Whether you’re focused on social media optimization, driving more traffic to your website, or anything and everything in between, the one constant in a marketer’s life is change. Audiences change and develop social media fatigue, consumer demands and interests shift, and social media platforms become the next big thing seemingly overnight (but could fade into the background just as quickly). The constant waves of change make keeping up with the latest marketing trends a must for marketing professionals.
So, with the aim of learning more about the biggest marketing trends in 2019 and the up-and-coming trends looming on the horizon, we reached out to a panel of marketing leaders and asked them to answer this question:
“What are the most important marketing trends to be aware of in 2019 & beyond?”
Meet Our Panel of Marketing Pros:
Keep reading to find out what our pros had to say about the most important marketing trends you should be aware of in 2019 and beyond.
Alistair Dodds
@EIC_Group
Alistair Dodds is the Marketing Director & Co-Founder at Ever Increasing Circles Ltd.
“The most important marketing trend I think people should be aware of is the scalability and return on investment that comes from working with micro-influencers. We’re increasingly working with large networks of micro-influencers to drive large engagement on campaigns. The cost reduction in comparison with working with well-known and expensive influencers is considerable. Not only that, but micro-influencers tend to be relatable to their audience and there is more of an authenticity play at hand. We see this trend only continuing to develop through 2019 and beyond.”
Gregory Golinski
Gregory Golinski is the Head of Digital Marketing at YourParkingSpace.co.uk.
“I think Facebook Messenger marketing is an incredible strategy in 2019. Facebook Messenger open rates are 50-80% while you only get 20% open rates with an email campaign.
“If you add a popup or slider on your website asking visitors if they’d like to receive alerts on Facebook messenger, you can quickly grow a huge list of subscribers who will open most of your messages.
“People tend to read all the messages they receive on Facebook messenger, which isn’t the case with emails. You should take advantage of this great marketing opportunity in 2019.
“I recommend using messenger marketing platforms such as Mobilemonkey or Manychat to send messages to your audience.”
Sean Dudayev
Sean Dudayev is the Founder of Frootful Marketing. After selling his first company, he decided to take what he learned to help other entrepreneurs scale their businesses, giving birth to Frootful Marketing.
“One of the trends that is growing but is being underutilized is the use of bots. Bots are an extremely successful marketing tool, which you will be seeing much more of in the near future. They help tremendously both with marketing and service-related problems. One of the biggest uses that I’ve seen for them is to help convert leads. It can help you turn a regular advertisement into a conversation, which helps that customer go down the funnel much faster than having to wait for a phone call or email. It can also help you qualify leads and help you create specific sales processes around certain customer personas, which will aid in helping you tailor a unique approach to customers with different needs. I see bots taking over most marketing efforts in 2019 and beyond.”
Antony Zagoritis
Antony Zagoritis is the CEO of Lapigems Gem Company, a gem company sourcing ethical gems from Africa.
“Gen Z is now coming of age and starting to enter the workforce in 2019. This presents an excellent marketing opportunity. Businesses have concentrated heavily on millenials this past decade, and a shift in focus and marketing positioning is required for this new generation. Social responsibility seems to be central to this generation. In our jewelry and gemstone business, we find that the more transparent you are regarding sources and the more authenticity you can provide as to where your gems come from, the better you can relate to this new and exciting market. We have recently employed a block chain type software to trace our gems back to the mine they came from and connect the eventual private owner at the other end of the chain. Similarly, we have started a series of CSR programs to improve the living conditions of miners in these areas. It’s a tough world out there for these new workforce entrants and CSR, ethical business practices, and anything that seeks to contribute to a better, fairer world appeals to Gen Z’ers.”
Syed Ali Hasan
@F_Jackets
Syed Ali Hasan is a Digital Marketing Manager at Film Jackets. His expertise includes managing social networks, SEO, and content writing.
“Utilize chatbots services in 2019. Providing good customer service should be the first priority, and chatbots are designed to personalize it. The main reason why every business needs it in 2019 and beyond is because it offers an interactive experience. It’s a great tool to tackle issues for customers who want immediate or real-time responses from your brand. So with chatbots, you don’t have to sit in front of the screen all day to respond to each and every query you face, let the AI do all the work. All you need to do is create a type of conversational message that would work 24/7.”
