As planning for 2019 kicks into high gear, now is a good time to take a look at what’s “en vogue” in the marketing world. Is your marketing plan ready to strike a pose?
Some things are classics, and your go-to, wear everyday piece is CONTENT. Quality, engaging content is the cornerstone of any successful marketing plan. Beyond that, the following trends are simply accessories to be mixed in when they fit a brand’s individual style. Much like the latest fashion fads, not every trend is the right stylistic fit for every brand.
With that caveat out of the way, here are five things walking the marketing runway:
Marketing Automation
ROI has been realized in 75% of companies in just one year of marketing automation use. Companies using marketing automation have reported a substantial 34% increase to their sales revenue, regardless of company size or industry. In addition, 91% of users say it is “very important” to their overall marketing success. It’s all the rage – which puts marketing automation at the very top of the 2019 trendsetters’ list.
Chatbots
Chatbots can quickly recognize and respond to data … in real time. This gives both consumers and brands a virtual assistant to do anything handling customer queries to ordering a pizza! 
This saves time, money and human effort. We need look no further than the hugely popular Alexa to understand why the use of chatbots is taking over automated web communications.
Video Marketing
The growth of video will continue. Facebook Live was rolled out in April 2016, and in just two years, the average number of broadcasts doubled, earning more than 150 billion reactions. Video ads are still going strong as well. In August 2018, 65% of ad impressions on Instagram were the result of video content. If those stats aren’t enough to convince you that the video marketing craze will continue, consider this: When customers watch a video on a website, Google pushes that site up in its search results … ideal for any brand.
Native Advertising
Native advertising is on the rise over the use of banner ads, because it doesn’t disrupt the user experience. This increases consumers’ willingness to share it, which generates more sales leads.
Inbound Marketing
Because it’s simple, versatile and 61% cheaper than traditional marketing, inbound marketing remains a cost-effective method of connecting with your audience. Keeping inbound marketing hip is:
- Blogging. Statistically, blogging is three times more effective than traditional marketing in its ability to generate sales leads. It also allows you to include a variety of content that isn’t strictly direct product advertisement.
- Social Media. While AI and Chatbots create a life-like assistant, a strong social media presence creates an opportunity for consumers to engage with real people – making your brand appear more relatable. It also makes it quick and easy to provide exclusive offers or coupon codes to generate customers. To allow for a more seamless experience for consumers, you can also expect to see the continued integration of services into third-party apps by social media companies.
- Email-marketing. Companies that choose e-mail marketing can double their number of generated leads over those that do not. Adding automation can then double that amount. With numbers like those, e-mail marketing continues to be the top model of effective inbound marketing.
Here on the Porch we would love to design a marketing plan for you to premiere in 2019 (perfectly coordinated to your brand’s individual style, of course).