It is the era of Digital Marketing, it has become important to have an online presence. If we compare how the brand used to push their name in the last decade, then the whole process has been changed now. The most basic requirement is now to have a dedicated website. If you want your brand’s message to reach the general public, you have to consider what users like these days. The Internet has become the space to be. You just cannot think of attracting audiences just with OOH, print, TV and radio platforms. A major chunk of users is present in the online space. This is why you have to seriously consider Digital Marketing.
Before going into detail about other aspects of Digital Marketing, let us explain in brief why it is important. Traditional marketing is the oldest form of marketing but why is that businesses prefer digital over it? The answer is plain and simple – there are several Internet Marketing tools to interact with the audience in real time. The reach with this type of marketing is high and that is why even small business owners are implementing digital marketing tactics to grow their business. Simply put, it cannot be ignored. If your campaign is set up effectively, then the result will be out there to see for everyone. Now, there are trends which keep on changing every now and then. Some of the current ones are explained below –
- Facebook is not the leader anymore
The stats still show Facebook at the top of the table but what it does not show that it has reached its peak. It is at the top of social media sites when it comes to users But the latest events such as data breach of more than 14 million users have made it lesser popular among the younger generation. Over the past few years, Facebook has been a vital cog in digital marketing. Targeting users via this social media platform was very convenient its trend is now downwards. It will be on the top for some time but if you want to think of the long road ahead, then don’t just rely on it.
- Instagram is the new kingpin
As mentioned above, Facebook has peaked and people are now hooked on to the new thing – Instagram. Users have moved on to Instagram now. It is quite fortunate for Facebook as they are the owners of this platform. This platform focuses on the sharing of images and videos only from their app. The numbers are there for everyone to see. There are more than a billion users on Instagram and the most rapidly growing social media platform. In digital marketing, it has been used by many brands as they collaborate with the influencers to promote their brand on a pan India level.
- Rise of the chatbots
The work of a chatbot is to interact with the users over the Internet and stimulate conversation. As an Artificial Intelligence (AI) software, a chatbot has been functioning exceptionally well. It is designed in such a way that it works independently from a human operator. They automate a part of your marketing process which in turn frees up the time of your team to work on more important projects They share your workload so that you can work on other things. In digital marketing, they are great to manage the initial steps of the whole marketing process such as gathering contact details, providing direction on tech issues etc.
- Videos are integral
It is integral to the digital marketing strategy that you incorporate all the latest trends if you want to benefit from them. And one of them is Video. Users are now craving for more and more videos. More than 5 billion videos are watched on Youtube every single day. The reason why it is quite important in digital is that videos on any landing page increase conversions by 80 percent. Also, the chance of a user recalling a video ad increases by 80 percent. You have to put your resources to good use by hiring video makers who know what kind of video is trending or what kind of video will work with your audience.
- Live streaming among a younger audience
The trends keep on changing and the proof is the new things that have come in the field of digital marketing. One great example of this is Live video. Don’t confuse it with the normal video that everybody post on their page. With it, you can broadcast a live video feed to an online audience. Most of them are your followers only. Going live or live streaming is big for digital marketers. All you need to do is sign up with the right influencers and cash in with live video feature.
- Good quality content
Content is one of the oldest components in digital marketing. No matter which genre your brand falls on, there will be a requirement of content. It will always be the key to your strategy. Users will flock to your website if they are finding relevant content there. This also shows your experience in your field. Better the quality of your content, more you will be popular among your audience. It is important to show yourself better than the competition. Content will be that aspect of differentiation. You should look for the ways with which you can improve your content to gain more users.
- Other trends
One trend which is hot right now is E-mail. And we are not just talking about a general e-mail. It is evolving at a good pace and you just cannot go ahead with generic e-mail marketing methods. Automation, combined with personalization is the key in 2019. Then comes voice integration. In digital marketing, voice search has made its own name. Siri, Alexa, Cortana etc. has made all of this possible. Machines are the answer to the question of how people interact with your brand. The approach for voice integration has to be different but it will rep you good rewards in the end.