Unmissable Digital Marketing Trends in 2020 | Digital Marketing in 2020
When it comes to digital marketing, it’s important to be ahead of the competition, but with ever-changing trends and latest technologies, this is easier said than done We have compiled a list of digital marketing trends in 2020 (in various industries) and the ongoing trends that are likely to remain. In this article, we look into how you & your business can get a head start for the coming year. So, here are the top digital marketing trends in 2020 and beyond.
“Ascend2’s new report shows 90% of respondents (300 marketing professionals) planning to invest either moderately or significantly in marketing tech in 2020.”
The Importance of Influencer Marketing
2019 saw tremendous advancements for the influencer marketing industry; from TikTok becoming the most popular platform of the year to Instagram removing likes. In 2020, consumers will become much more attentive to a brand’s marketing tactics. They will no longer allow creators who advertise products that are misaligned with their audience’s interest.
TapInfluence released a case study that documents Influencer Marketing delivering $285 incremental sales per 1000 views, and TapInfluence shows this to be 11 times ROI over all other forms of Digital Media.
“B2C brands have become dependent on influencers as a way to engage with online customers,” says Filimonova.
While some B2B brands have jumped on this bandwagon, B2B marketers should focus on a different type of influencer in 2020: Their immediate network. Partners, customers, and employees will become an even more essential part of a brand’s marketing strategy, as technology buyers are becoming more reliant on their peer network for solution knowledge.
The Case of David Dobrik & Seatgeek
In 2018, SeatGeek spent $11.8 million in media, up from $5.9 million in 2017, per Kantar Media.
David Dobrik is a YouTube influencer with more than 25 million followers across social media platforms. What’s special about David and his brand is the way they have integrated a brand (SeatGeek) with their storytelling. SeatGeek is a NY based mobile-focused ticket platform that enables users to buy and sell tickets for live sports, concerts and theater events. Both David & SeatGeek have partnered on 25+ social media campaigns, which costs millions but increased their revenue by 300% over the past few years. The reach of all the paid content is said to have reached more than 300 million people across the world through the partnership.
What makes this relationship unique is that the brand (Seatgeek) has been made into a character in the story’s plot. A character that spends millions to buy cars for David’s friends, make donations, pay for college tuition for students, etc. all while getting their brand reaching hundreds of millions of kids and teenagers.
Voice Search Optimization is the new SEO
2020 is also expected to be a huge year for voice search, so now is the time to be thinking about how you’re going to ensure you are prepared for this. An interesting stat for local small businesses is that 46% of voice search users look for local businesses daily (BrightLocal). And, they’re typically looking to make reservations, hear your business’ prices, or find out what kinds of products you stock.
Also, it’s important to ensure this information is easy to find on your website, and that it’s communicated clearly and concisely, so a smart speaker/assistant can render it out quickly and easily.
There are several other steps you can take to optimize your website for voice search. For example, In the case of using a booking system for your business make sure it is compatible with smart assistant technology. It’s also a good idea to always have an up-to-date menu or list of products that you offer on your site, and you should always ensure the information displayed in your Google My Business listing is accurate. This will help people to find your address, opening times, and any other relevant information without any issues.
Optimize Your Google My Business Page for Voice
Now your customers who find your business using Google Search, Maps or the Assistant can ask the Assistant to call you on their behalf, for tasks like booking an appointment. This is a feature on Google My Business. The Google Assistant will confirm any necessary details with the customer and call your business to fulfill the customer’s request. This is now key as Google claims to have connected more than 1+ Billion devices in 80 countries in 30+ languages. If you have a different local language it is always good to provide voice optimization in the local language.
It is a good reason to optimize information provided on your business like opening hours, products, services and ensure accurate information. Join thousands of companies and developers leveraging TechAffinity’s services and Google’s natural language understanding technology to help their users find answers and get things done with the Google Assistant.
Voice is expected to be a $40 billion channel by 2022. Today, voice shopping accounts for around $2 billion in consumer spending. In order to take advantage of this revenue-driving growth opportunity, today’s businesses must understand the voice of the consumer and make changes to the whole marketing plan.