Connie Chi
Connie Chi is the founder of The Chi Group, an award-winning marketing and branding agency humanizing lifestyle brands. She’s written a book titled Branding Without A Brand, where she shares her secrets on how to take a brand from zero to hero.
“Right now with the newest generation with buying power coming into the market, Gen Z’s have a new set of needs. The biggest trend will be creating personalized experiences. This new generation isn’t interested in being sold to. They know their value, which means they are looking for brands that will not only inspire them and help them creatively explore the world, but also make a difference in their lives. These new buyers understand the power of choices and will not be loyal to brands but if a brand can create personalized experiences delivered with convenience, then they have the propensity to stay top of mind for Gen Z’s. This is also a generation that is massively creative so if brands can leverage their creativity to co-create or even invite them to be part of the brand experience/process this too will encourage these customers to stay loyal to your brand.”
Robert Glazer
Robert Glazer is the founder and CEO of global performance marketing agency, Acceleration Partners. He is also the co-founder and Chairman of BrandCycle. In addition to being a serial entrepreneur, Robert has a passion for helping individuals and organizations build their capacity to outperform.
“Marketers are investing more in partner marketing. Companies are investing more in partner marketing as they are increasingly pressured to tie marketing spend to results. Partner marketing makes it easy for marketers to scale and increase reach quickly and its pay-per-performance framework ensures that companies are paying partners for driving an agreed-upon marketing action, be it a new customer, a sale, or a lead. This action can be top-of-funnel, middle-of-funnel, or bottom-of-funnel. Commissions paid to partners can be customized and adjusted depending on performance, and the types of partners are as varied as the brands they promote. Partner marketing is being leveraged more prominently by larger brands who are looking to expand their reach beyond traditional marketing channels. They are finding that new types of partnerships – including influencers, brand-to-brand partnerships, and app-to-app mobile partnerships – are an attractive way to engage customers.”
Jason Lavis
Jason Lavis helps energy SMEs with their digital marketing. Jason has thirty years of sales and marketing experience, the last eight spent online. He is the Founder of Out of the Box Innovations, partner at drillers.com and co-founder of Natural Resource Professionals Ltd.
“Marketers have a lot to worry about. Every year, we see that people get more ad-blind. Google keeps adding more adverts and search blocks above our organic results. Everyone seems to prefer to buy their stuff on Amazon. Then there are the existential crises, such as voice search and digital assistants that might take away eyeballs from our content altogether!
“We know that AI, machine learning, and big data is the future, but what can the average non-expert marketer do about that? Do we stay standing in the quicksand of organic results withering, while social platforms get more crowded with viral outrage posts?
“Creating an AI chatbot can help us get a grip on the future. They can integrate with machine learning AI applications such as Google’s Dialogflow. Chatbots are becoming more popular all the time, now that they combine this way. Instead of the clunky yes/no type fixed flow bots of recent years, we can add natural language recognition. Having the latest growing tech means that we’re staying ahead of our competition.”
Bill Fukui
Bill Fukui has been working in the medical, dental, and legal advertising industry since 1995. He is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Page 1 Solutions, LLC, a comprehensive marketing agency serving law firms, plastic surgeons, cosmetic medical practices, dental offices, and ophthalmology practices.
“Photo- and video-driven social media is changing how online users consume content, engage with businesses, and what they expect from your website to your emails. The continued growth and popularity of social media platforms that focus on smartphone stories, photos, and videos is changing how marketers develop high-engagement content and design more effective websites. Not only do you need custom photos over stock images, but they also need to have a sense of reality and a ‘live’ feeling. Investing in more creative and high-quality photography is becoming the norm for more effective website development. Videos will also continue to not only entertain, but shape how online users learn and think. Even longer-format video content has an opportunity to be watched in its entirety by online users who now watch television shows and movies through their smartphones. TED Talks and YouTube ‘how-to’ videos are examples of effective videos that keep viewers’ attention, as long as the topic is of interest and there is value in the information.”
