(08) 6144 3710
info (@) startdigital.com.au
Start Digital has 5 stars on Google my business
Start Digital Start Digital
  • Home
  • About
    • Reviews
    • FAQ
    • Careers
  • Portfolio
  • Services
    • Web Design & Development
    • Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
    • Digital Marketing Agency
    • Google Adwords
    • Social Media
    • Website Management
    • Content Marketing
  • Blog
  • Contact

10 Digital Marketing Trends of 2019

Marketing has always been a moving target. What works one year is passé the next. In the digital marketing space not only do we contend with visual trends and messaging but also the ever moving advances in technology and changes to way online platforms manage marketing.  In 2018 we saw ephemeral videos rise thanks to SnapChat and Instagram stories, data governance grow, the adoption of single customer view and more. Curious about what the near future holds for digital marketing? We anticipate some big changes and believe these 10 digital marketing trends of 2019 will help you stay one step ahead.

(Live) Video is Growing

Mark Zuckerberg was right about videos. Video marketing continues to grow and the introduction of live video streams in recent years has opened up an interesting opportunity for businesses, influencers and individuals alike.

According to an in-depth analysis into the world of video conducted by Renderforest:

  • 70% of marketing professionals report video converts better than any other content medium including images and text
  • 1200% greater shares are generated by social videos compared to text and images combined
  • Marketers who use video grow revenue 40% faster than non-video users

A few things to consider before you launch your camera app. With so many videos produced audiences look for quality. Whether its production, storytelling or something else, your video content needs something that makes it stand out and capture your audience’s attention.

It’s also worth considering that studies indicate people spend 3x longer watching a live video than a pre-recorded one. Live videos such as behind the scenes, product demonstrations/releases and live Q&As connect with customers in ways that were previously only available via TV commercials or placements.

As we continue to spend more time on our mobile devices than TV expect to see the growth in video marketing increase considerably.

Chatbots are Coming

If you downloaded our 2019 Digital Checklist, you’d already know that the robots are taking over. (If you’re a bit behind the trend, you can download your guide to the digital space in 2019 here.) Global research and advisory firm, Gartner predict that 85% of customer service interactions will be powered by a chatbot come 2020 (yes, next year!).

With Europe, in particular France and the UK, leading the way with adaptation, chatbots are very quickly becoming the norm. Customers are increasingly receptive to them and in many cases preferring the efficiency of a bot over human. Businesses are embracing the many benefits such as automating responses, 24/7 accessibility for customers and increased workplace productivity. If Gartner’s prediction is anywhere near true, many businesses are going to explore utilising a chatbot by December. Will you be one of them? If so check out Facebook Messenger Bot, Drift or Intercom as a starting point.

Conversational eCommerce

Some businesses are developing their own AI-backed bot to take their customer’s experiences to the very next level. In these cases, some are using chatbots to capitalise on another digital trend of the year (and future) – conversational eCommerce. Conversational eCommerce refers to the ability of a business to converse with potential customers with the purpose of driving sales. Yes, that annoying sales person that follows you around the physical store is coming to a screen near you.

As the year and coming ones continue to unwind, online customers are going to experience smarter online stores through live interactions. Air Jordan, Michael Kors, Tiffany&Co and Under Armour are a handful of businesses already driving more sales with conversational commerce by:

  • Sending live messages to users about new arrivals
  • Encouraging visitors to recover their cart after abandoning it
  • Providing suggestions for other products that match with their previous purchases and existing cart

While many businesses are doing conversational commerce right, some of our favourites examples include:

  • Femme & Fierce (https://femmeandfierce.nl/) utilises Stephanie, a custom-made chatbot that helps visitors find the perfect purchase with ease. From the right size to the perfect outfit for a night out with the girls, Stephanie offers on-demand personalised advice.
  • Created by Snaps, Nordstorm’s Facebook Bot can answer questions, direct people to relevant products, assist with tracking orders and more. Many other chatbots do that so here’s something most don’t – the Nordstorm chatbot will generate a specifically-tailored selection of gift options for you based of your responses to a series of questions.

