Jan 18

Predicting Top Content Marketing Trends for 2019

Trying to figure out what new marketing tools and trends to adopt in 2019? The new terminology can be daunting. There’s AI, chatbots, 360-degree video, and voice-activated SEO… Alexa, explain what all this high-tech stuff means!

When we were sorting through the growing marketing trends, there was one friendly buzzword that all the forecasters kept using, and that word was “personalization”.

Personalization is about getting “up close and personal” with your consumers at every step of their path to purchase, and it’s going to be bigger than ever in 2019! If you use that filter when determining what new content marketing trends and tools to embrace, it’ll allow you to focus on those that’ll help you know your consumer better and deliver the services and experiences they want. The exciting new marketing landscape in 2019 is geared toward helping you build relationships based on being seen, heard and above all trusted.

These are the flavors, ingredients, and culinary trends that will reshape the industry in 2019.

 

Video presence is key to being seen by your consumers!

It’s predicted that by 2021, 82% of all global traffic will be video. That’s an eye-opening stat on how much online video is growing! Video marketing isn’t just growing, it’s also having a real impact for businesses – both B2B and B2C. A whopping 72% of businesses say that video has improved their conversion rate and using videos on landing pages has increased conversions by 86%.

Video marketing is really affecting consumers too: 70% say they’ve shared a brand’s video and 52% say that watching a product video makes them more confident in online purchase decisions. Those are some very positive numbers.

Do you have a video presence on the social media platforms your consumers are using? Are those videos fast-loading and mobile-friendly so they stay tuned to watch? Digital video ads, live video, vlogging, visual SEOs, social media storytelling, and 360-degree video content are all marketing trends on the rise for 2019 because they can be used to help you get up close and personal and be seen by your target consumers in creative new ways. Whole Foods does a great job at accomplishing this. They’re active on social channels like Instagram and Facebook and they also have very strong video content on their YouTube channel. The channel includes a how-to-cook series, recipe tutorials and video posts on food trends and industry news. There’s even a behind-the-scenes documentary series called “Stories from the Field” that teaches their consumers about ethical and sustainable sourcing practices. Whole Foods’ video presence online not only helps them reach their consumers in new ways, but it also helps their consumers get to know their brand story more intimately.

Click here to learn how to optimize your video content for mobile viewing.

 

Voice-friendly digital content is key to being heard by your customers!

It’s predicted in 2019 that voice-activated devices, such as Siri, Google and Alexa will be in 67 million homes and offices across the US alone (Adweek). By 2020, 30% of web browsing is expected to go screenless. Those numbers speak volumes! Your digital marketing content needs to be voice ready so that it can be searched optimally in speech as well as text. Consumers are using these devices to listen to music, to shop, to order, to purchase, to search and learn new skills like cooking. Oh! The possibilities and the opportunities! Just by using their voice, cooks both experienced and novice can search hands-free in the kitchen and ask for recipes, get cooking tips and purchase groceries. More and more food brands are finding creative ways to be heard loud and clear on these devices. Whisky maker, Johnnie Walker is collaborating with Alexa to produce “Johnnie Walker Skill”. Alexa! I’m having a party, can I get a variety of whisky blends for a personalized tasting. Some tasting tips and cocktail recipes, too, please!

 

Engaging experiences are key to being trusted by your consumers!

“Treat me as an individual not a member of some segment”. That’s what 74% of global consumers expect brands to deliver. They want engaging experiences and personalized content at every stage of their path to purchase. How can you know your consumers even better and deliver the attention they expect? In 2019, marketing machine learning and AI technologies are improving in leaps and bounds so consumer data analysis can be more specialized. This new technology is able to retarget based on the interest-based behaviors taken on websites consumers have visited. What does that mean? You can now reach a consumer one-on-one. For example, a food brand can send personalized recipe and content suggestions based on the content a consumer has engaged with before.

Chatbot technology is another marketing tool on the rise. By 2020, 25% of customer service will use chatbot technology, up from less than 2% in 2017. Chatbots are a virtual online concierge that provide 24/7 availability and are programmed to produce one-on-one customer service experiences.  Beyond customer service, this evolving technology is also a great tool for consumer engagement, marketing campaigns and more! Food Network, Betty Crocker, Starbucks, Whole Foods and Pizza Hut are just a few brands that use chatbots. Message the Food Network Facebook Messenger bot and you can chat to find a recipe or a menu wherever you are, whenever you need it. At Christmas, they launched a cookie button. Press it, and you get a new holiday cookie recipe every time! It’s fun, engaging and addictively delicious!

Ultimately, if brands want to foster trust and loyalty, they need to create exceptional marketing content, dynamic consumer experiences and personalized care at every step of consumers’ paths to purchase. But since no two consumers’ paths are alike, the question then becomes, how do you achieve content personalization at scale? All these new marketing tools and trends that are gearing up to make a big splash in 2019 are here to help you build that special relationship with your consumers!

Click here to see how we help marketers achieve content scalability.

Need help taking your content and social media to a whole new level of scalable personalization in 2019? As the number one service provider in North America, we can help you stay ahead of the curve! Find out why over 720 brands from around the world choose THP for their content creation and social media marketing. Our 100% on-demand model means you only buy what you need when you need it. No retainers. No long term contracts.

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