Natasa Djukanovic
Natasa Djukanovic is the CMO of Domain.ME, the international tech company that operates the internet domain .ME. She’s spent her entire career at the intersection of social media, leadership, and technology, and is constantly trying to figure out the secret to being in three different places at the same time.
“From shopping, to music, to news, voice search is serving as a substitute for online search engines. In fact, 22% of smart speaker owners used their device to make a purchase in 2018. It will be critical for marketers to optimize for voice search in their strategies heading into the rest of 2019 and beyond. To do so, account for conversationality. The way individuals search for answers sounds different than the way they type questions into Google. To set your business up for voice search success, your online content should use long-tail keywords that appear in conversation to ensure business discoverability. For example, an individual might ask, ‘What are the best washing machine brands?’ rather than typing ‘best washing machines’ into a Google search.”
Tom Hampson
Tom Hampson is the Innovation Director at Adzooma. He specializes in tech automation and created a specialized AI for Adzooma that analyzes customer advertising accounts 24/7.
“I think AI and authenticity are arguably the biggest. Artificial intelligence is an established form of technology in our everyday lives. It improves and automates tasks, allowing us free time to engage with more interesting projects. It’s a technology that has been around for decades, but its sophistication has exploded in recent years. Voice searches, for example, will account for 30% of all searches by 2020.
“In terms of marketing, that’s crucial in how content is written – making sure we provide solutions to a user’s problem as efficiently as possible. Personal assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Home are becoming mainstays in every house, answering questions we didn’t even know we needed answers to.
“AI also helps create unique experiences based on user habits and intent. From a marketing perspective, this means a customer journey can be improved significantly with automated technology. Tailoring every step ensures the user feels welcome thanks to a personalized touch.
“You also need to be authentic in the marketing industry. The political climate is saturated with ‘alternative facts’ and ambiguity. Poor reviews can significantly affect conversions as can sub-par customer service. Now more than ever, we need to be honest and transparent as consumer trust can make or break a company. Trust-based marketing has been around for a while and focuses on helping consumers make informed judgments based on their needs and those of the company’s.”
Sun Dahan
Sun Dahan, LL.B, LL.M, MBA, is a lawyer and digital Marketer. He is also the Co-Founder and Chief of Growth at Legably.
“In 2019, consumers are very picky. If you’re trying too hard and emailing too much, consumers might get upset. The moment they feel you don’t bring them value (educate them and/or offer too many promotions for example), they will get rid of you. What works the best is still video and influencers.
“In terms of what’s after 2019? Most marketers are willing to try new things. It’s just how it works. But this may not be enough. Marketers and the companies they work for, should be ready to adapt quickly, respond to consumers even faster and get ready for uncertainties. Planning will be difficult because marketers won’t be able to determine future trends.”
Ian Dowd
Ian Dowd is Head of Marketing at High Speed Training, one of the UK’s leading providers of online training. Ian has been working in the tech sector for 20 years as Marketing Director, CMO, and Chief Commercial Officer.
“Marketing is going back to the future. And back to the past to the kind of personalized service that our grandparents, or their grandparents, could expect when they walked into their local store. Only in 2019, it needs to scale so that the website, app, social media channel, store assistant, customer service representative, chatbot, or business owner can give the same tailored experience to that customer.The top marketing trends for 2019 and beyond:
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Omnichannel marketing where each stage is congruent and reinforces the last - Personalization through every channel
- A customer journey optimized to reduce the effort for the customer
- Data protection and privacy
- Brand authenticity and trust
- Building customer relationships
“Omnichannel marketing, where each touchpoint gives a congruent, personalized experience and reinforces and builds on the last, is what marketers need to deliver. The journey needs to take the effort away from the customer at every point – pre and post-sale.This will be true across brick and mortar retail, e-commerce, holiday booking, leisure activities, B2B purchases, and public services. As millennials begin to reach their peak earning potential and, along with centennials (born in the new century), make up the largest groups of consumers, the world will need to adjust. The promise of each discrete advance in tech will need to combine to offer more than the sum of the parts. Consumers’ favorite brands will need to know more about their customers than they know about themselves and be seen to protect that privilege and power. If used securely and authentically to deliver a personalized, relevant, and trusted experience, marketers will be able to build customer relationships that their predecessors only dreamed of.”
