Marketing is all about your target audience - who you are trying to sell your product or service to. It's vital to bringing customers in, and making sure they come back. As a business, you want to continue that flow, as you grow and innovate the products or services you are offering.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is used to reach customers on major platforms where they're typically hanging out, such as social media, websites and mobile apps. Facebook and Twitter have been front runners of online marketing for years, but 2020 has had an increase in up and coming apps that have been dominating the market. Platforms such as Tik Tok and Twitch have become increasingly popular for the young crowd of users, creating a more personal interactive approach to marketing.
While these platforms are expanding, other brands need to keep up with digital trends in order to keep their target audience's attention. Let's look at some of the top digital marketing trends rising in 2020.
Shoppable Posts
We saw shoppable posts on Instagram take off in 2019, and there's no signs of it stopping in 2020. It allows users to buy products directly through feed posts or stories, and has been a huge development for ecommerce stores. We normally put effort into looking for a product we’re interested in such as reading reviews and ratings. With shoppable posts, users are shown the exact product name and style, and can easily access other products sold through that account. This has allowed brands to turn their Instagram accounts into visual stores, creating an impulse buy effect on their followers. Shoppable posts have been effective on Pinterest as well, and will continue in popularity and growth this year.
Voice Search
Voice activated search has been increasingly popular with the development of smart speakers like Alexa and Google Home. We saw voice activated searching rise with the invention of Siri for iPhone, and now it's one of the most common search tools used worldwide. When we search something on Google, we often don't look past the first page, because we’re more likely to click on one of the first two or three links.
Similarly, people are usually satisfied with the first result they hear when voice searching, narrowing down options even more. Brands may be wondering how to stay on top with this "screenless searching”, which means they have to steer from the typical keyword search, and incorporate more natural language patterns. Making your content more relatable to what a customer would voice search gives your brand a better chance to pop up as a recommendation.
Personalization
Customers want to be heard in 2020. While voice searches and shoppable posts have created more one-click buys and decreased the time customers spend researching products, there are still many who like to develop more information on a product before they buy it.
Brands are using direct messaging to get more personal with their customer service, building stronger connections with their customers. One of the most popular forms of direct messaging is with Chatbots. Many brands use Chatbot technology for assisting in sales and answering customers promptly. The popular car service Lyft has had success with Chatbot, allowing users to request a ride, and Chatbot responding with the location and information of their driver. Customers can get fast and easy assistance with direct messaging systems and are more likely to commit to brand loyalty.
Video Marketing
Video marketing is very popular among consumers and has become a major marketing trend over the years. We’re seeing more use of live video, and customers are more apt to click and watch a live feed to listen to as it can be engaging and grab the attention of its viewers. Video marketing has become a great way for customers to learn about new products, and provides a more personal experience to see someone reviewing a product.
We know YouTube has been the hub of video content for years, but now, more social media apps such as Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook have come up with the concept of “My story” which keeps your post up for 24 hours, enticing viewers to open before it disappears. Users can add links to increase traffic to webpages and mention brand names allowing marketers the opportunity to increase brand awareness.
Interactive Content
Much like live video, interactive content allows users to engage creating an immersive experience. Brands can post quizzes and polls 360-degree videos, giving them a better idea of what their target audience is looking for in a product or service. Interactive content is more exciting to the consumer, and more likely to draw their attention than traditional text-based content.
ImageWorks, LLC | CT Digital Marketing
Does your business need help with developing an effective marketing strategy for 2020? Our professional copywriters blend sales-motivating copy with search engine optimized (SEO) keywords and phrases to ensure your website will be found on the web — and then motivate your customers to take action. Our team takes pride in driving all of our client's campaigns to their highest potential allowing them to leave a dominant digital footprint.
Keeping up with trends in digital marketing can be exhausting, especially when you've got a company to run. That's why our team at ImageWorks stays up to date with the latest advancements in the marketing industry. Let us focus on turning your website into a lead generation machine so you can focus on your business!
