Want to know which digital marketing trends to keep an eye on? While some of these trends have been in the works for a long time, they’re all picking up some serious momentum as we approach the end of the year. Here’s a roundup of what to expect:
**“Micro-moments” will be more important
**“The micro-moment is a new type of consumer behavior, which occurs when people reflexively turn to a device, usually a smartphone, to act on a need to learn something, do something, get to know something or buy something,” according to the Voluum “Micro-moments work, because they provide consumers with the right information exactly when they need it.”
AR use will grow“I’m kind of starting to feel bad for virtual reality (VR) because it’s so cool, but it just isn’t feasible beyond gaming and highly specialized applications in today’s marketplace – yet,” writes Daniel Newman at Forbes. “Instead, augmented reality (AR) continues to be the name of the game in 2019 digital transformation trends.” And for those of you who are interested in AR, there’s good news: Movable Ink is bringing our clients AR in a way that’s accessible. We’re talking about AR experiences built entirely on front-end technology.
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**AI solutions will be everywhere
**“If 2018 is the year brands started to experiment with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) applications, 2019 will be the year they get it right,” writes Kerri Hale at Dash Two. “In 2019, AI-powered technologies will take customer-centric marketing to a new level.”
**Video will still dominate
**“It’s estimated that in 2019, 80% of content shared online will be video,” writes Neil Miller at Toolbox. “Your online marketing strategies will need to be more video-focused and less text-focused in the future. Those who rely only on text will find their content harder and harder to get into the gaze of consumers and customers. If you don’t already have plans to make a bigger push into video content, you are behind the marketing game.”
**Chatbots will be commonplace
**“We expect chatbots to continue growing in 2019 – and they’ll likely become more ‘normal’ in the eyes of consumers,” according to Social Report. “In other words: the novelty will fade but we will see them become more widespread and usable. We expect chatbots to be the first place someone goes to order a pizza, choose a mobile plan, or even book a hotel room. Chatbots enable your users to do all of this without the hassle of downloading a native app.”
**Brands will be more transparent
**“Consumers are becoming harder to impress and more reluctant to believe the pitch, writes Curtis Tredway at “Additionally the abundance of information, reviews etc., available to consumers means they are more clued on to the shortcomings of brands and products. So, we are beginning to see firms adopt the approach of pure transparency, admitting where there are faults or areas the product/brand doesn’t cover and addressing negative feedback directly.”
**Voice search will continue to ramp up
**“ComScore estimates that, by 2020, half of all search queries will be voice-based — a prediction that’s causing shrewd brand marketers to sit up and take notice,” writes Keri Hale at Business 2 Community. “Voice recognition technology is only expected to grow bigger and better, and consumers are welcoming the convenience of intelligent voice search with open arms.”
**Marketers will be even more reliant on native ads
**“Traditional ads like web banners aren’t nearly as effective as they used to be,” writes Amanda Foushee at Marsden Marketing. “Using native advertising – social media ads that are formatted like posts and displayed in the natural stream of updates – gives you a chance to tell your brand story in a way that allows you to make a stronger and better connection with your audience.”