The short version of this article is “more of the same”. After all, change is an iterative process, and it’s unlikely that the industry is going to radically change overnight. Instead, we’ll see the introduction and more mainstream adoption of a few new technologies while we continue to follow the same trends that we already know and love.
A great example of this in action is the continued focus on user-generated content, especially thanks to influencer marketing and social advertising. It’s unlikely that user-generated content will become any less important any time soon, but 2019 could well be the year that we find good ways to use virtual and augmented reality to show that content off.
Then there are other new technologies like blockchain, which won’t necessarily change our day-to-day roles but which will have a big impact on the technologies that we choose to use. For example, blockchain-based customer relationship management (CRM) systems could be much more effective than the systems that we currently have in place by democratising data and allowing consumers to share their information more widely – but only with the companies they trust.
Artificial Intelligence
We also need to think about artificial intelligence and machine learning, two technologies that go hand in hand and which could help us to provide much more personalised messaging for our prospects. Netflix uses machine learning to power its recommendations, which is why they get more and more accurate the more that people use the service.
The same concept applies to CRM systems, but it can also apply to virtually any tool used by sales and marketing teams. It’ll help to serve up more personalised content on websites and to prompt more thoughtful questions and suggestions by sales reps. In fact, the tech is set to become so mainstream that soon you won’t have much of a choice. You’ll either use the tools or you’ll get left behind.
Some people see this as a threat, but it’s actually an opportunity. Like we said at the start of this article, change is an iterative process, and there’ll always be people who lead the way into the future and those who lag behind. The biggest trend for 2019 is likely to be that those companies who invest a sensible proportion of their time into new technologies will be those who come out on top in the end.
Changing for the better
Change is inevitable, and the only thing that you can do is try to try to move with the times and to hedge your bets, testing out new technologies while making sure that you stick to what’s working. Remember that the overall concepts that you rely on today will hold until the future, so stick with permission marketing and inbound marketing while embracing new tools and technologies. Good luck – and happy new year.
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Dane
Dane Cobain is a published author, freelance writer, book blogger, poet and (occasional) musician from High Wycombe, UK. Before going freelance, he worked as a social media marker, now specialising in writing about publishing, technology and marketing.