and more cost-effective customer acquisitions.

eMarketer predicts that by 2020, around 90% of digital display ads will be programmatic in the United States.

Social Conversion is the Future

We’re sure that the power of social media needs no further elaboration. In 2019, you can expect online communities to break free of the shackles of only company-to-consumer conversation. Instead, social media will function as an active sales channel, providing tools to improve conversion rates.

2019 will be the Year of Smart Devices & Wearable Technology

In recent years, we have witnessed the launch of smart devices such as the Apple Watch, the Moto 360 and the Google Glass. These wearable smart devices keep you connected to the digital world on the go. In 2019, expect to see further innovations in wearable devices that will take local marketing to a whole different level. Digital marketing companies will explore the potential of wearable devices in terms of eliminating the distance between “real” and “online” marketing.

 

There Will Be Changes in the Search Algorithm

With staggering amounts of information being added on the internet with each passing second, it’s inevitable that search engine giants like Google will make changes to their algorithm to determine which content is worthy to be ranked higher in the SERPs.

Hence, the best content marketing strategy is to provide your audience with content that is informative, helpful, and most importantly, original. Furthermore, digital marketers should also focus their attention on other algorithms than Google’s. These include the algorithms of Bing and Facebook.

High-Quality, Unique Content Will Become Crucial

Content marketing is often considered to be the most effective form of digital marketing and it is set to remain so for the foreseeable future. However, with the increasing influx of video producers and professional writers, the competition in content marketing is also bound to increase.

In order to get ahead of the competition, marketers need to come up with unique, high-quality content which their audience can connect with. Consequently, the demand for niche-specific writers who can write expert content will also increase.

Video Ads Will Dominate

While video ads are pretty old for giants of social media such as Facebook and YouTube, the recent entrance of Google with its in-SERP video advertising has caused a seismic shift in the world of video advertising.

Google’s decision also suggests that consumers are now gravitating towards the trend of video ads. Expect video ads to pop up on your screen with an increased frequency in 2019.

Dedicated Apps Will Increase

An increasing number of companies are shifting their focus from websites to dedicated apps. These provide all the features of a website in a more intuitive and accessible package. The fact that Google is now offering app indexing adds to the advantages of having a dedicated app for businesses. While there’s a long way to go before websites are rendered obsolete by dedicated apps, more and more companies are becoming aware of the potential of dedicated apps. In terms of mobile application development, 2019 is shaping up to be a pivotal year.

Influencer Marketing

2018 saw an increased number of companies use key leaders to promote their brand’s message to their audience. This word-of-mouth marketing trend is set to continue into 2019.

Companies are beginning to realize the potential of using influencer marketing. From bonafide celebrities to popular personalities on Instagram and Twitter – anyone can be an influencer. Some companies are even using popular journalists and bloggers to spread awareness of their brand through social media platforms.

Businesses are also realizing that people are more likely to trust consumer opinions rather than corporate statements. Consequently, they are ditching celebrity endorsers and opting for “real people” to act as influencers.

One of Edmonton Alberta’s premier digital marketing firms, Devebyte specializes in SEO, web development and social media marketing. If you’re looking for a uniquely tailored digital marketing strategy for your business, get in touch with us with our Edmonton SEO company today.