Posted by Today I was very excited to write about the trends of digital marketing that are shaping up for 2019. I settled into the chair, turned on the computer, took the keyboard and even there I arrived.
Ten minutes later, I was still staring at the blank screen. Not because my mind was the same, but because I suddenly realized that, every year that passes, the world of digital marketing widens so much that it is difficult to decide where to start.
But just that defined what should be the first point of these trends.
Specialized agencies: to infinity and beyond
The areas of digital knowledge grow at such a rapid pace that it is almost impossible for agencies to cover each of the trends at an optimum level of expertise.
Which gives rise to the creation of specialized agencies in specific digital niches. Some opt for social networks or even become specialists in a single network such as Facebook or Twitter.
Others prefer to be oriented to one of the many possible options: SEO, inbound marketing, apps development, video marketing, big data, ecommerce, WPO and a very long etcetera.
A few have the ability to encompass some of these niches to become 360 ° agencies or at least to provide specialized but comprehensive solutions to companies.
The truth is that, in 2019, companies will require more and more specific services and the level of specialization that will be demanded in the case of digital agencies will be superlative.
In Mailclick, last year we had to reorient our strategy to shape ourselves as a strategic digital marketing agency with a goal of leads. It was a decisive step, but the results of our clients indicate that it was the right one.
Images of the future: Don Google attacks again
Imagine that you are happy optimizing a company’s website. You have done it a thousand times so it will be “a piece of cake”. But oh, surprise! Google has modified the way to rate the images of the sites and has defined them as “next generation images”.
Yes, Don Google continues to set trends and now asks you to use formats that are not accepted by all browsers!
But when you convert the images and discover the amazing quality that they keep in large size and with a weight that you consider to be minuscule, you will have no choice but to pray to all the gods of the navigators to update and accept these formats.
Oh by the way! These formats that are here to stay are JPEG 2000, JPEG XR and WebP.
SEO: without truce or rest
One of the areas with the most continuous changes is search engine optimization. And this 2019 will not be left behind.
For those of us who are dedicated to SEO, the terms such as upload speed, AMP, mobile focus, structured data, Google’s answer box, quick answers and voice search are relatively familiar.
However, familiarity is not synonymous with certainty. What do I want to say? Well, nobody ever knows what Google is up to, so an experienced SEO performs tests, analyzes and measures their results to know what things can work best.
The problem is that the algorithms change continuously. For example, in August 2018 there were major changes in Google’s algorithms and the page rankings in all the niches ‘bringed’ without stopping. Some regained their positions, others did not.
What is remarkable is that those sites that had worked on content marketing were the best delivered. That gives us a clue to one of the main digital marketing trends for 2019.
On the other hand, it is clear that loading speed and WPO (web performance optimization) will play a crucial role in the face of SEO.
Why? Well, Google has made substantial changes to prioritize the websites with the best mobile optimization. The following year provides a clear mobile approach.
And no wonder, since currently more than 70% of search users use a mobile device to connect and surf the Internet.
At this point it will be convenient to have the help of an SEO consultant updated on the latest trends in this branch of digital marketing, so that changes in the algorithms do not take you by surprise.
Local positioning: new opportunities for local businesses
Local companies were for many years the great marginalized. But Google, -yes, again Don Google-, has apparently begun to give more strength than ever to local results.
On the one hand, with improvements in the business files of Google My Business and, on the other, with a clear inclination to show organic results close to the search. Local positioning will make even major brands turn and optimize by location.
Which also leads to a new trend: the purchase of local reviews to improve the ranking. It’s already happening and it goes up like foam.
In 2019 we must be vigilant, because we could see more local results than general results.
Microinfluencers and smalldata: back to basics
It is not that the big data disappears, nothing is further from reality. However, there is a clear tendency for companies to focus again on very specific market niches.
The microinfluencers have greater access to these niches although their reach numbers are not surprising, although the influence generated may become so.
And it makes sense. They handle a higher quality of content, which in turn generates a better follower profile that also relies more on them.
In small data, companies are discovering that personalized attention and follow-up generate higher engagement and fidelity rates.
It is no longer about general behaviors or trends, but about how each specific user behaves or a micronicho.
That is, the tendency now will be for companies to better use their resources with data that they can obtain, analyze and use optimally in a shorter period of time.
A clear example of application would be automation campaigns based on the behavior of customers or visitors to a website.
The advantage of this trend is that it is available not only to large brands but also to small and medium-sized companies
Content Marketing
Google has spent almost a decade talking about the ZMOT (Zero Moment of Truth) and the need for companies to provide useful content to users at each stage of the purchase process and before that.
The business environment has taken a long time to understand the meaning, but seven years after its study, content marketing finally seems to take its rightful place.
Content marketing started as a peculiar mix between inbound approach and SEO. He is changing from being the misunderstood son to becoming the famous star that everyone wants to know.
By 2019, it is emerging as the most useful online tool. Not only because of the issue of web positioning but because most of the strategies, tactics and approaches to digital and inbound marketing require your help in different formats: posts, videos, infographics, podcasts, etc.
And of course, with Don Google on your side, we will see its use grow to become the core factor of digital strategies.
The advantage of this trend is that it is available not only to large brands but also to small and medium-sized companies
Content Marketing
Google has spent almost a decade talking about the ZMOT (Zero Moment of Truth) and the need for companies to provide useful content to users at each stage of the purchase process and before that.
The business environment has taken a long time to understand the meaning, but seven years after its study, content marketing finally seems to take its rightful place.
Content marketing started as a peculiar mix between inbound approach and SEO. He is changing from being the misunderstood son to becoming the famous star that everyone wants to know.
By 2019, it is emerging as the most useful online tool. Not only because of the issue of web positioning but because most of the strategies, tactics and approaches to digital and inbound marketing require your help in different formats: posts, videos, infographics, podcasts, etc.
And of course, with Don Google on your side, we will see its use grow to become the core factor of digital strategies.