Are You Hiring?
Find candidates in 72 Hours with 5+ million talents in Maukerja Malaysia & Ricebowl using Instant Job Ads.
Hire Now
While most people in mid-November are thinking about the upcoming holidays, quality time with loved ones, and travel schedules, business and marketing leaders are gearing up for 2019.
As you are looking back at the year’s successes and failures, it’s of utmost importance to look ahead to what the marketing industry as a whole has in store in the near future and to seek out new ways to engage your audience.
Here are six marketing trends that leaders should examine as they are getting ready to budget for 2019:
1. Content is the core of marketing and sales.
Content marketing has taken over marketing departments. You will need content marketing managers, content writers and editors to create a content marketing plan and ensure it aligns with the direction you’re wanting to go in 2019, and determine that you have the resources you need.
Don’t forget about the goals you share with your sales team and how content plays a role in achieving them. Focus on sales trends and brainstorm on how content can smooth you your individual sales process.
2. Chatbots are as important as ever
Your audience are looking for more authentic, helpful interactions with your brand, and they want those touchpoints to happen on their terms. Chatbots can help you meet your audience members where they are and inform your marketing strategy with insights directly from them at the same time.
Chatbots is a great way to get insight.
This research says that 73% of marketers use their website analytics to research their audience, but only 42% say they use actual audience conversations. This is a missed opportunity for better relationships and better messaging. Chatbots is the solution to close that gap.
Other than giving you insight into what your audience are looking for and when, chatbots make it easy to deliver that information to them. They also collect those insights to refine your messaging in the future. It’s a win-win, and that’s why it should be your priority in 2019.
Therefore, you should consider hiring a team of software developers and professionals to create your own chatbot.
3. Marketing and PR will continue to overlap
Marketing and PR teams are going to see more overlap as content keeps growing. Companies are realising that marketing and PR share some common goals and work well together, and they are making it a point to bring these two teams even closer.
PR is not like the way it used to be. The age of templated, mass-distributed messaging of the past has long gone. Now it’s more about engaging content that’s useful to companies, reporters and their audiences. Engaging content is also central to what marketing is all about. This is the chance for Marketing and PR to enhance each other and deliver more value to your audience.
This is why companies are hiring marketing and public relations experts more than ever.
4. Security and data privacy remains as major concerns
If you value online security and the privacy of your information, then you have probably heard all the news about data breaches and hacks.
Your audience are also more concerned about their privacy and security.
Online security and the protection of personal information are growing demands for all consumers, and marketing leaders must adapt to this development. As audience trust in media declines and concern over privacy grows, marketers will need to put the processes in place to responsibly collect, store and protect their audience members’ information to maintain the trust they have worked so hard to earn.
IT experts are very useful when it comes to cyber security especially if their background involves data security. So, if you value the confidentiality of your company's information, you should consider hiring them.
5. Personalisation and authenticity will define successful marketers
There’s no use for generic emails and irrelevant offers in one’s inbox these days. With the data available, the technology that can analyse it and help you put it to use, and the tools available to scale that information across interactions, your audience members should feel special all the time.
They are already harassed with more content than they can handle, and you don’t want to just add to the noise. Use the technology to securely collect useful data, and turn those data points into insights that can guide your messaging. The more advanced the tools get, the higher your audience’s expectations for genuine, helpful, personalized content will be.
This is why you need to ensure you hire the best marketing experts who know what to focus on.
6. Less will always be more
Things evolve fast, especially in marketing and communication. There’s constantly something new that’s demanding your attention as a marketer and your audience members’ attention as content consumers.
Rather than diving headfirst into every new trend, remember your audience and what is best for them. That should be your guiding light. Assess everything carefully, make sure you have a plan to measure your activity, and always prioritise your audience experience.
A great marketing coordinator knows how to carefully craft the perfect plan for your audience.
As marketing continues to evolve, pay attention to marketing leaders and trusted content sources so you will be prepared in the future. Hire the right person for the job and your organisation will be prepared not just for 2019, but also for many years to come. With A Job Thing, you will have no trouble finding the right candidates for your business as we have more than 14,000 marketing candidates waiting to bring your company to the next level.
This article is based on “7 Marketing Trends To Budget For In 2019” by John Hall.