Ksenia Shirokova
Ksenia Shirokova is the COO of Sarafan Technology Inc., a company devoted to developing AI solutions for new media. Ksenia has 14 years of experience in fashion marketing and held senior roles at the likes of Next, Stockman, and Dermosil Oy.
“The most important marketing trends to be aware of in 2019 and beyond are:
“1) A complete personalization
“Personalization was declared as the No. 1 trend in the annual report from McKinsey & Company Agency and Business of fashion magazine. And it is too early to say that the topic of personalization is exhausted. In 2019, the process will clearly deepen. Special offers will be created for each individual user. Artificial intelligence came to the aid of marketers in 2019. Technologies analyze large amounts of data: gender, age, behavior, and geolocation, and create more personalized ad messages that will bring impressive results.
“2) E-commerce merges with media while media blends into e-commerce
“In recent years, a new trend has emerged – companies have started to develop their own media platforms. In a short time, they grew from small blogs into full-fledged media with a large audience of readers and varying content. In 2019, the trend began to develop in the opposite direction. Media companies began to develop e-commerce functionality. The merging of media and e-commerce already looks very promising: media has thoughtful and engaging content as well as a large constant audience that already trusts the portal.In the future, we can definitely expect the emergence of new cross-media projects.”
Phil Nottingham
Phil Nottingham is the Director of Marketing at Wistia.com, a video software company based in Boston which specializes in helping SMEs make the most of video marketing.
“The clear trend in the media landscape is that it is now being led by individuals rather than publications, meaning that everyone is now a media producer. This is the case for everyone from teenage social media influencers to local business owners. Technology has reduced the barrier to entry for long-form video production to the point that anyone can create a TV show in their bedroom – all they need is a killer creative idea and a bit of personality.
“The power of video in marketing can now be harnessed by almost any business with a good story to tell, clear proposition for their customer, and value for an audience.”
Ron Stefanski
Ron Stefanski is an internet marketing consultant, college marketing professor, and runs a portfolio of successful websites focused on helping people and building communities. He spent 8+ years in the corporate marketing space until he became self-employed in 2014. He teaches internet marketing and business courses at five different colleges. He owns a media company which consists of a portfolio of websites ranging from 100,000 visitors to a couple thousand visitors monthly, including PrisonInsight.com.
“The one trend that I’ve seen coming on very strong is influencer marketing for small businesses. While large businesses have been doing this for years with celebrity endorsements, it’s been interesting to watch how many small online businesses are starting to pay digital influencers to get their product/service in front of hundreds of thousands of people at a reasonable cost. I think this new trend is one that has staying power, and I love it because it’s always people with small businesses paying social media influencers with small businesses.”
Polly Kay
Polly Kay is the Senior Marketing Manager at English Blinds. She has over a decade of experience as a digital marketing consultant and senior marketing manager, serving a diverse range of clients ranging from SMEs to large international corporations and household names.
“Perhaps less of a trend and more of trend reversal: Facebook is on the out. Long considered to be the marketing platform that no brand or business could afford to ignore when it came to identifying and targeting very well-defined audience demographics, Facebook has ultimately fallen on its own sword in its race to monetize and provide ever-more intrusive audience insights to its advertisers.
“Given the platform’s well-publicized data breaches, its continual negative coverage in the press over the spread of fake news, unethical and opaque user data collection polices, and overly intrusive personalized ad placement, public trust in Facebook is at an all-time low.
“This has led to a significant level of abandonment of the platform in and of itself, but given Facebook’s market dominance, this alone is unlikely to be sufficient to sound the death knell of the platform for marketers. However, the high level of suspicion of both the platform itself and the ads served and user data shared on Facebook by its remaining users means that marketing via Facebook from 2019 onwards is highly unlikely to be easy, effective, and profitable to the same degree it used to be.
“This in turn also means the probability of a knock-on effect impacting other online platforms that form part of the Facebook family of collateral too, including Instagram and WhatsApp.
“All told, savvy marketers looking to get ahead of the wave will already be looking to concentrate their 2019 and beyond ad spend on platforms that are not in any way associated with Facebook, and whose public images are a lot cleaner and better regarded!”
