TRENDS IN DIGITAL MARKETING IN 2020
Email is Getting More Personalized
Email continues to be a major channel of communication, with billions still using it for personal, commercial, industrial, legal, scientific, and academic purposes. In other words, email is here to stay, and email marketing itself continues to be important.
However, email marketing is evolving, and generic marketing emails aren’t as effective as they once were. It is now a combination of automation and, more importantly, personalization that makes email marketing important for 2020.
Interactive Content Will Become Mainstream
Interactive content is anything that people can click on, swipe, or interact with online. According to Outgrow, 93% marketers rate interactive content as highly effective at educating the buyer.
In 2020, more companies will experiment with interactive content types, such as:
- Quizzes and polls
- Augmented reality ads
- 360-degree videos
These formats leverage cutting-edge marketing technology, such as augmented reality and video content, to offer people a more immersive, engaging experience. Nowadays, consumers want this type of memorable, fun content from brands, as it helps them feel more connected to the company.
Voice Interaction Continues Upward
Thanks to Siri, Google, Alexa, and a host of other ‘smart’ devices, verbal interaction with devices is continuing to rise. The real lesson for us is that people like to talk and that is a preferred way of interacting. And now, machines are finally catching up to the way people want to search, shop and discover new things.
However, this presents some interesting challenges. Conducting a voice search, for example, is very different from typing a query, particularly in the results. When a person performs a text-based search, the screen displays the results one page at a time. But when someone asks a device to conduct a search and the device replies verbally, it may only give a few choices at most, and frequently supplies just one choice.
Marketing in Messaging Apps Will Level-Up
Social messaging apps aren’t just for staying in touch with friends and family. Businesses in all industries have taken a significant interest in apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp in recent times, and it’s no surprise when you consider the opportunities:
- 1.3 billion monthly users are active on Facebook Messenger, sending more than 10 billion messages every month.
- WhatsApp has 1.6 billion active users, sending over 55 billion messages every day.
While traditional channels like email and social media are far from dead, there’s no denying that people are more active on instant messaging apps. In the next 5-7 years, messenger marketing is expected to be the number one marketing channel in the world. Therefore, it’s a logical step for brands to start connecting with people on these platforms. Marketing through Facebook Messenger generates 10 to 80 times more engagement than organic posts on the Facebook News Feed.
Messaging apps allow companies to reach a broad audience with short, personalized texts. 63% of online consumers are more likely to return to a company website if it has a live chat option, hammering home the need for companies to take this channel seriously.
In 2020, you can expect to see much more marketing in messaging apps, with many companies, including video and interactive content to engage users.
Omnichannel Marketing is Now Vital
Omnichannel marketing is the practice of marketing across multiple platforms, including email, apps, social media, and your website blog. This approach enables businesses to connect with customers on more digital touchpoints, effectively offering a better user experience.
By delivering a seamless, consistent voice and cohesive brand message across all channels, you can generate much better results. ClickZ reports that omnichannel marketing drives over three times as much engagement than a single-channel approach. Better yet, customer retention, average order value, and purchase frequency are all higher when you have multiple channels.
As AI technology improves, companies can leverage data insights and machine learning to get a better understanding of customer behaviors, and then personalize it at the highest-level. Ultimately, a focus on omnichannel marketing is the road to an enhanced customer journey that keeps people coming back for more