The new year is upon us which means resolutions, goals, and of course, new trends. Every industry is sure to see an influx of new trends as the New Year progresses and marketing is no exception. Anybody who works in marketing knows that the tactics and strategies used are constantly evolving but having an idea of what that evolution will look like before it happens is a sure-fire way to prepare your company for success. With some careful planning and educated predictions, we’ve compiled a list of 5 business critical marketing trends you should be on the lookout for in 2019.

Search Marketing Optimization

2018 was a year filled with updates in search marketing. From Google Analytics to Data Studio, Google has provided marketers with the tools they need to see the best search marketing results possible. 2019 will bring even more updates from Google to the surface. The most notable change is the speed update from Google. Much like the name suggests, this update is designed to set slower sites apart from the rest by placing them lower on the list of search results. Slower sites that have fail to update their speed overtime will be negatively affected by the new algorithm. For marketers, this means that search marketing not only focuses on the optimization of the site itself but the speed at which that site can be accessed.

Chatbots On the Rise

B2B marketing has become a 24-hour business. Global communication has created a constant need for communication that many brands struggle to achieve. Through advanced AI technology, chatbots are becoming the solution. Chatbots are able to offer customer service without the need for a support representative through the use of a detailed problem-solving script. Customers are able to receive an instant response, rather than emailing your team and waiting hours for a response. We’re expecting to see the popularity of these advanced chatbots grow throughout 2019 thanks to their low cost and time-saving methods.

Age-Related Social Media Trends

This report, published in the summer of 2018, helps to illustrate the changes we should expect in social media marketing in 2019. Each social media platform has a vastly different audience. For instance, Facebook is filled with users aged 55+ while Instagram remains the most popular among 25-34-year-olds. As the world of social media is impacted by these changing age demographics, marketers have to adapt. Determine what age range holds your target audience to decide which social media platform would be the most profitable. The younger age group that uses Instagram is expected to draw marketers to spend their budgets on that platform in the coming year, rather than to Facebook or other outdated sites.

Video Marketing

Did you know that 70% of B2B buyers utilize videos during their sales search? A figure that high should be enough to grab your attention, especially considering it’s expected to grow even higher in 2019. Video marketing is the newest trend in the world of digital marketing and it’s taking off fast. If you haven’t gotten on board yet, now’s the time to start! Video marketing campaigns have the ability to communicate a clear message with the consumer in an interesting and unique way, unlike the oversaturated and outdated digital marketing tactics they’ve become all too used to seeing during their search.

Omnichannel Marketing

We’ve seen multichannel marketing gain popularity in recent years, but it’s time to evolve even further. Omnichannel marketing incorporates each of the systems used in multichannel marketing, but the aim is to seamlessly connect each channel to one another. By keeping track of your customers’ interaction with the brand on social media platforms, emails, phone calls, and all other channels you have available, your brand will be able to create a personalized and accurate history for that customer. Multichannel marketing incorporated multiple channels of marketing, but the disconnect that it left between the channels created unclear communication throughout the sales and marketing process. Omnichannel marketing works seamlessly to achieve everything multichannel marketing did and so much more.

2019 is sure to be another exciting year for marketers and customers alike. From the changes in social media usage to search optimization, these trend predictions are only scratching the surface of what the New Year has to offer. Begin incorporating these marketing techniques now to get ahead of the curve and be on top of the trends!