To continue being successful with online marketing, it’s important to look out for new trends that are emerging and incorporate them into the overall strategy of a business. Here are five trends that will be ones to watch in 2019: Individuals Are Emphasizing Trust While traditional ads are good to have in a marketing strategy, they are losing their luster when compared to content marketing, referral partnerships, influencer marketing and similar methods that are based on delivering actual value. In many cases, people who use the internet are starting to utilize ad blockers, which will eliminate the ads that businesses are trying to place in front of them. Creativity Is Being Rewarded When marketers all start using the same techniques to try and sell to individuals, those techniques will slowly lose their power to persuade. This was seen in a recent case where a company went back to the old school newsletter and sent out physical copies to their clients. The campaign was highly successful, which showed that creativity does have the ability to trump conformity. Relaxed Barriers Between Departments Is Crucial Another aspect that is going to be important in 2019 is the ability for the inner departments of a business to work together to create engaging content. Exceptional content can fuel the different parts of a company. This can result in lower costs, better talent and an increase in the satisfaction of investors. Businesses Must Understand How Their Customers Are Communicating Customers have multiple ways of communicating with a business. It’s essential for marketers to understand this. One trend that is starting to emerge is the popularity of utilizing voice search. If it becomes a large percentage of the way that people search for products and services in 2019, businesses that fail to adapt will be left behind. Authenticity And Helpfulness Should Be Combined with Automation Utilizing automation and scheduling posts is an excellent way to save time and keep the flow of communication alive. However, they can also become stale. It always helps to be authentic and incorporate a personal touch in between communication that is automated. This shows authenticity and a company’s willingness to help their customers. By keeping an eye on these five trends, a business can incorporate any aspects that are beneficial for their relationship with their customers. This article was originally published at HenryVinsonConsulting.com