Scary – but very smart!

Transparency

With increasing competition, fake news hype and growing expectations for greater business accountability, being honest, personable and transparent is more important than ever. We are spoilt for choice; locally, nationally and internationally. Start Digital know that better than most – there are 3 different web design agencies on our street alone! If your customers don’t believe your business is trustworthy, they will go elsewhere. Studies show that 9 out of 10 consumers will stop purchasing from a brand that lacks transparency.

Being transparent goes well beyond just sharing social proof and testimonials on your site and social media. In some situations, transparency might involve detailing the costs behind your service while other cases might involve admitting a fault on a bad Google My Business review. For each business, being transparent might look a little different but the result is the same. Your business is forming better relationships and building trust with your audience.

Mobile-First

It’s a trend that has been at the top of most digital marketing lists for a few years now but with over 1.2 billion people using mobiles to access the internet, it’s safe to say we’re living in a mobile-first world. Our mobile-first society means that businesses need to adopt strategies which best connect them with customers who live in an ‘always on’ world.

One of the most important mobile-focused strategies of today is developing a mobile-friendly website for your business. Not only is this crucial for enhancing a user’s experience while on your website but a mobile-friendly site is also helpful for ranking. (Since July 2018, Google has placed a preference on mobile-first indexing.)

Of course, simply having a mobile friendly website isn’t a marketing strategy in itself. Creating share worthy, eye catching content that goes the extra yard and differentiates your business from everyone else is just as important. This can be difficult if your business isn’t visually ‘sexy’ but a nothing some out the box thinking can’t fix.

Voice Search is Getting Louder

According to PwC, 65% of 25-49 year old’s speak to their voice-enabled devices at least once a day. Those actions might involve asking a Sonos Speaker to play J Cole, Siri to ring someone or Google about the best nearby burger joint. Our growing interest with voice integration is changing how we can interact with the internet and online businesses.

Comscore and Forbes predict 50% of all online searches will be driven by human voices by 2020, it’s time to refine your SEO and marketing strategy for the use of long-tailed keywords and conversational queries. Much like the non-voice search it’s important to start considering how to optimise your site so it can be discovered by voice searches.

Without knowing it we change our phrasing when using voice driven search. If you are searching for a restaurant using a keyboard, you might enter “Best Lunch in Perth.” When you use voice search you’ll ask the same question in a different way; “What restaurant has the best lunch in Perth?” or “What restaurants are open for lunch today?” To be discovered for voice search we need to consider this phrasing change. It’s subtle but has the potential to have a huge impact. Start thinking about it now.

Black Amazon echo on books

Content Marketing Rules

A common cliché in the marketing world is content is king.  Whilst this is largely true the real truth is that engagement rules. Any business can release a slew of content but if the content isn’t engaging will it convert to paying customers?

Content marketing involves developing and sharing engaging, relevant, insightful and value-add content to a target audience and, importantly using this content to turn them into buying customers. In order to successfully implement a content marketing strategy a business must have a deep understanding of their target audience. Content marketing strategies can be achieved through an email newsletter, a series of blog posts, video content and much more.

­

­

With 72% of marketers saying content marketing increases engagement and 72% also commenting that content marketing increases their number of leads, it’s worth considering how you can create high quality, engaging content to help build better connections and online relationships in 2019.

Getting Personal with Data

From phones and desktops through to smart speakers and the internet of things (IOT), we collectively create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. Nope, we’ve got no idea how big a quintillion is either but we’re guessing it’s quite a lot. At in individual level this data reveals insights into interests, behaviour, patterns, location.

