2018 was a big year for marketing and technology. We saw the take off of Machine Learning algorithms in ad delivery, witnessed Smart technology pop up in every household and so much more.
Alongside these new updates and trends, our account management also changed. For example, we had to adjust to the Google PageSpeed Insights updates, using data from the Chrome Lighthouse extension.
So, what now in 2019? We have summarised 5 of the marketing trends you should expect to see this year.
1. Influencer Marketing Growth
Influencer marketing is considered one of the most successful methods for raising brand awareness. Influencers are approached by brands, asking them to endorse and promote their product across social media. The most popular platforms for this is Instagram, with 65% of the top-performing posts featuring product promotions (Influencer Marketing Hub).
In recent years, Influencer Marketing has sat under the radar for brands, but from the increased popularity seen in 2018, it is likely that 2019 will see a boom in this marketing.
Compared to other marketing strategies, Influencer Marketing is much more valuable for brands to invest in. It is estimated that £6.85 is earned from every £1 spent on Influencer Marketing (Talk Walker). Due to this exceptionally high ROI, you can expect to see more brands sponsoring influencers to share their experiences of the product.
So, get ready to see your favourite brands over Instagram.
2. Increased Integration of Ads with Smart Home Technology
In 2018, Smart Home technology became a household norm. Every big technology brand tried their luck in Smart technology. We have Google Home, Alexa, Siri and Lenovo Smart Display. The ease of use and connectivity of these devices really pulled consumers in.
In 2019, alongside the inevitable releases of more Smart technology from more brands, what can we expect to see? It is essential that digital marketing must move with this trend and integrate adverts onto Smart technology. For example, Google Ads Search ads will likely become integrated with Smart search results, giving advertisers a greater chance at getting their traffic.
On the Amazon Echo, eCommerce advertisers will likely introduce a wider use of Amazon Product Ads, to make sales to those shopping with their voice.
3. Wider Implementation of Automated Marketing Tools
Just as in 2018, automation will continue growing in popularity. After all, new tools to make the life of advertisers is always a win. In 2018, we saw the introduction of Google Ads Smart campaigns, which use automated machine-learning to deliver the most successful campaign.
In 2019, this probably won’t be any different. We can expect to see more automated marketing tools rolled out across every platform. Some may worry at the thought of this, not being in control of their campaigns. However, automated campaign management can be used as little or as much as desired. But it’s always best to know how to run manual campaigns before starting automated campaigns.
4. More Immersive Ad Experiences
Another of our predictions is that immersive ad experiences will grow in popularity. An immersive ad experience would involve the user being told a story through an experience in an ad. Consumers feel like they are part of the campaign, which can be personalised based on their demographics.
This feature is already used in Facebook’s Instant Experiences. In this ad type, the ad dominates the users mobile, telling a story through creative. These Instant Experiences load around 15x faster than standard websites (CPC Strategy) and Audi UK found there was an 8-point increase in ad recall when using this format (Facebook).
Perhaps we can expect to see VR or AR ad experiences becoming widely used. We will keep you posted.
Alongside these immersive ads, the use of AMP’s will be used more by brands to provide a quick, smooth online experience for users.
5. Video will prove the most popular content type
For a few years now, video ad content has proved the most popular and successful for advertisers. The reach is much greater than standard Search ads and results are often much cheaper, with cost-per-views over half the price of a click.
In 2019, there is no doubt that video will remain the most popular ad type across online platforms. To add to this, there may well be the inclusion of interactive video ads. We’ve all seen, or at least heard of Black Mirror’s show Bandersnatch where the viewer chooses the path of the story based on choices presented. There’s no reason why this couldn’t be used in video adverts, giving viewers the option of which product, they see the ad for based on their preference.