A new year means new developments in the ever-changing marketing industry, and the Fuse team has explored four new trends that are due to make their mark in 2019.

1. Social Commerce

Social commerce, otherwise known as ‘social shopping’, is likely something you have already been exposed to on your social media feeds. Have you ever stumbled across a product on social media that you didn’t realise you wanted, but as soon as you saw it you knew you had to have it? Social shopping can be defined as the influential role social media plays in complementing and streamlining the buying and selling process. This trend has been taking off on a variety of platforms over the past couple of years, and notably last year on Instagram when it introduced shoppable functions to its posts and the story feature.

Social commerce is powerful in today’s market because it appeals to consumers’ emotions, a tactic researchers continue to dub the secret weapon of successful marketing. Coca-Cola was one of the early examples of successful social commerce when it released the ‘Share a Coke’ Campaign in 2014. Coke bottles were personalised with 250 of the most popular names in various countries, each carrying the hashtag #ShareACoke. This prompted the excited consumer to post pictures of their Coke bottles on social media. Images shared engulfed the online world, swiftly influencing the buying process for Coca-Cola.

It’s safe to say that social media is now a large part of the product discovery and research phase of the shopping journey, deeming it an exceptionally helpful tool for businesses. Not only that, shopping via social channels increases convenience and ease for the consumer. What millennial doesn’t prefer some helpful shortcuts to save time and effort?

2. Long-form Content

Judging by recent online trends, long-form content is due to continue its rise and influence within content marketing. According to Forbes, lengthier posts are increasingly favourable among audiences and receive more social shares than short-form content. Readers are continually looking for more credible sources, and information with more facts and consideration will be seen as more trustworthy.

It’s important to note that search engines also favour long-form content. A longer piece of writing with plenty of external links is seen to be thoughtful information and a source of quality content. With the right product and audience, these 2000-word pieces are worth the dedicated hours and scrutiny.

3. Authenticity and Reputability

Now, we’ve all heard this before: no one is more you than you, so stop trying to be someone you’re not. A business ought to be embracing the same mantra, yes? Today, consumers are smarter and more informed, therefore, they can easily recognise a brand’s intentions. They want and choose to support businesses that are honest, reputable and true to self. Each interaction a business has with its customers contributes to its overall brand.

More people are now relying on alternative forms of advertising over traditional ads. A Nielsen study shows that the top trusted sources of advertising were: branded sites, editorial sites, word of mouth and reviews. Some ad forms such as banner ads sat close to the bottom of this list which goes to show just how important it is to vet your advertising budget.

4. Automation and Chatbots

Efficiency is everything. Businesses already automate a range of processes to streamline workloads and increase productivity. As social media platforms add more features and integrations for businesses, social marketing automation tools such as Edgar are becoming commonplace. Applications like this are allowing workplaces to multiply their efforts and reach their deadlines as soon as humanly (or not so humanly) possible.

As automation techniques continue to grow, so does the chatbot. Chatbots are offering round-the-clock service using AI. Love them or hate them, they provide a significant savings benefit to enterprises with large consumer operations. For example, Uber uses chatbot technology to communicate more efficiently with their customers. Passengers can communicate via Facebook Messenger, Slack or Google Drive to order their ride, make payment, send requests, track the car’s location and more. A reduction in operating costs and improvement in the technology mean that chatbot features are more accessible to businesses and more adaptable for consumers.

These fours areas just scratch the surface on what’s to come in 2019. Is your marketing plan keeping up with consumer demand? If you need assistance in this area, our team can help. We create tailored marketing solutions that capture new customers, develop brand loyalty and increase sales performance.