Online businesses and individuals alike have been at an interesting crossroads in recent years. Studies indicate we like having relevant products and services promoted to us, and targeted advertising and remarketing campaigns have proven to be very successful. However, the capturing of personal data is still a relatively new concept and until recently some have believed it crosses the privacy line. This appears to be changing. As we become more familiar with the benefits of sharing data, and it becomes an integral part of a personalised online experience, we’ve become more accepting. A 2018 Acxiom survey (PDF Link) indicates 62% of consumers believe that sharing data is part of the modern economy.

From a business perspective utilising data helps build a deeper connection with their audience and encourages repeat or (with permission) impulse purchases. Importantly data allows businesses to make smarter, more informed decisions.

In 2019 we expect to see businesses and consumers become more reliant on personalisation strategies and using data in more effective ways.

Automate Your Marketing

It’s fair to say that automated marketing platforms have ‘crossed over’. Most small businesses will be aware of platforms such as Mailchimp and Hootsuite to help nuture leads through social and email marketing.  In 2019 and beyond we expect to see automated activity move beyond nurturing leads and into customer retention and ongoing relationship management. Of course, this ties in with smarter use of data and understanding how to get the best from the information we ‘capture’. One of the biggest benefits to automation is the convenience of minimising if not completely eradicating, tedious tasks. Platforms such as Campaign Monitor and Buffer alongside Mailchimp and Intercom are continuously looking for ways to differentiate their services and, more often than not, this difference is driven by their capabilities to manage and interpret data.

We’re also expecting many businesses to test and experiment with full-suite marketing automation platforms in 2019. By consolidating all digital marketing activities such as emails, social media, nurturing customers through the buying cycle and more, businesses can better position themselves to optimise all of their marketing efforts.

Artificial Intelligence

AI enables machines and computers to simulate and augment human intelligence. Yep, science fiction is becoming a major part of our reality. According to a 2018 study on AI systems, global spending on artificial intelligence (AI) will reach $35.8 billion in 2019, a 44% increase over the previous year. By 2022, spending on AI systems is expected to more than double to $79.2 billion. That’s a lot of coin. It’s expected that Retail will lead this spend with Banks running a close second. From automated customer service (Chatbots) and product recommendations through to fraud analysis and compliance the potential is huge – and it’s not limited to large corporates. Small business can use AI to assist with recruitment, streamlining productivity and data analysis. Want to know more? Ask us how.

While we’re anticipating these digital marketing trends to emerge strongly in 2019, we’ve been working online long enough to know something new and exciting is always off the radar/around the corner.

From developing mobile-friendly websites, conducting market research, chatbots all the way to crafting content marketing strategies, Start Digital can help your business best leverage all of these digital marketing trends of 2019. If you’d like to explore what we can do for your business, please contact Start Digital at (08) 6144 3710 or here.

startdig

We are a collective of designers, coders, producers and technologists from around the world who collaborate on a shared passion for innovative websites. Based in Perth, Western Australia, we bring style and innovation to the projects we undertake. Taking time to understand our clients requirements we strive to produce quality web design work for an affordable price. We then leverage our years of experience to make sure that our websites are responsive, SEO friendly and meet the clients requirements.

