What might have seemed like time tested standards for marketing are due to make an exit in 2019. While marketing pros need to be aware that these are sinking below the horizon, it appears to be a good thing. Consumers will by and large welcome these. These changes will herald a reduction in consumer frustration and will improve overall message and delivery.
Here are some trends that are on the way out in 2019:
Bogus Reviews
Good, honest reviews create better informed customers. People rely on these and peers seek to inform fellow shoppers of their experiences. But, businesses cheat. Hired guns are employed to inflate a product’s status by giving a fake positive review and bots do the same. Of course this is credibility suicide.
Online giant Amazon (though their policies have always strictly forbidden them) has sought to crack down even more lately. This comes on the heels of an FTC investigation that convicted and fined an Amazon marketplace seller for buying fake reviews. Now everyone is tightening down their belts.
Long Video Ads
Long Video ads are singing their swan song. Everyone is rejoicing over this one, even if marketers are taking trips to the drawing board to rethink. Human psychology tells us that anything beyond just a few seconds is beyond reasonable attention span. YouTube is on the cutting edge of this and Facebook is moving this way. Many are moving to a ‘6 second rule,’ which means that is the limit of the video, or viewers will have the option of skipping the remainder. Companies are going to have to hustle their message and squeeze in for quality impact.
Auto-Play Videos
Content seekers do not welcome these at all. Scrolling down a page and having music blaring is just a nuisance – readers have to give up their spot to hunt down this annoyance and shut it down. This intrusive advertising measure was never a good trend, but at least now it is a passing trend. As an advertiser, what does it say if you have to force your videos on your website visitors? Google Chrome is already offering auto-play blocking in user settings. (3) Make a strategic decision like strengthening your secondary content or creating attractive thumbnails.
Pop Ups and Banners
These are the ambush tool of the www. They are annoying, they distract from sought content, and they generally turn off readers/content seekers. If you are burning your visitors with this outdated trend, STOP. Stop now. Face it, consumers have already become ‘ad-blind’ or have shut them down already. A recent study says 1 in 4 people have ad blockers. (2) In the first place, this is almost an insult to your prospective customers’ intelligence. They will find what they want without over-the-top, intrusive ads or pop-ups hounding them for every click they make navigating your website.
SEO Inflation in Blogs
Needlessly bloated keywords blog are going away and no one will miss them. All these packed in just to boost browser recognition make for unattractive content. It is hard to find a company that doesn’t have a blog. For a long time, many marketers were using these as keyword delivery vessels to drive traffic. Those days are ending. Creating quality content for blogging is on the. As you reach out with this ubiquitous tool, give your reader something of value to walk away with.
Organic Traffic in Social Media
Expect 2019 to see a reduction on organic reach from social media venues. USA Today already predicted this as an outbound trend back in 2018. (1) It is widely believe that this was the goldmine for advertising. But getting onto social media radars will not be so easy as it used to be. Strategic placement and focus will be key to a strong social media presence. Facebook has already updated its algorithms and this is lessening the organic reach that businesses once enjoyed. So goes this trend.
Create a more welcoming marketing strategy as you continue into the new quarter of 2019. Consumers and experts alike have spoken so now we know some “don’ts” to avoid. Rethink your ad strategy in light of these obsolete trends.