Yana Nirshberg
Yana Nirshberg is a Serial Entrepreneur, Founder & Managing Partner at ParadigmNEXT and HausMortage, and Managing Partner at BizCastHQ.
“The top digital marketing trends to be aware of in 2019 and beyond are:
“Artificial Intelligence and Voice Search: Zero-click search results are becoming more and more common. For example, when users type in a question into Google, it will automatically generate results before the user has clicked search. The same happens with voice search using devices like Alexa or Google Home: the results are automatically generated. This is why it is important for brands to optimize for an SEO that will appear on the first page of the search engine results so that it is more likely to be auto-generated and appear in zero-click results.
“Dynamic Content: Big data is changing the way companies are advertising. Ads are more personalized and targeted because of the consumer information available. When marketing, companies need to show how they are being useful to the consumers by meeting their specific demands, which can easily be figured out from big data, such as pulling popular Google searches from the target audience.
“Mobile First: When designing websites or ads, it is key to consider that now mobile takes priority over desktop. Digital marketing needs to be mobile compatible since it is becoming more popular among users than desktop because of its convenience and accessibility.”
Abbi Whitaker
Abbi Whitaker is the Co-Founder of The Abbi Agency, a digital engagement firm providing outreach strategies to travel destinations, tech companies, and B2B brands.
“Some of the top marketing trends we found from our research are:
“Brands are adopting a more authentic voice as they try to replicate word-of-mouth marketing –– People are trusting individuals over organizations when it comes to recommendations on products and services. In fact, 75 percent of users take action after visiting a brand page on Instagram that was hyper-targeted towards their interests and needs. Brands are using social media influencers to personalize their brands and reach highly engaged audiences.
“Social media marketing is becoming more effective than traditional advertising — It used to be that brands could put up a billboard or pay for an advertising spot to entice consumers to use their product or service. Now, as people are spending 11 hours a day on social media, brands must learn to connect to audiences on these new platforms. As people grow their social networks, they are no longer readily willing to accept a celebrity endorsement as true. Instead, people look to social media to find authentic reviews of a brand.
“Partnerships with nano & micro social media influencers –– Often overlooked, nano and micro-influencers can provide an authentic, hyper-targeted approach to digital word-of-mouth marketing without the cost of hiring a mega influencer. Nano and micro-influencers have more engaged audiences as their content contains a mix of branded and non-branded posts.
“Influencers are creating brands that go past the ‘Gram –– As the influencer space becomes more competitive, content creators who aim to make social media influencing their full-time jobs are being forced to innovate by ‘branding themselves beyond the screen.’ Brands can capitalize on the new trend by partnering with influencers to create curated experiences and packages.”
Kristin Dyak
Kristin Dyak is the Digital Marketing Director at The Cyphers Agency. Kristin is a digital marketing strategist who works with lifestyle, consumer, trade, and other B2B and B2C brands to enhance their digital footprint through custom paid and organic digital strategies.
“Digital Trend #1: Incorporating Video! One major, very visible trend in digital media is consistent growth in the number of brands that are adding video to their media assets.Thanks to increasingly affordable yet high-quality cameras and easy-to-use editing apps, businesses of all sizes have the ability to create videos that appeal to mass audiences and increase the value of their video marketing strategies. High-quality imagery is key, whether it’s still or motion, but relatively new capabilities to layer in text, music, and moving visuals encourages audiences to pause, engage, and learn about a product or service, so I only see this trend growing over time.
“Digital Trend #2: Influencer Marketing. Because influencer marketing portrays an authentic, non-corporate representation of a brand and its product, the audience is more likely to trust an influencer than native brand marketing. This trust often translates to engagement and purchase decisions, so it’s no surprise that a growing number of brands are enlisting a variety of influencers, from A-list celebrities to regional social media personalities, to promote their brands. This will likely continue to increase as more and more influencers gain visibility in niche industries.
“Digital Trend #3: Personalization. The amount of information, products, and services that floods our newsfeeds and email inboxes can easily become visual white noise. However, personalization can cut through the clutter and allow brands to connect with the target audience, standing out from generic messaging. Brands can use relatively simple tools such as ad targeting, hashtags, and pixel data to tailor their digital marketing content to the right audience, so it’s quickly becoming a digital standard.”