More posts by startdig

google reviews

Start Digital
Start Digital
5.0
powered by Google
Felicia Chong
Felicia Chong
07:05 12 Feb 21
I will definitely recommend Start Digital as a professional and reliable team for all services related to SEO. Huge thank you to Neil, Savannah and the Start Digital team. Not only have they listened to what the company needs, they managed to troubleshoot and provide cost effective solutions catering to our business needs and budget. Their ability to take on big and small projects for Saferight as a company accumulatively is outstanding. They have been flexible in their offerings when it comes to web development services and SEO solutions which has been one of the core drivers of the company's growth.
Jack McLoughlin
Jack McLoughlin
17:04 29 Jun 20
Thoroughly professional and well communicated. Thanks Neil
aimxi online
aimxi online
04:37 15 May 20
I am from Brisbane, my name is Craig, I have a dog training company, it was my first time attempting on page SEO, after calling nearly all SEO companies in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne, this was the only place that gave me some time to help me out. 5 star from me, well done in being a human and not worrying about what you could have got from me. hats off to you !. from dogtrainingbegins.com.au
Sheri Macmahon
Sheri Macmahon
09:04 17 Jan 20
Knowledgable, inspiring and helpful. Getting my online presence created and managed by the Start Digital is the BEST decision I ever made. Edit. 16 Feb 2012. 6 months after Start Digital launched the web page they created for my business I rank #1 I'm too busy to even supervise the page. Just set and forget Start Digital have it covered. Thank you
Hello :-)
Hello :-)
12:39 12 Jun 19
Neil & The Team at Start Digital are fantastic to work with. Our new website is exceptional. The guys here have fresh, modern ideas and the process from start to finish was flawless. Highly recommended.
Blank Walls
Blank Walls
03:57 11 Jun 19
Neil and the team at Start Digital provide such an excellent service and have been a massive help for us since we launched late 2018. Their attention to detail is unmatched compared to other digital agencies we've dealt with, and the team go out of their way to ensure the best result is achieved in the most time & cost efficient way. Thanks again Start Digital
Move Homes
Move Homes
00:18 11 Jun 19
A huge thank you to Neil and the Start Digital team! We engaged them to redesign our Move Homes website to take our brand to the next level. Not only does the website look fantastic, but throughout the website build we received frequent and transparent communication- we knew exactly what was happening and why. Start Digital listened to what we needed and would offer their advice on how to achieve our goals. Aside from their expertise, they’re also great people and really easy to deal with. We look forward to working on more projects over the coming years!
Sheila Woods
Sheila Woods
04:36 12 Mar 18
Neil Mason and the Start Digital team have done a tremendous job with the design and implementation of Interstaff’s new website. Our brief to Neil was for a clean, modern website which visually communicated our brand values, ‘sharp, dependable, expert and human’ to both business and individual clients, and importantly to offer an engaging and easy-to-navigate online experience optimised for SEO. We are delighted with the design as well as the level of consideration and attention to detail Neil and his team put into shaping the online experience of our brand. Start Digital have been very flexible and easy to collaborate with and nothing was ever too difficult. They went above and beyond – even working over the weekend to help us have our website ready to launch ahead of one of our key business seminars. We look forward to continuing to work with Neil and his team in the future and would definitely recommend their services.
iQuest Consulting
iQuest Consulting
05:48 21 Feb 18
The Start Digital team built us a new website and have been managing our SEO for over a year now. During that time our site has moved into the top five on page 1 of Google for keywords such as IT Company Perth and IT Support Perth which has increased our traffic considerably. We're very proud of our website and highly recommend Start Digital.
Heather Bush
Heather Bush
01:02 16 Feb 18
Neil and his team at Start Digital go above and beyond expectations. Having worked with many web agencies I can honestly say that Start have been one of the most open and cost effective agency I have worked with . They come highly recommeded
Anthony Godin
Anthony Godin
05:11 04 Jan 18
Excellent Perth website design, development and SEO agency
Uniting ChurchWA
Uniting ChurchWA
06:58 06 Dec 17
After years of tolerating our old website, we are now proud owners of a sleek, responsive and easy to use new site, thanks to Start Digital. Professional, practical, affordable and easy to work with-Neil and his stellar team delivered our site along with 22 additional sites for some of our congregations. Our organisation is complex and this project was massive. Throughout the project, Start Digital were flexible and patient with us. They responded quickly to emails and phone calls, kept us in the loop and always made time to touch base in their cool office. We can’t thank the team enough for their tremendous effort. It’s only been a month, but we have received plenty of positive feedback since launching the new site. We look forward to working with Start Digital for future digital projects and highly recommend anyone who needs a new website to give them a call.
Amantha Imber
Amantha Imber
08:25 02 Dec 17
Neil and the team created an AMAZING website for Inventium. We have received so much positive feedback since launch. I highly recommend Start Digital - they are awesome!
Lee Bramley
Lee Bramley
03:54 16 Nov 17
Fantastic Service, Really Knowledgeable in all areas of Website and Marketing strategies, they built us a fantastic looking site and nothing was too much for them throughout the process, We also found them to be very reasonably priced compared to other quotes we had, highly recommended.
Dean Capelli
Dean Capelli
06:22 11 Jul 17
Start Digital have built 3 websites for The Highways Group. We've been impressed with their attention to detail and quality of design every time. They're a friendly, professional agency and our go to web team.
John Argiropoulos
John Argiropoulos
07:45 19 May 17
We highly recommend Start Digital service, their efficient , personnel approach and professional skills gave us great results thanks .
Mitch Capelli
Mitch Capelli
22:13 25 Nov 16
Knowledgeable and excellent service at a great price I highly recommend Start Digital. We engaged them to redesign our website and manage our online presence. Previously we were a few pages back on a google search, however after only a few months we are in and around the top 5 on the first page. The guys at Start were great to deal with providing straight forward easy to understand information without the typical sales pitch that we have experienced many times before from other providers in the industry. We continue to receive updates on the progress of our website and their SEO service all for a very reasonable rate (ie. much cheaper than we were previously paying for a lesser service)
Eva Wood
Eva Wood
01:24 23 Nov 16
Neil and his team was responsible for the design and re-branding of our website, business cards and marketing material. They quickly understood our business, they identified the market we needed to target and delivered an excellent solution to match. We would highly recommend Start Digital.
Compac Marketing
Compac Marketing
04:05 14 Oct 16
Neil and the guys at Start Digital took care of some problems we had with our website performance. They were really efficient, responsive, easy to get along with and gave us some great pointers to help us with SEO. Unlike many digital marketing companies out there, Start Digital were very genuine and well-priced. Would definitely recommend their services to others.
Paul Avery
Paul Avery
05:23 13 Oct 16
Great design ideas and technical capability means a complete solution for small and medium sized businesses like us. Neil & Co actually take an interest in what you are trying to achieve rather than just turn and burn volume website factories out there! I recommend them.
Claire Leech
Claire Leech
02:11 04 Oct 16
We have had the pleasure of working with the team at Start Digital recently as we wished to update our website for our restaurant business. WOW! An amazing new, innovative, trendy and professional approach taken by these guys has resulted in a brilliant new site, clearly directing so much more traffic through our business resulting in increased brand awareness and google presence. As a relatively new business, Start Digital will definitely be going places ! We really look forward to continuing to work with them in the future and watch both our and their business grow! Thanks Neil and the team at Start Digital.
Next Reviews

