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5 Digital Marketing Strategies Your Business Should Use in 2019

The world of digital marketing and digital marketing strategies is constantly changing as new strategies emerge and new opportunities are exploited, so it’s pretty crucial that you stay on top of both the current and upcoming trends or you risk missing out and getting left behind.

So as 2018 comes to an end it’s a great time to look ahead and understand which digital marketing strategies you really need to incorporate into your business to make the most of what 2019 has to offer. Here we take a look at the top five of these strategies in more detail, so you can focus your efforts on the most useful and lucrative, and stay ahead of the competition.

Strategy 1 – Expanding the parameters of mobile content

Mobile marketing should already be a serious part of any businesses’ digital marketing strategies, and this is only expected to become even more important as 2019 progresses. Over a billion people around the world use some kind of mobile device, including over half of all online traffic from users in the USA. Many rely on phones and tablets to do pretty much everything they would have once have used a computer for, so falling behind in this area is not a great business move.

At one point simply optimizing your site to be mobile friendly was enough, but modern users harness artificial intelligence voice assistants like Alexa or Siri to help them locate possible content of interest over actually tying into a search engine bar. This seriously changes the way you need to approach organizing your content.

There are many reasons why optimizing your mobile content is very important. In fact, this is one facet of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that expert digital marketers from agencies like Synergy Marketing Technology will have to take seriously due to the following:

Brings more traffic in: This is especially true since mobile users are constantly having to search for information on the Internet and will likely need to find information that can be found via a mobile device. This is why it is important that your site is able to run well on mobile devices in order for you to increase the sales of your business. When you’re able to get more traffic through mobile optimization, this will allow you to reach more customers.
It’s the new thing: Mobile usage has surged over the past years; it truly is the new desktop. In 2019 and even years thereafter, there are no signs that mobile use will slow down. So, you can rely on your digital marketing efforts to stay effective.

Let’s take Google’s voice search option as an example – only the top handful of results are shown, unlike a traditional search where the user is free to browse several pages of them. People also tend to use proper sentences when talking to AI assistants, which affects your SEO practices.

Strategy 2 – Check out augmented and virtual reality options

These are definitely the up and coming buzzwords to boost brand recognition and engagement, perhaps a result of experiencing similar things in online games. Giving your customers a chance to interact with your products seems to have a very positive effect on subsequent purchase rates. As such, it is a recommended part of your digital marketing strategies.

Amazon successfully adopted this approach recently by inviting potential customers to try a virtual reality experience which meant they could interact with products – or try them out, so to speak. This works on the simple principle that creating any kind of connection (physical or virtual) with something for sale is more likely to trigger an emotional craving to buy/own it.

Augmented reality can also be harnessed through apps to create confidence about spending in potential customers. For example, if you are organizing a large event providing simple ways to grab visuals of the venue, seating options, local parking provision and public transport routes provides all the information someone would otherwise have to find for themselves. By delivering it served up with no effort on their part there is more chance of keeping them on the order page.

Strategy 3– Embrace artificial intelligence

We already mentioned the impact of AI voice assisted systems like Alexa on SEO and search engine ranking, but it is also a great aid in many other ways too. A good example of how you can incorporate AI into your business website is through chatbots, which according to current research can help increase conversion rates dramatically.

Chatbots work by providing instant solutions to problems or answers to questions those browsing a site may have. For example, someone searching for a business service located close to them can ask the chatbot a question, say on opening and closing times, about the results and get basic answers. If the question is not covered a phone number for the businesses in question will be offered instead. (Then the chatbot will solicit businesses for the answer and add it to the list.)

Here are some of the most convincing benefits of artificial intelligence for your digital marketing campaigns:

When it’s used to automate what would’ve otherwise been manual tasks for your business, artificial intelligence can speed it up and also perform lesser errors;
Enables multi-tasking and gives more space to decrease the workload faced by any of the existing manpower in your business’ team;
Can predict what search engine users will type, do, and search, providing the needed information with increased speed.

Strategy 4 – Jump on the trend for video related content

The benefits of video marketing are enormous as part of your digital marketing strategies. It can be an excellent marketing tool for any business with very few initial costs. Among others, video ads on mobile content are well-established winners in the digital marketing arena, but there’s a new kid on the block- vertical video! This is video created in a form which fits how you watch on your phone – vertically. One of the first to jump on this trend was Instagram, with the launch of IGTV. Right now these are not about advertising, but of course businesses can still share content this way, and with a limit of sixty minutes compared to the usual sixty seconds there’s a lot of scope.

Live streaming is also gaining ground, and is something every business should consider in 2019 if it is at all appropriate. Videos can be posted (and shared) on various platforms, including YouTube. Instagram, and Facebook, and with over 50% of internet users claiming they have watched them at some point in the previous year, and research shows sales after seeing a product in a live video are significantly more likely.

Video marketing is the new in-thing for the following reasons:

Builds up your online visibility. Like a domino effect, when your web visibility is increased, you can also develop stronger relationships with your audience.
It’s a great conversation starter, especially if you’re trying to win new clients. It’s also effective in building interest in people to support your site.
It enables your target audience to get to know more about your products and services.

Strategy 5 – Identify and cultivate social media influencers

If you are not already on it then it’s crucial to start building relationships with active or potential social media influencers. Do note though that the public are not impressed by this kind of promotion when brands have actively invited influencers to endorse their products, considering this to be unethical and misleading.

Instead, the new focus is on authenticity and transparency. Consumers want honest interactions and genuine opportunities for honest feedback and dialogue. Modern consumers want reality, and the smart digital marketers will do well to embrace this.

Final Words

This is not a definitive list of every digital marketing strategy you could make good use of in the year ahead, but we believe it covers those which are just trending and getting own. They may not all be actionable for your own marketing plans but don’t discount anything too soon, after all at the end of the day it can only help if you get on board with as many as you can.

For those with businesses operating in Australia that are interested in outsourcing their digital marketing strategies for 2019, check out https://www.edgeonline.com.au/digital-marketing-brisbane. They are experts within this space and will help you grow your business.