We don’t have a crystal ball to predict the future, but we have something effective and concrete; working and learning everyday together with our team, experts and developers we follow the ongoing development in the digital world and are able to draw the right conclusions of it.
What kind of new trends will come? Which trends will remain?
As attentive observers and forward-thinking strategists Eminence has summarised for you the most important digital trends for 2019.
Voice Search
Siri, Alexa and other assistants have a fix place in the world of online services. The technology of Voice Search is constantly improving and you can find more and more voice assistants on websites and online shops. The Voice Search will not replace the text but complete it. The clearer the content is structured, the HTML source is built up and the SEO strategy is formulated, the more efficient search mechanisms can be integrated and implemented. The new technologies of Voice Search are facilitating a completely new user experience and at the same time also new marketing- and sales possibilities.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI plays an essential role in todays’ marketing processes. AI can analyse consumer behaviour and search patterns, use data from social media platforms and blogs to help understand how users find their products or services. According to Gartner, by 2020, 85% of customer interactions will be managed without the need for a human.
Chatbots
Automated communication is partially supported by AI (artificial intelligence) or prefabricated statements. It is not absolutely necessary having a human being sitting at the end of the data line. The Chatbots are conquering media, entertainment but also commercial websites and online shops. Although not everybody loves Chatbots, for the coming months and years we have to be prepared for a “Chatbot invasion”, which will replace little by little the human customer support.
Mobile First
It’s not a novelty; Google is working, based on the motto, Mobile First. However, new is that this year the impact was for the first time noticeable. Since July 2018, for the mobile Google Search Results, the speed of a mobile website is relevant. An efficient strategy that determines the content and the design of the users’ needs has to be developed. Content, images and animations have to be downloaded quickly in order not to fall in the rankings.
Micro-Influencers
A collaboration with influencers who have millions of followers is great, but the Influencer Marketing will expand with the so-called Micro-Influencers.
Micro-Influencers address to a very specific target audience. Companies who offer niche products don’t want to target the big crowd. They define small niche groups, who have a strong interest in their product and want to use it specifically. In other words, these companies are not looking for Influencers who serve the mass, but Micro-Influencers who are strongly represented in the depth.
Video content
More and more, videos are outstripping the pure text-image-content. Since the mobile Internet connection reaches usable throughput rates, clips can be integrated without any difficulty in the digital everyday life. More and more media are using this form of presentation to give their users more variety in the visual appearance.
According to Forbes:
- Adding a video to marketing emails can boost click-through rates by 200-300%.
- 90% of customers report that product videos help them make purchasing decisions.
- 64% of customers are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video about it.
Personalisation and individualisation
Personalising marketing is nothing new, but thanks to Big Data, customising your message to your target audience has become more precise and objective focused. Nowadays the industry has the possibility to embrace a customer-centric mindset, because we have the data to support it. Customer-centric marketing places the individual consumer at the center of marketing design and delivery. Approach your customer with a personal communication. With this action you can boost the confidence on behalf of your company. 53% of clients have more trust in a company, when they are addressed personally. At the same time the probability increases that the client will come back to you. Be careful – if you don’t succeed the personal touch, you may displace the client. Imagine you are addressed with a wrong name or a wrong product choice. Negative impacts cannot be excluded. A possible help could be marketing automation processes, such as the one of HubSpot.
Content Marketing – deepening
High quality Content Marketing is and will be crucial. A subject is not only treated on the surface and from one point of view, but also screened extensively from different perspectives and views. Therefore, our users earn trust and understand the matter. It doesn’t play a role if it’s B2B or B2C, deepening and creative multimediality are the keywords. At the same time, you can increase your SEO relevance with an extensive content.
Backlinks
Backlinks are still very important. It’s not the quantity but the quality of the Backlinks that counts. Choose well the websites you want to be linked with. Also, be aware of an organic backlink building. Don’t create to many Backlinks at once and just from one domain, better create them step-by-step. Mix them with links from Social Media links and Nofollow links.
Google AdWords
Google AdWords continues to evolve. Today it’s much more than just the simple PPC (pay per click) and the generically produced keywords. Many of Google’s latest features revolve around Machine Learning and Customer-Centric Marketing.
For example, with Google’s smart display campaign, advertisers have the possibility to present their ads in various formats across the entire Google Display Network. This means that ads can reach people during all stages of the buying cycle. For this process Google connects three optimization technologies: Automated bidding, automated targeting and automated ad creation. By using targeting, these ads appear where they will get the most significant response for the most value.
Micro-Moments
“The most beautiful times in life are the small moments” has also marked the Digital Marketing. Google defines Micro-Moments as new consumer behavior that is communicating the marketing message clear and concise as well as interesting for the consumer. This has to happen within seconds, in the short moments of searching or buying, as otherwise the attention has already gone or shifted. Therefore, it is important to have the right information at the right time.
Define your goals and individualise your concept
The future will be interesting, that’s for sure and all the more it is important to define your business goals and to synchronise them with the next future trends. For that purpose, you need to have an experienced and agile partner, who can build up an individual and extensive concept. In addition, this partner should also be able to offer you the digital implementation. Eminence, is an agency who offers to their clients a 360° service, starting with the audit and finalising with a successful implementation, which is trimmed to the needs of your target audience.