The modern marketing era brooks no delay when it comes to the constant evolution of its methods, approaches, and applications.
With technology constantly evolving at breakneck speeds, there’s no time to sit on the sidelines. Nothing about this will change going into 2019.
The marketing landscape is poised to continue to grow, toppling established methods faster than ever before.
Despite the constant changes, there are a few things that are at least semi-predictable about the upcoming marketing trends.
If any savvy marketer takes the time to study these, they have a chance to stay ahead of the curve.
They can wield the full, unbridled potential of the internet to their advantage, whether they’re trying to sell high-end tech to CEOs or Fruit of the Loom underwear to the common man.
Here are some of the most important marketing trends coming down the pike in 2019.
A Critical Component
Dumping money into Google Ads or garnering an organic following on Facebook or Twitter isn’t enough.
To successfully scale your business and its revenue, you need to adopt new strategies.
Take advantage of new marketing approaches like private, company-owned email lists, Google Business Listings, and Google Posts.
Of course, you shouldn’t neglect traditional paid ads and social media efforts entirely.
While there are many different tools to use, content marketing will be a crucial strategy in the upcoming year.
Why Bother With Content Marketing?
Content marketing involves providing quality online material that is not explicitly aimed at making sales or pushing products.
That doesn’t mean there can’t be products, subscriptions, or other affiliate-related intentions involved (there usually is).
But the focus of the content itself has to be genuine knowledge that provides value to the reader.
The classic ABC sales motto to “always be closing” doesn’t apply here. You must make time to gather real information regardless of the product being tangentially promoted.
The concept is hardly a new one, but there’s no doubt that it is gaining traction.
A whopping 90 percent of marketers claim they use the strategy in some way or another in their efforts.
This strategy is necessary to attract the attention of younger consumers, who have been the loudest in demanding quality information over simplistic sales pitches.
Content Marketing in 2019
While content marketing may be old news, the way marketers are using it today is as modern as it gets.
After all, knowledge isn’t typically bound to one specific channel of communication..
Content in Videos
One of the key ways that content will continue to evolve in 2019 is via the surge in video marketing.
YouTube and Facebook are excellent examples of this trend in action.
Remember just a few years ago, when images, memes, and the occasional gif were all the rage?
Fast forward to today and the typical Facebook feed has become full of videos promoting nearly everything.
The demographic challenges of an ad-by-ad basis have also been addressed via targeting algorithms and software that many of the larger social media sites and search engines employ, helping the right content to appear in front of the right viewer.
YouTube also continues to rise. Many younger folks spend a great deal of their time consuming all sorts of media on Google’s giant video platform.
It is rapidly approaching 1 billion users, and this growth will not stop any time soon.
Content on Social Media
With many of the sweeping changes that came to social media giants, the landscape has changed quite a bit.
While ads and company pages are still options, there has been a distinct shift in focus towards quality interactions.
In short, quality content reigns supreme in the modern marketing landscape.
While businesses are shifting their online social media strategies, they aren’t leaving the social media world behind.
On the contrary, more marketers are weaving social media into their marketing in ways that complement other efforts.
It provides a lifeline to share content, answer questions, and interact with customers.
This brings a more personal touch to the typically cold and calculating image that most businesses tend to have.
The Mobile Revolution
Google recently announced that mobile searches have officially surpassed desktop searches.
Experts estimate that 189 million Facebook users access the social media site purely via their mobile devices.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the mobile revolution is forcing online content marketers to improve not only to the quality of their content but also accessibility on mobile devices.
At this point, you should optimize every aspect of your business’s online presence for mobile.
This includes the content on websites, company blogs, product descriptions, and so on. Implementing responsive web design helps users view content on a wide variety of devices.
This enables elements on a web page to adjust to the screen of the user. If your online content isn’t available on a smartphone or tablet, you might as well pack up shop.
Content Marketing 2019: Tips for Content Creation
There are many different ways to create quality content online. However, there are a few important factors you’re going to want to keep in mind as you do so:
Make a Plan
First thing’s first: Go into this with your eyes open. Content marketing is not free.
Sure, you can throw some content up at very little cost, but purposeful content marketing aimed at growing a business comes with a cost, just as every other marketing venture does.
If you are a blogger, you’re already fully aware of the costs and work that go into creating good content.
Figure out your budget, come up with a strategy, and then execute the plan with purpose.
Put Everything You Can Online
Now, we’re not talking about pictures of your dog or your most recent vacation to the Bahamas.
But it doesn’t hurt to post business reports, company presentations, and other company info online, along with your other more targeted content.
This balance of information will help demonstrate your competence and authority as a brand. If it’ll have an impact on your clientele, by all means, post it!
Hire Professional Help
In the gig economy, you no longer need a full-time hire just to cover your online marketing.
Freelancers and contractors have made affordable, professional workers more accessible than ever.
Try to get a veteran freelancer or two on your marketing team to fill the gaps in your in-house workforce.
You should also have someone on your in-house team who is well versed in business analytics.
They can track and analyze data on your content so you can continually optimize it. This will save you money, time, and man-power in the future.
There are a ton of other ways to create your online content. Here is a list of 10 tips to help keep your content marketing cheap and on point this year.
The Bottom Line With Content Marketing
While there are many trends always coming and going, the continued rise and dominance of content marketing will be key in 2019.
In many ways, this is simply a new manifestation of that age-old adage that content is king.
If you have good content this year across your online platforms, chances are you’ll enter the ranks of royalty before you know it.
