It doesn’t matter what products and services you offer or which industry you’re in, the fact is that you cannot ignore digital marketing trends.
A few years ago, businesses needed little more than a website and a Facebook page to advertise. But today, innovative digital marketing trends must be considered by business owners in order to succeed.
The unforgiving reality is that if you don’t adapt to digital trends, you will be left behind.
Brian Solis states that:
“Each business is a victim of Digital Darwinism, the evolution of consumer behaviour when society and technology evolve faster than the ability to exploit it. Digital Darwinism does not discriminate. Every business is threatened.”
In this article, we discuss the digital marketing trends to subscribe to in 2020.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence makes it possible for machines to analyse consumer behaviour and search patterns. This type of technology will learn from experience, self-adjust to new inputs from users and then perform human-like tasks.
It also uses data from social media platforms (like Facebook, Instagram etc) and blog posts to help businesses understand how customers find their services.
Chatbots
While we’re on the subject of AI-technology, Chatbots have been making quite a splash in 2020.
In a nutshell, Chatbots use instant messaging to chat to your customers or site users, in real-time, 24 hours a day.
They are a popular way to use conversational marketing as they don’t require anyone to respond to the user. It’s generally also a more budget-friendly way to get started.
Conversational Marketing
Personalised Marketing
According to an Epsilon survey of 1,000 consumers aged 18-64:
- 80% say they are more likely to do business with a company if it offers personalised experiences
- 90% claim they find personalisation appealing
Video
If there is one thing that 2020 has taught us, it’s that you will need to incorporate video into your marketing strategy if you want to see growth on your digital platforms.
Wyzowl reported the following ROI stats from marketers on video marketing in their 2020 report:
- 87% have seen an increase in traffic to their website
- 81% say it has helped increase the average time visitors spend on their page
- 95% say it has helped increase user understanding of their product or service
- 83% say it has helped them generate leads
- 80% say it has directly helped increase sales
- 43% say it has reduced the number of support calls they’ve received
Influencer Marketing
Influencer Marketing has been very successful for a few years now.
It gives brands instant exposure by linking them to well-known celebrities. The problem is that it’s become so successful that most influencers have started charging excessive amounts for this service. If you have the budget, that’s great but most businesses don’t, and that’s where micro-influencers have changed the game.
Micro-Influencers are people who have between 1000 and 100 000 followers. They focus on niche areas, are generally regarded as industry experts (as opposed to celebrities) and have a smaller following. This means that their audience will be more engaged with whatever they are selling.
Voice Search
Voice search technology allows internet users to search for something by verbally asking questions on their smartphones or voice-enabled computer devices.
View this information-filled article by Quora Creative for a full list of voice search statistical trends.
Instagram Reels
In August 2020, Instagram launched its new offering called “Reels”.
“Reels invites you to create fun videos to share with your friends or anyone on Instagram. Record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and new creative tools. You can share reels with your followers on Feed, and, if you have a public account, make them available to the wider Instagram community through a new space in Explore.
Content
According to the Digital Marketing Institute, “Content marketing continues to be an essential component of digital marketing, although there’s an increasing emphasis on nuance in content. The quality is always going to matter, but now there’s more emphasis on the context and targeting.
Google is developing a deeper, more sophisticated understanding of online content, and so, marketers must think carefully about their target market and how they can tailor content more precisely in 2020.”
Interactive content is one of the fastest-growing trends of the year. It’s not surprising as users love engaging with fun, attention-grabbing content. Some of the more popular types of Interactive Content include:
- Interactive Quizzes
- Interactive Infographics
- Surveys and Polls
- Interactive Calculators
- Assessments
- Interactive E-books
- Interactive Emails
- Webinars
Omnichannel Marketing
Single Grain refers to Omnichannel Marketing as “the process of marketing across multiple platforms in order for you to connect with your prospects on more touchpoints.
When done right, you can offer an enhanced user experience and a cohesive brand message that will drive people to action.”
Conclusion
To us, the general consensus of digital marketing in 2020 is more meaningful relationships, more targeted niches and allowing technology to serve as a platform to make this possible.
Are you ready to implement these trends into your digital marketing strategy?
Get in touch!
Photo by Nils Bogdanovs on Unsplash
