5 Digital Marketing Trends of 2018 - Helpful Online Marketer

Things are ever changing in the digital marketing landscape. If you don’t keep up pretty soon your digital marketing techniques will be outdated. To make sure that doesn’t happen it is important to know what the latest trends are. Just because your secret formula for social media worked 2 years ago doesn’t mean it will this year.

If you stick to outdated methods you will lose business to your competitors. If you are looking for a job in the field you will lose a potential job to someone else because you aren’t up to date. Employers don’t want to hire anyone with outdated skills and knowledge. That’s why I have come up with this list of the 5 Digital Marketing Trends of 2018.
That way you can stay on top of your marketing game.

Table of Contents

1) Marketing Automation

This is one of the biggest trends I have seen in 2018. Nowadays in order to get a job as a digital marketer, you have to know about marketing automation. A few years ago that wasn’t the case. When you talk to any potential employer or client they want to know what automation tools do you know? According to Marketing Growth and Hacking 55% of B2B companies have introduced marketing automation.

Marketing automation allows you to automate certain tasks at specific times. Examples would include using HootSuite to schedule posts on social media, automatic customer service responses, and automatic email responses. You can even use programs like Content Studio to schedule blog posts on WordPress. Businesses love marketing automation because it lowers marketing overhead by 14.5 percent. It streamlines their marketing processes.

2) Video

Video has become very big especially on social media. According to Social Media Today, video marketing will account for 80% of total internet traffic by 2020. Video can even increase click-through-rates by 200%. Video marketing isn’t just for YouTube anymore. I have seen more and more Facebook pages publish video posts than any other type of content. It can drastically increase engagement.

“According to Livestream, 80% of people would rather watch live video from a brand than read a blog, and 82% prefer live video over social posts”, says Single Grain. Live video can be used for anything. You can use it to show behind the scenes of your business. It can be used to demo products and more. It is easier than ever to do live video thanks to social media. How do you think influencers got to be so popular? They know how to utilize video.

3) Social Messaging Apps

According to Single Grain:

2 billion messages are sent between people and businesses on Facebook Messenger every month
55 billion messages are sent via WhatsApp every day
YouTube has 1.5 billion monthly users

Actually, 46% of people prefer to communicate with a business via messaging than email and phone calls. Messaging is a lot more convenient than both email and phone calls. Even though we have our cell phones with us everywhere we aren’t always available. Who has time for a phone call when you are driving or at work? Messaging makes it possible for consumers to communicate when they are ready to.

4) Chatbots

61% of chatbot interactions are customer service related according to The Drum. Businesses are using chatbots more than ever before for customer service. It saves them time, energy, and money. They don’t have to hire customer service reps. Nor do they have to train a chatbot on customer service protocols.

Chatbots are a big hit among millennials. 70% of them have a positive view of chatbots. Once you think about it it makes sense. Chatbots are a lot easier to interact with than a human rep. You don’t have to deal with someone with a bad attitude. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if you are dealing with a chatbot or not. Depending on how you set it up that is.

5) LinkedIn

Whether you are a business owner or not you need a LinkedIn account. In the professional digital marketing industry, you will not be taken seriously unless you have one. If you are looking for work it is better to show them your LinkedIn page. It is more professional, potential employers won’t see personal pictures, videos, or posts.

LinkedIn is more like your credential page, especially for businesses. It is a great way to establish authority. It is one of the best ways to network with people. Unlike Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram you can upload samples of your work. Thanks to LinkedIn learning you can even learn new skills. LinkedIn has way more professional benefits than most social media networks.

Conclusion

It is always important to know the latest trends in digital marketing. Employers are always looking for employees with the latest skills and knowledge. As a digital marketer, you always want to be on the cutting edge. You want to be the one to know all the latest tricks and tips. It gives you an advantage over the competition.