Your content creator needs a day off. You probably can’t afford to give them one, since they have so much to do – but we bet they’re exhausted.
Why? Because marketing trends in 2018 were all about quality and authenticity, which was a big change from the CONSTANT CONTENT!! push of 2017.
Next year, 2019, will see the refinement of 2018 techniques. Videos will still hold importance, but they’d better be well thought out. Learn other marketing trends we’re predicting for 2019 below.
Fewer Facebook Ads
What we’re about to say might scare you. In 2019, Facebook ads as we know them will start to die. But, you say, that’s my main marketing plan!
Well, for one, it shouldn’t be. But you don’t have to worry too much. Facebook ads won’t go away, they’ll just change to more “sponsored” posts.
Instead of seeing a Facebook ad, like the kind you create in ad manager, businesses will make promoted posts. Using influencers – basically, influencers are going to do the Ad work for them.
One company that does this well now, for example, is Fab Fit Fun. They’re a subscription box company that has a huge network of influencers.
We’re talking huge. If someone has a following of a million plus on Facebook and Youtube, they’re probably promoting Fab Fit Fun. They’ve even dipped into the podcast market.
Why? People love seeing the people they already watch unbox things. It has to do with how mystery processes in the brain.
The influencers give their honest opinion about the product and the viewers trust them. They feel like they know this person, and 84% of people trust reviews by other people.
So, how do you get in on this trend? Find an influencer in your niche.
If you sold boats, for example, you could feature a local charter fisher captain. Or a Seafood company – anything to put a non-company face behind your goods.
Be honest and open about how you compensate the influencer. Instagram cracked down on that last year.
A Return to Humankind
In our opinion, we’re at peak automation. Bots are everywhere. They read our search history and suggest products. They’re behind those little “chat now” buttons on websites.
They text us scams or updates from organizations we don’t remember opting into. Alexa is technically a bot, as are her companions from other brands.
When will the madness stop? Are we ever going to communicate human to human again? We think so.
Automation and bots may not go away next year, or ever, but the excitement about them stall. That’s where humans come back into the picture.
And thank goodness. No one’s opening emails anymore or clicking through sidebar ads. Automation can make getting leads feel impossible.
So, what’s the solution? Calling people to get leads. Human to human, the way it’s always been. People are tired of picking up the phone just to hear a recording offering some sort of health insurance.
When they hear a real human, it’s a breath of fresh air. Their happiness is good for you, too. They’re more likely to be kind and give out valuable information to our friendly lead callers.
Longer Videos
In 2018, everyone in digital marketing was pushing videos. Video, video, video! People would have a robot reading words over a screen with generic images, rather than not have video content at all.
And the focus on video will still be there, but people expect more now. You’re not going to get away with reading your latest blog post word for word as video content.
Get ready to hire a whole new video content creator or at least set aside a new meeting group for it. These 2019 videos need to be well planned and thought out.
Lighting and sound are important too. But what if someone’s scrolling and can’t use sound? It’s worthwhile to take the time to create captions.
Not only is it kinder for those with hearing issues, but it will increase the viewership of, you know, people at work or school. Just make sure you double check the captions if you let a service automate them.
There’ve been some bad fails that at automated captions that can change a video completely.
Micro-Moments
Think about the last time you searched on Google maps. Did you see business names, etc around your destination?
That’s still marketing, even though you probably ignore it. Now you know it’s there.
These are called micro-moments. They can be almost subliminal, in the way our brains record them.
For example, maybe you’re driving your kids to soccer practice at a new field. You don’t stop on the way there, but the kids are whiny and you remember seeing something about a sub shop around your location.
That sub shop that’s only a block or two from the field got in your head when the name popped up on Google maps.
To use this trick, if you have an in-person location, make sure you have a strong Google Business profile. Google is a narcissist. It loves promoting businesses that choose to use Google products and services.
2019 Marketing Trends
As we move into 2019, the digital marketing trends aren’t going to change overnight. You’re not going to wake up and see 10+ minute videos on 1/1 all over Facebook.
These changes will happen gradually, but the ones who are the first to use them will have more success. By this time next year, we’ll have an idea of what works and what doesn’t.
What trends will last into the roaring 2020’s? Hard to tell, but we’ll do our best to keep you informed.