According to Narvar, up to 43% of voice-enabled device owners use their device to shop. Consumers across age groups are using their devices to assist with making purchases — a 41% increase in 2018 alone.
Transparency with Data
We have already started to see the impact of a new age of data privacy, with several high-profile fines being issued under the GDPR, on top of many incidents of media companies misusing user data.
Initiatives like Intelligent Tracking Protection have been set up to control data usage by advertisers: data needs to be handled appropriately, and personalization should not come at the cost of user privacy.
Consumers now are requiring transparent, easy to understand information from companies, with 94% of consumers staying loyal to brands that offer complete transparency. Ever since the implementation of GDPR in 2018, how companies handle customer data is vital and misuse of data could have an extremely negative impact on your business.
In 2020, it is expected to see the industry following through on past promises and collecting data transparently to improve the overall data economy, UX and increase trust with consumers. Consequences of misuse can make or break for companies if they don’t step up our game and treat data with care.
Now businesses need to tell customers and website visitors exactly how data is going to be stored and used if data is provided to you. Privacy and data protection are only becoming bigger concerns for online users, and businesses must take these seriously.
Personalization is now More Important than Ever
It’s time to move on from generic ads. With 80% of consumers saying they’re more likely to buy from a company that offers personalized experiences, personalized marketing needs to be combined into your 2020 marketing strategy.
Every marketer now has access to various tools and data to understand their target audiences. All this made possible by granular targeting capabilities of ad platforms and the evolution of digital marketing tools.
This opens unexplored opportunities to be more meaningful and persuasive with continuous nurturing campaigns via Email marketing, marketing automation, and digital media buys. No longer does personalization mean the first-name customization in email campaigns.
Businesses, large to small scale, can no longer succeed without a highly tailored personalized approach to their segments of the audience because audiences will no longer allow generic communication.
Share a Coke Campaign — A Personalized Marketing Case Study
Coca-Cola’s carbonated soft-drink sales climbed by more than 2% in the US after its “Share a Coke” campaign. Coca-Cola Co.’s carbonated soft-drink sales have risen more than 2% after the world’s most famous beverage brand began labeling Coke, Diet Coke and Coke Zero this summer with names of individuals, ranging from Adam to Sarah to Zach.
This campaign relied on customers to self-select into segments and marketers use the given information and use it to create personalized messaging and serve up ads that are most relevant to them. Coke’s personalization campaign achieved 12 million media impressions, a 4% increase of category and a 7% increase in young adult consumption.
The marketing idea — designed to get consumers to buy drinks for friends and family as well as themselves — reversed a 10-year decline in consumption in the US.
Marketing Automation to Remain The number of Marketing Automation vendors grew 27% in 2018, a clear indicator of the ever-growing market demand.
According to Email Monday, Companies spending on Marketing Automation tools will grow rapidly, reaching $25.1 billion annually by 2023.
Marketing automation platforms have been around for over a decade and now past the point in terms of adoption by companies. In a competitive space, companies not having a marketing automation platform effectively running won’t be able to compete when it comes to marketing, sales and maximizing value from the customer.
There has been an ever-growing need to invest a higher percentage of revenue into sales and marketing efforts compared to competitors and so as not to be at a disadvantage. Whether it’s larger platforms such as Marketo, Eloqua for Salesforce Marketing Cloud or platforms for smaller and mid-market businesses such as HubSpot, Autopilot or Infusionsoft, you need to assess the right platform for your business.
To highlight the range of great tools & services available for companies there should be no excuses for not using automation. Smart Insights, Smart Insights an e-learning platform for marketers designed this essential digital marketing tools infographic to help you out.
For any successful business, it is imperative to stay updated with the latest marketing trends as we enter unfamiliar terrain in 2020. The growing need is automating processes, listening to your customers, building customer trust, personalizing user content, and ensuring data transparency. Our experts firmly believe that a holistic view is critical in navigating the digital disruption that has already begun. In 2020, we encourage our partners and clients to more actively engage our digital expertise by emailing us at media@techaffinity.com.
Originally published at https://techaffinity.com on December 24, 2019.
