The Top 13 Marketing Trends Of 2020 Every Business Needs To Know

We are on the verge of one of the most interesting times in modern history, politically, socially, and technologically. The new innovations in tech are being made that have an impact on both business and marketing.  Don’t underestimate the fact that we are living in a time when technology and marketing move fast, and consumer behaviors and interests are hard to predict. You can no longer afford to stick your head in the sand and hope that the same marketing methods continue to work. Today, it’s time for business owners to learn about the top marketing trends of 2020.

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation
2. Voice Search and social listening
3. Short Stories and Micro-Moments
4. Personalized User Experiences – i.e. “for me”
5. Company Transparency
6. Online Communities and Groups
7. Private Messaging Apps
8. Social Commerce and Shoppable Posts and a Checkout Process
9. Visual Search
10. SERP Snippets and Featured Content

 

“Each business is a victim of Digital Darwinism, the evolution of consumer behavior when society and technology evolve faster than the ability to exploit it. Digital Darwinism does not discriminate. Every business is threatened.” — Brian Solis

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation

2020 will be the year when almost every user will realize how integrated AI is for business and the internet. It is already taken hold in business, social media, and the global industry. AI is already a driving force in many businesses. It’s already been implemented in areas such as chatbots, messenger bots, and personal assistants. 97% of mobile users are already using AI-powered voice assistants.

Voice Search And Social Listening

Speaking of voice search and social listening (no pun intended) Alexa, Siri and Google Voice are already household names. “Conversational Marketing” is a new facet of customer service. 82% of consumers now want immediate responses. Drift has become one of the most widely used chatbots for business websites to interact with customers. Chatbots and Voice Assistants are changing the face of customer service on the digital platform. David Cancel, the founder, and CEO of Drift stated that:

“Today’s buyers expect to find what they’re looking for now, not later. As we prepare for the future, it will be more important than ever for businesses to be available across a broad spectrum of channels, and to make sure you’re communicating the way people prefer to communicate.”

Faster engagement and feedback in customer service lead to greater consumer loyalty?

Short Stories and Videos

An exciting way to stay engaged with followers on social media in 2020 is through stories and micro-moments. Short stories are a great way to feature products, events, or links. You can even drive up engagement even further through geotags, tags, and mentions. Short videos are on the rise, as seen on apps like Snapchat and TikTok. These apps allow users to get their 15 seconds of fame.
Personalized User Experiences – Just “for me”

More than ever, consumers are looking for experiences tailored just for them. As a result, this has led to the rise of personalized content. Many brands such as Starbucks have crafted a personalized reward system for their mobile app. They have set it up to feel like a game with collecting “stars” and customers can keep track of purchase history, location, interests, and customized drink preferences.

The personalized user experience is also evident in local SEO. Many internet users are searching for businesses near their location. In the past two years, there has been a 200% surge in search terms that include “near me” or “nearby”.

Private Messaging Apps

As part of the “just for me” experience, social messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp have been on the rise. These apps are helpful for responding to customers quickly. Facebook Messanger has been used by businesses to provide support and assistance, deliver information, and cultivate contacts.

Company Transparency

In the age of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter, it is more important than ever for companies to be transparent to customers on their business. Here are a few ways that you can provide transparency to your customers:

• If customers raise concerns or questions, respond immediately
• Create a space that encourages customers to offer suggestions
• Emphasize that selling isn’t your only goal, and let them know your company’s core values

Online Communities and Groups

The internet has given rise to several online communities and these groups are places where users can discuss a variety of interests and topics such as gaming, television, or home improvement. Users trust other people who are like them, and that is why they look for feedback and reviews on products and services. Facebook groups and Reddit are a few places where online communities have evolved. Also, these communities can be used for data collecting and market research.

Social Commerce and Shoppable Posts and a Checkout Process

Social Media has evolved into another tool – an e-commerce platform. Now, consumers don’t even have to leave a social media platform to make a purchase. They can complete it right in a mobile app. In March of 2019, Instagram rolled out Instagram Checkout, which let users complete their purchase right in the Instagram app.

Visual Search

Along with voice search, visual search has been used in search engines such as Google and Bing. Google even has a “Search by Image” where users can search for something using images. Images optimized for search engines are an integral part of SEO (search engine optimization). Over 600 million visual searches are made on Pinterest each month.

SERP Snippets and Featured Content

With Google’s BERT update from last year, it has had a major impact on the SEO world. According to Google,
“by applying BERT models to both rankings and featured snippets in search, we’re able to do a much better job helping you find useful information. Particularly for longer, more conversational queries, or searches where prepositions like “for” and “to” matter a lot to the meaning, Search will be able to understand the context of the words in your query. You can search in a way that feels natural for you.”

On search engines, we’ve already seen “featured snippets” and featured content. The first listing on search results used to be prime real estate. Now, it has moved onto “featured snippets” which is content that has been chosen by Google to be featured under the search bar.

A Few Takeaways On The Marketing Trends Of 2020

• Consumers want personalized experiences that are tailored to their needs and preferences. Local SEO plays a large role in this experience.
• Are You A Human? Advancements in AI have already taken the world by storm as more users rely on smart devices and chatbots.
• Videos, Livestreams and short stories continue to dominate social media platforms.

Every business has been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis – yours is one of them. The time to take action is now. Try our money-back guarantee marketing plan for your business. We will save or generate the amount that you have spent with us or we’ll refund the difference. If we don’t deliver results, you’ll receive the difference between what you paid and what we’ve generated. Reach out to Faceless Marketing to get started. Call 1-800-357-1299 or shoot us a Message Here.