As we’re approaching the end of 2020, businesses big and small are trying to get a leg up from the competition through new campaigns and marketing strategies. And if you plan to...
As we’re approaching the end of 2020, businesses big and small are trying to get a leg up from the competition through new campaigns and marketing strategies. And if you plan to get an edge in your niche, chances are you’ve been trying to decipher what’s going to be the next big thing next year.
The problem is that there are a lot of tips out there and it’s difficult to sift through them to find out which ones are working and which are losing favor in the industry. Identifying them should be your top priorities so that you’ll avoid wasting time on campaigns that are obsolete. while tapping into a strategy that will have a significant impact in the future.
It’s important to remember, however, that just because there’s a new strategy, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be effective. Conversely, even old approaches may still work in this day and age, so ensure that you don’t disregard them when drawing up plans for your next marketing launch.
As can be expected, combining technology and behavioral customer patterns remain the top option for marketers. Technology has been evolving at an accelerated rate and human behavior has transformed alongside it.
Meanwhile, strategies that previously worked that were associated with issues and scandals will continue to decline due to customer awareness and strict regulatory frameworks created by policymakers. In this article, we’ll be looking at six digital marketing trends that are expected to make a big splash in 2020.
Conversational marketing is a strategy that’s hinged on building loyalty, brand awareness, customer engagement, and, ultimately, converting these efforts into sales.
There’s a handful of sub-branches in conversational marketing. Here are some of them:
Keep in mind that all of these avenues for conversational marketing will occur at the customer’s convenience. For instance, if the customer asked about a product at 8am, then she follows up on her inquiry at 6pm, then you, as a business owner, should ensure that you’re replying as soon as possible.
This is where chatbots come into play. A chatbot is a great tool to have when it comes to answering frequently asked questions. Conversation marketing will be one of the biggest digital marketing trends 2020 will bring so ensure that you include it in your strategy.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming one of the most important tools of digital marketing as it can sift through tons of data and tailor a unique strategy based on the analyzed information. According to Juniper Research, 47% of established organizations are already making use of this tool, with global annual spending on AI estimated to reach $7.3 billion by 2022.
Digital marketers are using this tool on multiple fronts, such as the following:
The future of marketing in 2020 will be significant not only to professionals in the field but to other industries, as well. To get a leg up in the competition, make sure you conduct research on the best AI tools that marketers are using and identify which one best suits the campaigns you have in mind.
If there is one reason social media should be in your 2020 marketing strategy, it’s because your clients are already there. According to Statista, 70% of the U.S. population alone is already on social media, and global users will only continue to grow as technology and smartphone usage increases in the coming years.
This isn’t even mentioning the fact that with the global payment systems streamlining its operations, it’s easier than ever for customers to buy products online. Customer engagement and brand loyalty are also aspects that social media can deliver spectacularly. In fact, 95% of people who are using social media are already following a brand.
You can take advantage of this by marketing your brand on different social media platforms. However, it’s important to remember that brand awareness and brand loyalty doesn’t happen overnight. But there are tips that you can follow to expedite this process, one of which is to be consistent.
This applies to all your social media activity. From Facebook and Instagram to Twitter and Pinterest – everything that you do must be consistent and in line with your brand’s philosophy.
Video marketing is going to be huge in 2020, particularly for mobile device viewing. In 2017, mobile devices accounted for 60% of overall digital video consumption. Last year, that number rose to 62% in the second quarter alone.
By the end of this year, it’s expected that the figure will rise to 78% as the smartphone market continues to penetrate more and more regions. What’s more, the 5G network will also see a significant headway in 2020 making it easier for mobile devices to stream more videos. To top this statistic off, businesses report that video marketing has increased their conversion rate by 72%, with consumers admitting they’re more likely to purchase a product after watching a well-made video content.
Social media and video marketing go hand in hand for businesses looking to increase their sales and customer engagement. And among all the various video forms out there, live videos tend to receive the best response.
These can include tutorials, Q&A portions, event coverage, exclusive behind-the-scenes clips, and the like. What makes this video form so engaging is that businesses and personalities can directly interact with their viewers by talking to them or through the comments. You can also do some shout-outs from time to time to add a personal touch to your approach.
Also, creating video content shouldn’t need a big budget behind it. Even a 10-second clip can result in conversions if you’ve taken the time to do your research on what elements you should add to your video. Among these elements are emotions that speak the core principles of your brand, delivering a message that will resonate with your audience.
All of the aforementioned tips will likely fail if you don’t personalize your brand. A business often flops when it doesn’t take the time to add elements that will make its brand stand out from the sea the competition. Brand personalization includes emails, websites, digital ads, eCommerce, content creation, and B2B transactions.
These are just some of the statistics that make brand personalization so compelling. So how do you personalize a brand?
One of the most effective tips out there is to assign your brand with a voice, a personality.
Take Wendy’s for example. Wendy’s Twitter account is known for starting – and ending – beef on the internet. It’s sassy, confrontational, sarcastic, and downright rude. And people absolutely love the account because it’s like a person.
You can achieve this level of connectivity, too. But first, you need to determine what sort of voice you’re going to give your brand. Following that, integrate it into your customer engagement strategies and monitor how people are responding to it. From there, you can adjust based on the data you’re receiving and help nurture the personality growth of the brand.
A newcomer in the digital marketing scene, a micro-moment is described as a person’s reflexive habit to reach for a phone to accomplish a need. This need ranges from wanting an answer to a question to buying a product online on a whim.
Within these micro-moments, a consumer’s expectations and desire to fulfill a need is at its peak. Conversely, the patience of a consumer is at its lowest, putting pressure on businesses to fulfill the need right there and then.
Although this marketing trend is pretty new, various researches have already begun to surface. For instance, 69% of leisure travelers form the idea to visit a place during these micro-moments. And nearly half of that figure follows through with the idea, booking flights spontaneously. What’s more, 82% of smartphone users look up information on the web if they’re already in a store trying to make a purchase.
Since these short instances are where a person’s interest is at its zenith, it’s a great opportunity for marketers to entice people to buy and acquire a service. To take advantage of micro-moments, marketers need to ensure that their site and app have been optimized to load faster since these instances are fleeting. Strike while the iron is hot, as the saying goes.
Thus, it’s important to recognize when these micro-moments will occur. Try to find out what people are searching, what questions they are asking, the terms they’re using. Once identified, try to create a marketing strategy around it, with the goal of converting those targets by the end of the campaign.
The new year will bring plenty of changes to the digital world, thanks to the on-going technological revolution. And if you’re planning to get ahead of the race, make sure to integrate these digital marketing strategies into your plans, while also discovering rare opportunities along the way. Remember, marketing is an ever-evolving journey and what is popular now may fall in favor in the next quarter.
To get more insights on digital marketing, get in touch with Growth Rocket today!
Dive into our guide on Instagram Reels to discover how brands can harness the power of short-form videos, amplify their social media presence, and craft compelling marketing campaigns.
Discover the trends poised to redefine social media this year. Stay ahead of the curve and unlock the secrets to a successful online presence in this blog.
Does AI marketing pose a threat to digital marketers? Learn more about the importance of human marketers and how they make all the difference.
Video media has evolved over the years, going beyond the TV screen and making its way into the Internet. Visit any website, and you’re bound to see video ads, interactive clips, and promotional videos from new and established brands.
Dig deep into video’s rise in marketing and ads. Subscribe to the Rocket Fuel blog and get our free guide to video marketing.