As we race towards the roaring 20s the pace of change in marketing shows no sign of slowing down; if anything, it’s just speeding up.
With political insecurity breeding economic jitters, and new technology causing more disruption than a room-full of rail operators, it’s never been more challenging to get the marketing mix right.
So, with that in mind, we’ve leveraged the finest minds in marketing to give you a rundown of 6 of the most pertinent positions to adopt in 2019.
1: Brand building will give best ROI across the board
Wherever you choose to spend your marketing budget in 2019, the power invested in brand recognition stretches across the board.
From where you rank in search engines to how likely you are to convert visitors to your website, investing in your brand will bring you the biggest and best results over the course of the year.
2: Content Marketing will grow, but only the best will thrive
As part of an integrated marketing strategy the effectiveness of good quality B2B content marketing will continue to thrive.
However, as expectations around depth and quality increase, we are seeing that it’s becoming more vital than ever to work with high quality content producers who can deliver genuine results.
3: Smart money backing Conversion Optimisation in 2019
CRO (AKA Conversion Rate Optimisation) is seeing a huge surge in interest across B2B Marketing and will play a big role in the 2019 mix.
Focussing on how to get more value out of the traffic to your site not only delivers on sales and lead generation but has hugely positive knock-on effects for everything from SEO to email marketing.
If you aren’t investing in CRO this year, you’re almost certainly missing out.
4: Targeting and Personalisation more valuable than ever
Right across the mix, whether building visibility online, managing email campaigns or deploying new digital assets, the power of personalisation matters.
Making sure you are delivering the right message, to the right person, at the right time, has never been more effective thanks to a range of tools that are now available to the experienced marketer.
If your marketing material is too general, it isn’t going to be as effective – not this year!
5: Video continues to dominate, but high production costs remain challenging
Video will continue to be the most consumed media in the marketing mix. Mobile video growth is rocketing and shows no signs of slowing down soon.
But with production costs high, and consumer expectation levels rising, B2B video content can be an expensive asset for many SME’s to produce.
However, this uneven playing field creates a big opportunity for those who get it right.
6: Influencers keep on influencing, or do they?
If there was one buzz phrase on everybody’s lips in 2018, it was influencer marketing. The explosion in Instagram and issues around social media platforms limiting brands’ ability to reach audiences, saw this channel explode.
Yet many people who claim to be influencers turned out to anything but. And with some self-styled influencers charging brands upwards of £500 a Tweet, it’s easy to see why this space has become so saturated in recent months.
Genuine influencers still have the power to do wonderful things for your brand, but extreme caution is advised when selecting who to use. It’s always best to invest in a good guide before you head off into the jungle.
Conclusion
Change is the one constant, as they say, and nowhere is this truer than in the fast-paced world of marketing.
Keeping up with all the changes is more than a full-time job, it’s a whole team effort!
We’ll be running a series of blogs throughout the year focussing on each of these tactics in detail.
In the meantime, if you have any marketing challenges you want to discuss, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re here to help!
For more information please contact us on;
Nigel Mummery – nigel@blazemail.co.uk | 07971 674 414