enough about us, let's talk about you.

Let's Start Talking
Free Quote
Free Digital Marketing Audit

Want to reach more prospective clients online? Your first step should be a digital audit.

Get Your Audit
Free Website Quote

Tell us what you need and we'll get back to you with an indicative price.

Get A Quote
Free SEO Price List

Looking for a local SEO team that understand everything Google? Drop us a line today!

Get SEO Pricing

A: Level 34, 152 St Georges Terrace,
Perth, Western Australia 6000

E: info@startdigital.com.au
P: (08) 6144 3710

Creation

  • Web Design
  • Web Development
  • Ecommerce Web Design
  • Website Photography
  • WordPress Websites
  • Graphic Design

Marketing

  • Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
  • Social Media
  • Content Marketing
  • Digital Marketing Agency
  • Google Ads / Adwords
  • Messenger Bots

Strategy

  • Branding Agency
  • Market Research
  • Reputation Management
  • Voice Technology
  • Website Hosting
  • Website Management

helping australian businesses with everything digital!

Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | © 2021 Start Digital. All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • About
    • Reviews
    • FAQ
    • Careers
  • Portfolio
  • Services
    • Web Design & Development
    • Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
    • Digital Marketing Agency
    • Google Adwords
    • Social Media
    • Website Management
    • Content Marketing
  • Blog
  • Contact
Start Digital