Matthew Ross
Matthew Ross is the Co-owner and COO of The Slumber Yard, a leading sleep and mattress reviews website dedicated to helping consumers improve their sleep.
“One of the biggest developments marketers should be aware of is the continued trend away from text-based ads towards short-form video-based ads. There are several respected outlets that project video will account for more than 80% of internet traffic by 2022. To put it simply, consumers would rather watch videos than read static content and the shift is only going to become more apparent over the next few years. As such, marketers need to adjust the mediums and strategies in which they reach consumers. No longer can you just rely on cleverly worded text-based ads. There needs to be an element of video embedded in your ads to reach consumers, especially millennials. We’ve shifted our own marketing efforts to be more video focused and so far, we’ve seen a big improvement in terms of engagement.”
Yvonne Haendel
Yvonne Haendel is the President & CCO of IntentData.io, Inc.
“The most important marketing trends all relate to evolving buyer expectations. We can talk about technology, tactics, channels and platforms, but our opinion as marketers doesn’t matter. So I believe that the ability to understand what prospects and buyers want and need – not what we want to talk about – will underly all important marketing changes. That’s why we’re investing heavily in the intent data space. Early versions were about finding people to hammer with your message, but with the advent of contact level data, it’s evolving into a tool which helps to identify not only who’s in market, but where they are in their journey and the details of the problem they’re trying to solve. Suddenly, we can help to connect them with resources which will resonate and help them. It’s said that great marketing is really about helping – and that’s finally within reach.”
Mark Armstrong
Mark Armstrong is an illustrator and digital marketing expert who’s been running his own illustration studio for the past 30 years.
“The most important marketing trends to be aware of in 2019 and beyond are:
“1. A move away from influencers. There are signs of influencer fatigue. So many (mostly major) brands have embraced influencer marketing, we’ve reached the saturation point.It’s increasingly difficult to trust influencer endorsements when you know influencers are being paid or otherwise compensated. Many smaller brands will be focusing more on user-generated content and customer testimonials.
“2. A move to shorter posts. People argue that you should write long-form posts, because Google likes them; hence they’re better for SEO. In a strict sense, that’s true. But you have to weigh that against short attention spans and an ever-growing content glut. There’s a lot to be said for brevity in the form of a ‘best answer.’ Shorter posts are also better at retaining reader attention.
“3. Using comics to explain complex topics. The June 1-2, 2019 edition of The Wall Street Journal had a story about an engineering firm that puts its employment contract in comic book format to help prospective employees better understand what’s expected of them. It’s been a big success because it’s eliminated a lot of ‘legalese.’ Visuals keep people engaged; jargon does the opposite.
“4. More guest posts. Most of us have company blogs, but a limited readership. Most brands try to get more views by reposting content to LinkedIn and other social channels. But all those channels have algorithms that limit organic reach; to get seen, they force you to buy ads. Guest posting is a no-cost alternative: publish your content on high-profile sites with many readers.
“5. A greater emphasis on word-of-mouth. You can’t beat people talking about your brand, and singing its praises. Social media helps spread the word, but you’ve got to get people talking first. Jay Baer says you do that with a talk trigger: doing something for every customer that’s so remarkable, they’ll want to share it with their friends. When that happens, happy customers do your marketing for you.”
Ashley Graham
Ashley Graham is the Founder and Creative Director of Brandesso, a modern-day brand marketing and public relations agency that infuses brand authority through caffeinated strategies and communications.
“Utilizing video across outlets such as your website and social media channels has become a vital piece of the marketing mix. If brands or businesses are not incorporating video into their marketing strategies, they are missing out on a large opportunity to connect and engage with their target audiences. Marketing has become visual, and video is one of the best mediums to use to evoke an emotional connection with the viewers. Video has expanded into a large branding tool, and we believe it is going to keep growing from here.”
Avinash Chandra
Avinash Chandra is the Founder and CEO of BrandLoom.
“The most important marketing trends to be aware of in 2019 and beyond are:
“1. Video SEO: It is a process of maximizing the traffic of a particular video by ensuring that it comes on the top of searched page. Your brand’s video visibility on a top rank on search engines increases engagement of your brand.
