5 Digital Marketing Trends to Keep Your Audience Hooked Most of these trends come about as reactions to new technologies or new consumer behaviors

The year 2018 saw a lot of buzz in the field of digital marketing with SEO rich content, social media, and content marketing. Indeed digital marketing is changing the way we market our products to consumers directly. It also saw interactive chatbots in the spotlight. Voice search, integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technologies have all seen a spike in the way marketing strategies are being built. According to research, 24 per cent of marketers around the world have agreed that social media has been one of their key strategies over the past two years.

Here are five digital marketing trends that you cannot ignore this year to keep your target audience's attention. Technology is advancing at a fast pace and we are experiencing smarter technologies year on year that are being flooded in the market today.

Artificial Intelligence

It tops the list that uses analysis to understanding behavior and patterns of consumer buying by going through data purely. The social media conversations (e.g. Facebook Messenger) of existing consumers are scanned to analyse consumer thinking pattern. In the past, data was collected and analysed to understand consumer buying behavior but artificial intelligence has made this possible in no time.

Chatbots

They hit a high in digital marketing trends in 2018 and the same holds true for this year as well. Research shows the global chatbots market is growing at 24 per cent annual growth rate, and 45 per cent of customers prefer using them as a primary mode of communication in customer service. Many companies adopted chatbots in the year 2017 and it continued in 2018. It is but natural that we can expect 2019 to be another excellent year for chatbots. It simply is popular because it is a very easy and convenient way to keep engaged with customers even without human interface. The conversations are designed in such a way that it feels like an interaction with a real human.

If you are into a business where customer satisfaction is the key to success, then one must invest in chatbots. Do keep in mind that chatbot can replace human interaction at a simple ground level, and not involving complex conversations. Customers prefer interacting with chatbots as they are responsive, answers satisfactorily and can even recall your entire buying history. Uber, for example, has been successful using chatbot technology to communicate with its customers to easily book cabs, even on Facebook Messenger.

Voice Search: Smart Speakers and Audio

Alexa became immensely popular in 2018. This smart voice technology is going to grow bigger this year. To use the Smart Voice to your advantage, you must optimize your website to integrate voice search. Voice queries are generally more convenient, last longer and are more capable of satisfying potential customers. It is estimated that by the year 2020, 50 per cent of all searches globally will be voice search.

Local Influencer marketing

This one never fades out. Word-of-mouth marketing or local influencers make a powerful impact on mass audience and, along with long-term campaigns and promotional strategies, can be a win-win situation. People generally trust other consumer opinions and feedbacks over company statements. The best way to use this type of digital marketing is to make a list of top influencers for your industry and follow them on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., and study about them before initiating a conversation with them.

Live video

Nothing is better than watching a live video. It will always remain at the top of content marketing. A customer will always prefer a live demonstration than believing pictures or print advertisements. The best way to take advantage of this pattern of digital marketing is to pick the social online platform like Facebook Live, Instagram Live or YouTube Live and keep your videos fun and content that engages the customers till the end.