Go mobile or go home has been the message of most of the marketers for 2019 and trend watchers have been on the lookout for what’s new. Today we find ourselves bombarded with emails, push notifications, videos, text messages, all through our smartphones which comes with us wherever we go.
In 2019, mobile is poised to hold an even more important role in our lives with technology. Markets are more mature and leading players are battling for dominance. Mobile marketers continue to see how social commerce, voice technology, augmented reality can affect the entire customer journey and if executed well, can shorten the sales funnel.
Here are the 5 big trends in mobile marketing for 2019:
1. Fight for dominance in mobile video
Smartphones become the dominant channel to watch online video. Mobile is forecast to account for 72% of the growth in spending on online video advertising. As video continues to bloom, 2019 is likely to see big players in the market to fight for dominance.
Major brands continue to invest significantly in mobile video and may step up the game in production, quality, and budgets following the leads of major forces. The road to success will always require continuous experimentation.
2. Digital Assistant’s blossoming role
2019 is the year of brands proving their voice tech’s value. Digital assistants are increasingly bringing the relationship between humans and machines closer with Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, Apple’s Siri, entering the mainstream market. This technology will only evolve if consumers are comfortable in conversing with these devices and the device being extremely predictive.
This will have a vast impact on the future of marketing. Brands can build deeper connections, recommend the best next actions and suggestions to the users and create more contextually driven interactions using these devices. The organizations need to understand digital assistance’s place and make sure that these devices be productive so that the user cant just turn it off.
3. Social Commerce: The new price of admission
Social media has become a sales channel for savvy marketers. Instagrams new feature Check-out lets you buy the product from the posts without leaving the app.
Primarily Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest are boosting awareness, generating leads, and advertising products. This year the industry is set to break the tide and focus on engagement. The goal is to attract attention and drive consumers to an online store and more channels will open their platforms to host the journeys natively.
Marketers need to adapt to how people interact with social media. Stories have redefined the way brands communicate on these platforms to their consumers. Creative marketers are now learning to address their customers journey from awareness to direct purchase.
4. Influencer marketing gets bigger
Brands and social media platforms embrace the idea of influencer marketing. Brands have realized that it is easier to market their products and services through an influencer. With their extensive network, the reach becomes a lot easier and the cost is effective as compared to traditional marketing.
The key to successful influencer marketing is the partnership between the brand and the influencer. Brands might get their reach and amplification for the product to the target audience but one needs to measure their core business metrics and profits and watch if it is been successful or not.
As campaigns become robust, brands and agencies increasingly look for a way to stand out. Which requires finding the right influencer for the right campaign.
5. Augmented reality moves out of native apps
AR has become an element for both mobile ads and shopping on platforms. Platforms like Goole, Apple and Facebook will continue to dominate the market, either by forcing smaller firms to collapse, innovate or be acquired.
One key development is likely to be a broader move to mobile marketing. Which helps brand untangle their AR campaigns from connection partners like Facebook, Snapchat and Shazam that offer platforms for AR.
Summary
Out of all the trends, it is clear that the presence of mobile devices has indicated a new era in digital marketing. The industry moves fast and marketers need to constantly be prepared to guard against all odds and understand mobile marketing breakthroughs to serve their customers needs and desires, and to deliver their rapidly shifting needs.