“2. Voice Search: Voice search is becoming increasingly popular, especially among those who use smartphones. Devices like Alexa and assistants like Siri have 90% words accuracy, and more customers are surfing the internet and making purchases using voice commands.
“3. Personalization: This is the ultimate form of target marketing. It is a process where brands provide personalized advertisements or messages to the consumer on the basis of their purchase behavior. These messages make consumers feel special, and they interact more.
“4. Video Marketing: Visual marketing is always more effective in marketing.
“5. Spam Control: Make sure that your marketing emails are not marked as spam. Spam control ensures that they avoid spam filters. However, you should also make sure that you are not sending too many emails, and the content you send is authentic and engaging.”
Serena Holmes
Serena is the President and CEO of Tigris, an award-winning experiential marketing and event staffing agency. They’ve provided services for top brands like Apple, Facebook, and Burt’s Bees. Some of Serena’s notable achievements include being listed in Profit/Chatelaine’s Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs and the Bronze Stevie Award for Female Entrepreneur of the Year.
“Experiential marketing is one trend that doesn’t get enough attention. With most customers doing research online and being inundated with ads on social media, most marketing trends tend to focus on the digital space. But in experiential marketing, the audience is invited to interact with a business in a real-world situation. This one on one interaction can make a world of difference. Instead of looking at a screen, customers make tangible, interactive connections with brands in real-time. In fact, 93% of consumers say that live events are more effective than traditional marketing! Don’t be afraid to branch out of the digital space when planning your marketing initiatives.”
Emily Trenouth
Emily Trenouth leads partnerships with brands and agencies at influencer marketing platform TRIBE. She’s worked with hundreds of brands, including Diageo, Unilever, P&G, PepsiCo, and LEGO, to develop innovative influencer campaign strategies across the U.S. and U.K.
“1. Shoppable links on Instagram will be a gamechanger for brands. This is going to directly solve a range of issues that brands are experiencing around click-through attribution and return on investment, both for influencer and branded posts. Instagram Checkout will create a seamless, in-app shopping experience for customers, resulting in tangible sales and ROI. But to cut through the noise of an increasingly ecommerce-focused platform, both brands and influencers will need to focus on creating high quality content.
“2. User generated content (UGC) is still proving to perform better. It gets about 28% higher engagement than branded posts, so brands should capitalize on this. You’re going to struggle to keep up with the volume and variety of content needed for digital advertising if you don’t change your strategy. Agencies and in-house studios aren’t going to be able to produce enough content to keep your audiences engaged. Your best bet is to have a direct line to your customers for getting UGC, so you can get on-demand content. Tech platforms like TRIBE that connect influencers with brands are making this not only possible, but incredibly cost-effective.
“3. Vertical video will continue to dominate social, and platforms are investing in this.Facebook and Instagram are continuing to develop their capabilities in Stories, and Snapchat also recently announced the launch of its new ad creation tool called Instant Create. This will allow businesses to easily create branded ads for the vertical video format.”
Shawn Pillar
Shawn Pillar is the Marketing Director of Juicer. He is an expert in social media management and content strategy. Before joining Juicer, he ran his own specialized digital marketing consulting firm for 7 years.
“Video and transparency are key. Incorporating more video into your marketing strategy, especially live video, should be one tactic to take with you into the new year and beyond. Involve little instructional videos or even using a live feed at your company events. Some element of live experience should be a staple of new campaigns. Not only do a majority of people prefer video content, but live video, on Facebook for example, gets 6 times as many interactions as pre-shot video. Live video also plays into the element of transparency for a brand. It’s raw and more realistic. We know that people are more likely to buy from companies they trust. Transparency creates trust by knocking down the walls between consumer and company. Another simple way to create transparency is by creatively highlighting interesting elements of your production chain. This tactic works regardless of industry, whether the figures be software developers or farmers.”
One of several common threads in the responses and expert predictions above is the continued prominence (and importance) of video. If you’re just getting started with video marketing, give your efforts a boost by installing the YouTube follow button. It takes just minutes to install, so you can start growing your YouTube audience today!
