Trends in Digital Marketing 2019 and How Paid Media Fits Into Them

Technology in 2019 is evolving faster than ever. If you’re not using AI, automation, chatbots, video marketing, and social media, and other cutting edge technologies, you might want to start. There are a number of ways these technologies can be put to use for your benefit, depending on your particular business. But, for the sake of this blog, let’s focus on how they connect with paid media.

AI and Paid Media

AI, short for artificial intelligence, is defined as “the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.” This technology is being applied to bidding methods and can work to your advantage in the form of ECPC bidding and Target CPA bidding when setting up or optimizing your Google Ads campaigns. However, one bit of advice for CPA bidding: you want to make sure you have more than 15 conversions in the past 30 days on your campaign if you choose this bidding method as the AI technology factors in past conversions in order to adjust bids and ad delivery based on when it “thinks” it will generate conversions at your target CPA.

ECPC bidding is generally a safe bet if you have your conversion tracking set up correctly. This bidding method adjusts bids up or down slightly when Google Ads “thinks” the click is more likely to result in a conversion.

Chatbots and Paid Media

Chatbots are growing more and more prevalent in digital marketing. This is because they offer a super convenient way for your prospective customers to interact with your business in a fully or partially automated way. If used properly, this can be a great compliment to your Paid Media efforts from a top digital marketing agency, or performed internally. Live chats with chatbots can be counted as conversions and leads can be generated from this interaction. If prospects visit a landing page and have questions about the product or service before purchasing it, chatbots can be a great way for them to get the answers they need without any large commitment. We’ve seen conversions increase substantially after the integration of chatbots. Check them out and see how they can automatically answer your customers more frequently asked questions while saving you time for other higher priority tasks.

Paid Media & The Personalized Experience

People are growing to expect more and more personalized experiences online. Social feeds and online ads are subconsciously expected to reflect our interests and values. This being said, as a digital marketer and/or business owner, we have to make sure we’re speaking directly to our prospective customers wants, hopes, and desires more than ever. We have to know their fear and serve them personalized solutions.

Who’s your ideal client? Are they moms interested in yoga and meditation? Are they young men interested in hunting and fishing? Are they video game enthusiasts fascinated by constantly live-streamed videos of their favorite e-sports? In each case, the best way to communicate with them varies drastically. The way you entertain and add value to each audience through your video marketing would be very different. And, where you advertised this video could vary drastically. Is your audience primarily spending time on Instagram, Facebook, Linked In, blogs, or some other platform? It’s critical to consider the platform your ideal client spends time on and how to customize your advertisements to resonate with them while speaking to their pain points and desires.

Once you’re super clear on who your ideal customer is and what their favorite platforms are you’re in a much better place to take advantage of another major digital marketing trend of 2019: influencer marketing. If you know your audience is gamers hooked to e-sports, you can reach out to people with Twitch followings varying from medium-small, to massive, negotiate sponsorship deals, and get your brand in front of thousands of great prospects at what would be a fraction of the cost of search ads. This can be great because it allows you to connect directly with your target audience at a lower cost than other advertising channels while also being associated with someone this audience already knows, likes, and trusts.

Whatever trends you decide to take advantage of in 2019, know that each of these touch points makes a difference. Whether it’s reaching your prospective customer through Google Ads in a micro-moment as they impulsively grab their smartphone and search for the best e-sport energy drink on Google, or using video marketing to create ad funnels on Facebook and gradually expose your brand to potential customers over time, there are amazing ways you can leverage Paid Media to your advantage today that never existed before. Dig into these possibilities and grow a business that makes a difference in the world. And, if you need help leveraging these new opportunities, know that there are people who can help you do just that.