Keeping your finger on the ‘what’s trending?’ pulse is non-negotiable in the marketing industry. Whether we like it or not, trends matter in the long run. And understanding the importance of trends, and how to implement and forecast them, will take you to the top — and keep you there.
media update’s Aisling McCarthy walks you through five of the biggest trends that you can expect to see in the new year.
Let’s take a look at five of the marketing trends that will be making waves in 2020:
1. Content becomes interactive
More and more, consumers are looking for new experiences when they go online, and for many, that means greater interactivity.
As a different and fresh approach, interactive content encourages audiences to remain on the page for a longer period. It also is immensely shareable, and when users share this content, it helps to grow your brand awareness.
Simply put, interactive content is highly engaging and enjoyable. In 2020, consumers’ attention will be even harder to get —
and keep — so creating content that consumers want to engage with will be one of the only ways to reach them.
2. SERP position zero is the goal
While SEO was on everyone’s lips in 2019, being number one on the search engine results page (SERP) will no longer be the goal. The top spot in 2020 will be position zero — a featured snippet of text appearing above the search results.
SERP position zero is
the prime location, which provides information relating to the search query, whilst also providing a link to the page the information is drawn from. Position zero is the first, and sometimes
only, result that some users will view. This makes the position highly coveted, and in 2020 the race for position one will be on.
3. Email marketing has to adapt
Emails forms a huge part of the corporate world. But, in 2020, email marketing will
have to change. While email marketing
is still effective, open rates are remaining consistent, but
click rates are on the decline.
Marketing emails need to be optimised for readers and need to leverage more communications channels.
Chatbots have already taken off, and with consumers expecting instantly replies, anticipate this trend to develop even further in 2020. Applications like
ManyChat and
MobileMonkey offer Facebook Messenger bots;
essentially an upgraded version of email marketing.According to MobileMonkey, “Facebook Messenger messages have an open rate of 50% to 80%, and have a click-through rate of 20%” — a solid reason to invest in a social chatbot!
4. The marketing playing field evens out
While traditionally big agencies with even bigger budgets have dominated the industry, 2020 will see them playing the field a little more.
Paid ads used to be
the way to advertise for brands, but because they were so costly, many brands didn’t even get a chance to be seen by audiences. However, as the digital and social media worlds have evolved, it has become possible for
any brand to be visible with little to no ad spend needed.
Just about every business these days has a social media page — which costs them nothing. Numerous websites are being hosted by free sites like
Wix or
Wordpress, meaning that businesses get exposure without the need for large amounts of capital.
Well-written copy optimised for SEO is also playing an increasingly important role in 2020 as businesses fight it out for SERP position zero.
5. Insights-driven marketing develops
Using analytics and insights to drive business performance has been a
big trend in 2019, and in 2020, you can expect this to develop further.
Data-driven marketing will get leaner and meaner in the new year.
Machine learning and predictive analytics will become more widely used in marketing to help brands capitalise on opportunities they might never have known about before.
Insights will also be used to optimise for
customer experience (CX). More and more, marketers are having to ask what consumers want, rather than telling them what they need. In 2020, expect consumer desires to be at the forefront of importance for marketers.
What other trends do you think we’ll see in the marketing industry in the new year? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
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Using social proof is one of the most effective ways to market a brand because people like to belong and fit in with the masses. Find out more about Social proof: The secret ingredient to skyrocket sales.
*Image courtesy of Vecteezy