2020 Digital Marketing Trends

2020 will be here in just two days and with it a new year and a new decade… and new digital marketing trends.

The digital world moves so quickly that the landscape could look very different from 2030 than it does today. Think back to digital marketing in 2010 — would you have guessed we would come so far since then?

As we leave 2019 behind, we are looking to the 2020 digital marketing trends that will set the tone for the next year and the next decade.

  1. Social Media Advertising & Creating Personal Connections

As social media algorithms decrease organic reach, more emphasis will be put on businesses to adapt their social media marketing strategies.

There are two main approaches to this as we head into 2020:

a)  Create valuable content that drives engagement among your fans.

The more likely your followers are to engage with your content — click a link, like, comment, share, and so on — the more people you are likely to reach.

Of course, creating this type of content isn’t always easy to do, especially if you are starting a new presence. In that case, you might consider creating personal connections for your business on social media, either through interacting in groups, engaging with other content, or refining your content marketing strategy to make sure you are sharing posts that truly connect with your audience.

b)  The other method that has been gaining popularity in 2019 — and will continue to do so in 2020 — is media advertising. As organic reach becomes harder to achieve, more businesses are likely to turn to paid advertising, like Facebook Ads, to reach their targeted audience.

While these ads may be paid, trends indicate that consumers are gravitating more towards ads with a personal feel. Social media platforms are expanding the types of ads they offer and targeting capabilities, so companies can get creative with their social PPC.

  1. Video Content

Video has been on the rise for a while now and in 2020 it isn’t going anywhere. But the type of video people are watching may be changing.

Certain social media platforms have different rules for video. For instance, on Instagram, a video share must be under one minute long. But on Facebook, Marketing Land reports that longer videos (like videos more than three minutes) are gaining more reach.

If your business hasn’t embraced video marketing yet, 2020 is the year to do so.

  1. Increased Personalization

Personalization is a hot-button topic for marketers in all businesses — and for good reason! According to InstaPage, 79% of consumers say they are only likely to engage with an offer if it has been personalized to reflect previous interactions they’ve had with the brand.

However, personalization isn’t always cut-and-dry.

In 2020, there are three main ways that marketing personalization will be trending:

a)  Personalization in content

It’s no longer enough to send out the same content to your entire list. Many businesses are personalizing content and communications by segmenting by buyer persona, industry, location, and more.

Some are even taking it a step further and creating even more nuanced content — using their prospects’ names, answers to questions, and beyond.

Learn more about personalized buyer personas in our free eBook: https://www.gopulsion.io/blog/free-ebook-buying-process-reducing-cost-of-acquisition/

b)  Personalization in data/targeting

As more data is captured about followers, that same information is being used in promotions and marketing material. For example, a retailer who had a customer purchase baby diapers in 2018 might send that customer promotions for toddler clothing or toys in 2019.

c)  Personalization through human connection.

As we wrote about social media marketing, engagement is paramount. But engagement and creating meaningful connections often come through — you guessed it — personalization.

Even if you’ve only met online, you can still create a personal connection with prospects and page followers by engaging with their posts, sharing thoughtful discussions in groups, giving value-added content, and more.

  1. Aligned Strategy and Aligned Targeting

In 2020, more C-suites will begin to embrace aligned marketing. By this, we mean aligning strategic goals with marketing efforts and bringing the marketing team to the table earlier in discussions.

Alignment across platforms will also be a focus as more marketing teams develop digital marketing strategies. This can also be accomplished through social ad targeting (such as through importing an existing contact list) and creating a strong lead funnel.

  1. More “Out-of-the-Box” Marketing

As we enter into the new decade, traditional marketing methods are starting to go extinct. While these methods haven’t totally disappeared yet, and still have their uses, more and more new media opportunities will become available for businesses — and at less cost.

Some of these “out of the box” marketing trends include:

  • Recruiting for open positions through social media.
  • Podcast sponsorship or guest appearances.
  • Guest posting on blogs.
  • And more…
  1. Instant Messaging

In 2019, instant messaging, like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and chatbots, took off. That’s going to continue in 2020 with an added measure — instant messenger ads.

Through chatbot and AI technology, businesses can set ads to respond to common customer queries, or even send sponsored content straight to prospects’ inboxes. For example, on Facebook Messenger, businesses could set up an ad that responds to pre-set customer questions, like “What are your hours?”

It will also be even more important for customer service teams to embrace instant communication as fast response times can improve organic social media reach — and your brand reputation.

  1. Mobile-First Websites

Google recently announced a change to its indexing in 2019. All brand-new sites will be indexed as “mobile-first.” This makes it even more important for websites to have responsive design.

While legacy websites aren’t included in the mobile-first indexing yet, it could be only a matter of time before those that aren’t responsive start being dropped down in ranking.

If you haven’t done so already, 2020 is the time to make sure your website works with any size of screen.

  1. Increased Focus on Privacy

In 2019, many big-name brands faced data breaches — including Facebook. We have already seen some changes to privacy policies (for example, Facebook now allows users to see why an advertiser is targeting them). We expect there will be more changes to come in 2020 across the board.

  1. Branded Content

In 2020, we also expect to see more brands sharing their own insights from customer data. In the past, many brands have relied on outside statistics and consumer trends, but as data analytics and collection methods improve, so too can branded content.

Whether it’s creating your own whitepaper, trend report, or your own creative, we expect that 2020 will see businesses across the board beginning to embrace their own consistent, branded content.

  1. Multi-Channel Marketing

With so many marketing methods — traditional and digital — there are more options than ever for business marketing. While in the past it might have been enough to simply have a website and Facebook page, in 2020 more brands will be expanding their presence.

When done strategically, multi-channel marketing offers more lead opportunities, brand recognition, and revenue potential.

The key to successful multi-channel marketing is to approach it with a plan. Assess what the costs are and look for ways to keep it within your budget — and align it with your goals.

What digital marketing trends do you expect to see in 2020? Share with us on social media. Pulsion Marketing is on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Our team can help navigate all of these trends and more. Contact us to start your 2020 marketing strategy. Call 1-888-701-4441 or visit www.digiforcemarketing.ca.