While the steadfast pillars of search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), and social media marketing (both paid and organic) will remain essential to every digital marketing agency in 2019, new opportunities are also expected to materialize. Last week, Digital First Media’s chief digital officer Chris Loretto, writing for Marketing Land, highlighted some potential growth areas for the New Year, including:

Connected TV

As traditional cable subscriptions decline, televisions that connect to the internet are becoming increasingly popular. Growth of connected TV advertising doubled in 2018 as consumers purchased smart TVs, Apple TVs, Tivos, Rokus, and other connected devices. In Q2 2018, connected TV accounted for 38 per cent of video ad impressions, more than mobile. With usership expected to reach 190-million in 2019, savvy marketers will seek out opportunities to reach customers via connected TVs.

 Instagram TV

 Instagram Stories are a massive hit. Now, Facebook is hoping for another win with Instagram TV (IGTV), Instagram’s long-form video platform that allows users to broadcast up-to one-hour-long videos. It’s difficult to envision many users transitioning to IGTV from YouTube, but if the platform attracts even a modest user base, it will be an opportunity for every brand and digital marketing agency to repurpose existing long-form video marketing content.

 Immersive advertising

 Is 2019 the year augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) earn wider adoption? Loretto thinks so. He believes brands will follow Wayfair, IKEA, and Sephora’s lead and embrace AR advertising and marketing experiences.

“We will no doubt see advertisers continue to push the boundaries of AR innovation in the coming months,” he writes.

Visual and Voice

 With smart speakers and digital assistants accounting for a larger-than-ever percentage of search engine queries, SEOs are already keenly aware of the rise of voice search. Visual search will also gain ground in 2019, as Google, Bing and Pinterest push their existing capabilities. Marketers will have to work hard to stay on top of these trends and ensure their clients’ sites are optimized for traditional search and beyond.

As a Google Premier Partner digital marketing agency with access to valuable insights on Google’s preferred practices, GrowthEngine Media is ideally positioned to help you navigate the evolving digital marketing industry throughout the New Year.

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