The digital marketing world is in a constant state of flux. Every year, new trends emerge in everything from customer experience management to social media.
According to marketing intelligence firm Warc, global marketing spend is increasing, with the value for Martech (Marketing technology) now at £76 billion as we head into 2019. The question for companies interested in online advertising is which trends they should be investing in?
Today, we’re looking at some of the most compelling marketing trends to hit the industry in 2019, to help you plan for a more successful year.
1. AI Will Lead the Way for Personalised Campaigns
As new generations continue to enter the marketplace, today’s retailers need to prepare for an audience that’s more empowered and demanding than ever. According to a study from VidMod, younger consumers are more receptive to ads that are personalised to suit their expectations.
To create more custom experiences for your audience in 2019, you’ll need to embrace the latest technology for gathering and assessing consumer data. Though millennials and generation Z shoppers seem to be open to the idea of handing over their personal information, businesses will still need strategies in place to collect that data and use it effectively.
This new era begins with hiring the right people. Experts in digital automation can create forms and use tracking technology to create the data streams that will both enrich customer experience and nurture the artificial intelligence systems responsible for making personalised product suggestions to returning customers.
2. Chatbots Will Support Better Customer Conversations
One of the most popular forms of artificial intelligence to emerge in the marketing world lately is the “chatbot.” Chatbots are simple solutions created by digital automation employees, which can answer customer questions, suggest related purchases, and improve service, all without blowing a company’s budget.
Though it takes a great deal of digital expertise to create an immersive chatbot experience, these tools can be handy for modern organisations, because they both collect useful data, and take some of the stress away from human employees. When a chatbot can handle repetitive tasks, your human staff can spend more time on creative and enjoyable jobs, reducing the risk of career burnout.
According to studies, the market for chatbots worldwide is growing at a rate of 24% per year. What’s more, in the next five years, up to 80% of business communications may be managed by bots.
3. Companies Will Learn More about the Customer Journey
Data is crucial in today’s digital marketing environment. Many induction plans for marketing candidates involve training sessions that walk people through the buyer funnel and the steps that customers take to conversion. However, in the years ahead, experts believe that businesses will begin to focus less on final stage information like last click attribution, and more on the full customer journey, complete with the micro-moments that happen at each communication touchpoint.
Going forward, professionals in the digital marketing space will need to expand their overview of the purchasing journey, and the metrics that need to be tracked with automated tools and reporting solutions. For instance, some companies may even begin teaching their marketing staff how to use things like Facebook and Google Attribution to follow customer behaviour.
4. Security and Privacy Continue to Be Top Concerns
In 2018, we saw digital automation and marketing strategies evolve in the wake of GDPR – a new privacy law that transformed the way that businesses can capture and use customer data. Going forward, there’s a good chance that government and market regulators will continue to focus on security and privacy online, particularly as cybersecurity threats grow more significant.
For companies in the digital marketing space, this will mean hiring more agile candidates who can adapt to the evolutions in the security space. Hiring managers and business leaders must be on the lookout for natural learners in their candidate pool, who aren’t overwhelmed by the idea of having to learn new legislation on-the-go.
The good news is that if companies do have the right talent to adapt to changing regulations as they happen, they’ll also have an opportunity to differentiate themselves in the marketplace, by showing customers that they are trustworthy.
5. Cloud CCM Continues to Grow
Over the years, we’ve seen spectacular growth from companies like Salesforce, which give businesses a simple way to manage and track customer interactions. As we move into 2019, more cloud-based technology focused on the customer experience will continue to arise, such as Customer Communication Management platforms (CCM).
CCM solutions provide companies with a way to more easily automate and deliver personalised communications at scale. For instance, digital automation specialists may set up systems that send “thank you” emails whenever someone makes a purchase or provide downloadable links when someone converts on a landing page.
These fast-paced systems for communication management are sure to appeal to the rising generation of customers who demand instant gratification from leading brands.
About Resource On Demand
Resource On Demand is Europe’s first specialist Salesforce Recruitment Company, now also focusing on growth Cloud markets.
We assist innovative and disruptive organisations to grow their technology teams. Supporting companies to fill Cloud roles that span across Digital Marketing, Marketing Automation, Human Capital Management and the growing Salesforce.com suite of skills.
The team at Resource On Demand have access to an extensive database of key talent, registering over 8000 Cloud professionals each year.
To find out how we can support you call us on 01322 272 532