The festive season is upon us and gives us time to reflect on 2019 in the digital world. 2019 was a year that saw marketing and technology rapidly become intertwined. Marketing automation and artificial intelligence (AI) continued to be used by businesses of all sizes to deliver more personalized messaging.
Here are just six of the trends that have hit the marketing industries over the past year:
1. Chatbots,AI and Machine Learning
2018 saw the adoption of chatbots, 2019 saw them expand beyond Facebook messages and Twitter responses. There is now chatbot software that can be installed onto websites.
According to Oracle Reports by 2020 80% of businesses globally will have chatbots.
In previous years Chatbot’s primary domain has been customer service functions, in 2019 saw a rise in lead generation from Chatbot technologies such as ManyChat.
ManyChat convert leads through Facebook Advertising. This is a highly effective strategy where brands can run Facebook ads to their targeted audiences, but instead of the click-through fall-off that occurs between webpage transition, ManyChat Messenger Bot engages with the user natively in Facebook to sign them up for a webinar. This seamless experience dramatically increases conversions and decreases CPA.
2. Voice Search
It is no surprise that alongside AI technology, voice searches were important marketing trends to take note of this year.
Devices such as Google Home, Amazon Echo and Apple’s HomePod were on the rise this year and have found their way into the marketing strategy. Providing answers to consumers questions have never been so important.
Marketers now need to make sure that the reply from the voice search is in a conversational tone rather that creating content based on a keyword. It’s a way of humanising the shopper journey.
3. Influencer Marketing
Influencers have contributed to the growth phase of countless businesses in the past 4 years. 2019 was no different, although the space has gained more experience.
While YouTube is what many people think of first, video marketing can be utilized across social media platforms, like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram stories and Snapchat. If your videos are short, concise and entertaining, people will be more likely to share them on other social media sites. The videos can have a more substantial impact if an Influence is well known in your industry.
4. Live/Interactive Content
According to SnapApp, 70% of marketers are creating more content today than they were a year ago. Consumers’ demand for more content has meant that businesses have had to start producing new ideas to increase engagement and capture more relevant data. .
Examples of Interactive content include:
- Interactive Infographics
- Interactive Video
- Interactive Emails
- Polls and Surveys
- Calculators
- Assessment
5. Augmented Reality
AR (Augmented Reality) gives you another tool in your belt when it comes to driving sales and enhancing brand value through mobile devices. It is an emerging trend within marketing and sales strategies, one that allows brands to give their customers unique experiences with the convenience of tapping into their mobile devices.
Potential customers have always wanted to try products prior to purchasing them. Fitting rooms, cosmetic samples, car test drives and many other related concepts prove the effectiveness of this sales strategy. Augmented shopping experiences are one of the rising trends in the retail industry and are expected to make a huge impact in the coming years..
Augmented reality can take branding materials like business cards and brochures to the next level by adding a virtual component. Users are able to scan printed materials with their mobile devices to access a range of features giving them more information and ways to get in contact with the brand.
6. Visual Search
2019 has seen Visual Search technology continue to improve, while visual search usage is expanding across various platforms.
With new, intelligent, visual search technology being incorporated into branded apps and websites as well as improved visual search functionality being built into platforms such as Pinterest, Bing, and Google, visual search is changing the search marketing landscape as we know it.
Recent advancements in visual search technology from the likes of Pinterest, Target, and ASOS are already making it much easier for users to snap an image and either buy the product captured or search for similar items.
It’s the time saving and convenience that this technology brings that represents a hugely exciting opportunity for ecommerce retailers in particular.