It is estimated that there are now more than four billion global Internet users. The majority of these access social media pages on a regular basis; as high as 80 per cent in some areas of the world. Not only have websites including Facebook and Twitter been used to pass along casual messages, but they are even influencing other areas such as politics. It therefore makes perfect sense that businesses are looking to leverage the power associated with digital advertising campaigns. What does 2019 have in store and how can your organisation make the best use out of the tools that are currently available?

Modern Trends Signal a Bright Future

There are several trends worth noting in 2019. Perhaps the most interesting is the rise in the number of mobile devices used to connect to social media pages. Thanks to the use of dedicated applications and 4G wireless connections, users are more likely to browse through their news feeds while out and about. Businesses will therefore be able to actively target potential customers within real-time scenarios. In the same respect, the public now has the ability to follow their favourite pages and to keep up to date with any offers that are placed. So, marketing professionals will need to keep abreast of any feedback so that on-the-fly changes can be made when required.

Social Media Companies Are Accelerating To Remove Online Hate Speech, VOA

While the number of social media users continues to grow, their needs are becoming more focused and narrow. No longer are visitors willing to endure generic advertisements and similar forms of spam. They are looking for specific products and services. Businesses which continue to adopt a watered-down approach are likely to fare poorly in the coming year. the age of personalised marketing and merchandising are now upon us. Businesses need to fully appreciate the needs of their audience if they hope to make a lasting impression.

Finally, the B2B and B2C competition associated with social media should become even more noticeable in the coming year. This is great news for the average customer, as he or she will have a greater range of products and services to choose from. However, marketing professionals must appreciate the fact that they will likely need to adjust their previous campaigns. Embracing a more proactive approach will help to guarantee brand loyalty and a steady income stream. Second-best strategies simply will not suffice.

Steps that Businesses Can Take

Now that we have highlighted some of the main trends that are expected to make digital waves in 2019, are there any tools which businesses can employ in order to capitalise upon such upward momentum? Let's look at a handful of key takeaway points and options to consider.

The first step is to download the hands-on and authoritative Facebook advertising guide provided by Oberlo. Not only is the information extremely relevant, but it is explained in such a manner as to make it easy for novices to appreciate the steps that should be taken. Some of the topics which are covered include:

• Effective advertising strategies.
• Their associated costs.
• How to establish an effective campaign.
• Getting to know your target audience.

In other words, this definitive guide represents a solid foundation from which a targeted publicity campaign can be created.

Another suggestion to keep in mind involves the liquidity of social media itself. In order to keep abreast of customer sentiment and feedback, marketing managers and similar stakeholders will need to take a proactive approach. Simply waiting for results to pan out is a sure-fire way to lose a potentially viable audience. Social media marketing now represents a full-time job and it could be wise to employ a specialist in order to better understand where the business may be headed.

In the same respect, the use of third-party marketing and advertising software is set to increase during 2019. These user-friendly platforms have become highly intuitive and they can be customised to suit the needs of the online business in question. Such tools are also cost-effective options when compared to attempting similar feats with traditional in-house software packages.

A final suggestion involves the ways in which an audience base should be analysed. As mentioned earlier, top-down and otherwise generic approaches serve little purpose. It is critical to appreciate specific trends and buying habits. Some of these metrics can often include:

• An age and gender breakdown.
• Where the majority of the audience is located.
• Which pages are receiving the highest number of hits.
• The most successful marketing campaigns (as well as those which failed to hit their mark).

Social media advertising is certainly set to boom in 2019. As even more users are now entering into this massive digital landscape, we should fully expect this trend to continue well beyond the coming year.