Once again, the marketing trends for 2019 revolve largely around advancements in technology.  As online experiences, video, augmented reality and virtual reality become a part of our daily lives, marketers will need to learn how to leverage them within their campaigns.  The common thread across the following trends is the need for high quality original content.  Quantity will still be important in terms of content creation, but the onus is on marketers to create educational, entertaining and engaging content.

Online Vs. Television

“Research shows that internet will catch up to television in 2019 in terms of hours watched. According to the study, people will spend 2.6 hours a day online and 2.7 hours a day watching the tube in 2019. 45 minutes of an average person’s internet time will be spent watching mobile video.” – Social Report

Organic Content, Networking And Relationships

“In fact, 30 percent of all internet users are expected to be using ad blockers by the end of this year, meaning traditional ads now won’t even reach 30 percent of possible target audience members. So, does this mean marketers should abandon ads completely? Not necessarily.  I honestly feel there’s still a place for some ads, but they have to be more relevant and valuable to the consumer. This is why we see more money going to content marketing, influencer marketing, referral partnerships, and other methods that are designed to deliver actual value to audiences.” - Forbes

Content Clusters Vs. Keywords

“Search engines have recently changed their algorithms, instead of favoring keywords they now show preference to clusters of content around particular topics. As such marketers have began linking content to form clusters around pillars (topics) relating to their category.” - Medium

Are Your Using Video Yet?

“What to watch out for in 2019, Geo-located video discovery and sharing, Storytelling in micro-moments and the most recent and social moving of them all is Vertical video which is on the rise.  By 2019, video will make up an astounding 80 percent of all internet traffic and, not surprisingly, two out of three marketers expect video to make up the majority of their content in the near future.” – David Hopkins

Word Of Mouth

“Instead of dropping money into a substantial paid advertising campaign, your business will get more leverage out of customer surveys, testimonials, referrals, and custom content. Look for influencer programs and consumer advocacy to grow your brand awareness and build your reputation among prospective customers.” - iPage

All of these trends point to the movement away from intrusive marketing techniques to a customer-centric inbound strategy.  There will always be room for traditional outbound tactics, however, they will be most effective when complimenting a comprehensive inbound marketing plan.