Digital Trends we can Look Forward to in 2019

Have you noticed how this time of year gives us the perfect opportunity to look back?

You know the kind of thing. What we have seen develop. Analysing trends that have come out of nowhere.

But as well as being nostalgic the New Year also presents us with a chance to look forward. So as we move into 2019 here are a few advances in the world of digital and digital marketing that this time next year we might all be talking about.

Think of it as a heads-up or just a stick to beat us with in 2020 if we’re wrong – the choice is yours.

1. Expansion of Social Listening

Social listening involves crawling social media platforms to find all mentions of a brand or certain keywords. This includes mentions of industry keywords that signal the interest to buy a product, mentions on blogs, forums, and news sites and can be a good barometer of public opinion and what people are talking about.

So assuming that people sharing their frustrations, ideas, and recommendations online won’t be stopping anytime soon, social listening usage will continue to grow, and expand to include new possibilities with a number of tools specifically aimed at Social Listening now widely available.

2. More Video Content

Every year, video content continues to become more and more popular and things don’t look like changing much in 2019 to be honest with the medium expected to once again dominate the market.

Apparently, live videos can increase the relevance of a brand while adding authority and trustworthiness and it’s a trend that you don’t want to ignore as combined with good blog posts and captivating imagery videos are particularly attractive and meaningful to social media users.

3. Introduction of 5G Network Coverage

It’s hard to imagine how we ever survived by using 3G coverage alone and you only have to be in an area which has no access to 4G to receive a stark reminder of such dark days, but  it might not be long before the latest improvements in network coverage blow our minds once again.

In America much of 2018 was spent on field testing and this year will likely bring the first 5G-capable smartphones as well as actual service with AT&T is already rolling out standards-based 5G, and Verizon set to launch their service sometime in the middle of 2019 – meaning 4G could soon seem so last decade and making sharing posts and updates quicker and easier.

4. An Increase in Chatbots

Friendly, quick to answer and built with the uncanny ability to never lose patience, chatbots are changing the way customers interact with brands. These virtual assistants are AI-informed, chat in real time day or night, and many customers prefer these interactions.

If a company handles more than its fair share of enquiries then introducing a chatbot is something of a no brainer and could increase user interaction, though there is no substitute for a real human being when it comes to great customer service of course.

5. Greater Emphasis on Cyber Security

As if we didn’t know 2018 saw the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and things don’t look like easing up in the world of cyber security over the next 12 months and beyond as the protection of personal information becomes more and more prevalent and new regualtions due to be introduced.

So it’s worth remembering that the GDPR isn’t just something that, once done, can be forgotten about. For all businesses, implementing GDPR has to be a continual process and procedures need to be monitored and periodically reviewed for compliance, throughout 2019 and beyond – so keep an eye on the news for more developments.

Need our help to make your digital marketing a success in 2019? Give us a call on 0845 163 16 16 and see just what we can do for you.