Trends come and go, especially in the world of digital marketing, so knowing which horse to bet on can be difficult for marketers and business owners alike. Investing in technology that doesn’t stand the test of time can be devastating for a business – but it is a risk many must take in order to remain relevant.
With 2019 fast-approaching, business owners are questioning which digital marketing trends to carry into the new year. Rather than have a business spread itself too thin, here are the three digital marketing trends set to be prominent in 2019.
3 Digital Marketing Trends to be Aware of in 2019:
Geotargeting marketing methods
Nowadays, geo-targeting helps consumers connect with their locality, highlighting relevant businesses and services in their vicinity. This level of personalization helps drive sales and conversions.
Businesses that use geotargeting to draw in customers experience a well-budgeted and precise campaign. For companies only operating in certain locations, geotargeting eliminates expensive advertising to those who are not within the correct area.
Geotargeting has many benefits:
- It helps boost business and increases visibility without an expensive price tag. It also improves customer relationships.
- It is a cost-saving technique as it prevents wasting funds by more precisely targeting the right audience.
- It allows marketers to manage their marketing loads better, unlike Pay-Per-Click or Search Engine Optimization. However, these still need to be in effect.
Knowing the best way to curate a geotargeting campaign can be tricky, which is why enlisting the help of professionals can be greatly beneficial. The experts at digitalmarkgroup.com can help create and put your geotargeting campaign into motion, among other target marketing methods.
A rise in voice search
Around 3.5 billion searches are performed on Google every day, with one-third consisting of voice searches. Such advances in technology, and the natural inclusion of personal devices in people’s homes, has expanded searching capabilities. Now, people are asking Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri for recommendations on where to eat and shop.
However, for your content and business to appeal to voice search, keywords and phrases need to be more conversational. Rather than try to rank for “graphic designer New York,” instead focus on terms like “the best graphic designer in New York.”
The continued rise of AR and VR
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have finally arrived in the big leagues. While it may have taken time for AR and VR to make a significant impact, it is time to adopt these trends into digital marketing strategies.
The likes of Pokémon Go brought AR into the limelight, while VR headsets and gameplay are continuing to improve over time. Businesses have already embraced AI and VR, with IKEA implementing VR gaming technology since 2016. With the IKEA shopping app, customers can experience and try out IKEA products before buying them.
The benefits of AR and VR include:
- An emotional experience for the customers
- Interesting and immersive content
- More convenient service
- Higher engagement levels
The likes of VR and AR allow customers to have a personalized and immersive experience. If consumers are unsure about spending their money with you, VR and AI can help make the difference.
2026 Update: What Those 2019 Trends Look Like Now
I wrote this post back in 2019 and, honestly, reading it back is a bit like finding an old photo of yourself with a questionable haircut. The instincts were right, but the world has moved on considerably. So before you read the original post below, here is my straight-up 2026 take on where digital marketing actually stands right now.
The biggest shift since 2019 is not any single tool or channel. It is the sheer speed at which AI has changed the day-to-day work of marketing. I am not talking about the hype cycle version of AI. I am talking about the practical reality that content planning, audience research, ad copy testing, and even strategy outlines that used to take me days now take hours. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity have become standard parts of my workflow, not because they replace good thinking, but because they clear the administrative clutter so I can focus on what actually requires a human brain.
Short-form video, which was already gaining ground in 2019, is now completely non-negotiable for brand visibility. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are not experimental add-ons anymore. They are primary discovery channels, particularly if your audience skews under 45. What I would stress here is this: authentic, scrappy content consistently outperforms polished production. I have seen this with my own clients time and again. Stop waiting until everything looks perfect and start showing up.
First-party data is the conversation I am having with almost every client right now. Third-party cookies are largely gone or going, and the brands that built genuine email lists and community relationships over the past few years are sitting in a far stronger position than those who relied entirely on paid social targeting. If you have not made list-building a core priority, that is the single most important thing I would tell you to fix in 2026.
One thing I did not emphasise enough in the original post is the importance of personal brand for business owners and marketers. In 2026, people buy from people. The algorithm rewards real faces, real opinions, and real stories. Your company page will never out-perform your personal presence, full stop. The trends below are still worth reading for context, but keep that lens on as you do.
Related: how much an AI consultant costs
Related reading: How to Get ChatGPT and Perplexity to Recommend Your Small Business.
Related reading: How Conversational AI Improves Customer Service Response Times (and Wher.
