The world of marketing is always evolving. That’s why it’s so important to continuously conduct market research to ensure you’re putting your energy and money where it needs to be. To ensure you’re on the right track for 2019, let’s take a look at some marketing trends you should take note of for your 2019 marketing plans.

Take Note of the Marketing Funnel Shift

Consumers are tired of being ignored. They’re sick of companies seeing them as a wallet or piles of money to be spent on their products/services. It’s time to start listening. It’s time to start working more efficiently and start leveraging your content to appeal to those target markets and niche audiences.

And it makes sense. Why wouldn’t you want to reach out to someone who is likely to be most interested and worry less about those who will probably have not interest at all. Plus, not only is this type of marketing better for your bottom line, but it’s far less time consuming.

Content is Key

The goal is not to just throw out as much information as possible. You need to inspire your customers, appeal to their needs, wants and emotions…entice them. Develop content that creates two-way communication. This is what helps to build trust and lets your customers know you care.

Artificial Intelligence is Here to Stay

Artificial intelligence (AI) has made it appearance, and it’s continuing to grow. Why? Because it makes data analysis more effective, providing a way to more rapidly target potential leads and perform tasks difficult for humans. AI gives us the ability to monitor consumers’ online behaviors and better understand it. We need to know how our customers are going to react, so we know how to get them to react to our brand.

Security is Important to Consumers

News of identity theft is everywhere. It’s a scary world out there, so let your customers know you care about them and their privacy. Ensure that you’ll take care of their sensitive information and tell them what you’re doing to protect their valuable information on a daily basis.

Voice Search is Growing

The convenience of being able to say out loud what you need and for it be done for you is something no one will deny makes life easier. Voice searching makes it easier to find information online with little effort. So, make sure you’re business is optimized for voice searches.

Bring on the Vertical Video

We know how important video content is in our marketing. But, now it’s even more important to implement a complete strategy behind your video content. Countless hours of video are watched every day, whether it be on YouTube, Google, Facebook or Instagram. Furthermore, most of the video content taken–and watched–is done so on a mobile device. So ensuring your social media strategy includes vertical-form videos is crucial.

Focus on Gen Z

Gen Z is getting older. They’re entering the work world and gaining buying power in the market. A few things to remember about this generation specifically are that they seek authenticity, and prefer socially responsible businesses. The world in which they grew up was a scary place, and they’ve watched the economy struggle. Ultimately, they want to do business with a company that wants to make the world a better place–make a change.

Visual Searches are on the Rise

Thanks to new camera technology, we are now able to take a picture of something and find relevant information about it. Along with voice searches, another search tactic you’ll continue to see grow is visual searches. Big names like Google and Pinterest have already taken the steps needed to leverage this in their market. So, it’s time we all get on board. Make sure you optimize your website and social account images for SEO.

Pay Attention to Influencers

Influencer marketing has always been a classic tactic for companies to reach their target markets. In the past, companies would rely on celebrities to convey their messages to potential consumers for companies, but it appears that consumers are now looking to their peers for these messages.

The world of marketing continues to become even more complex, making it more crucial for marketing experts to understand the new technology available, channels and buyer behaviors. Having an overall understanding of current marketing trends and the way your customers engage with technology can help you know how to stay relevant. And partnering with a marketing agency can help you implement strategies to reach your ideal customers.