Not long ago, it used
to be that your business could get away with just a simple website and a few
social media pages to compete in the online marketing space. However, in today's
online environment, it's not enough. The digital marketing world demands
that you always make efforts to get in front of your target audience by
publishing content and digital ad campaigns. It's also essential to stay ahead
of emerging technologies and digital trends as the industry continually evolves
and shifts. Below are five digital marketing trends for 2020 (and beyond) that you
should be aware of:
1.
Facebook
is Not the Kingpin of Social Media Anymore
About 5-10 years ago,
Facebook was the king of social media and held the second position for the most
popular website (just behind Google). It's now been replaced with YouTube. This
doesn't mean that Facebook is no longer a hugely influential and authoritative
site to market on. According to Forbes, 41% of Facebook's users are over the
age of 65, which means the younger audiences have migrated over to Instagram,
Snapchat, and now the emerging new social giant, TikTok. If you're a local
business, advertising on Facebook may make sense if you have an older
demographic you want to get in front of. However, if you need to reach a
younger crowd, consider looking into other social media sites where they spend
most of their time.
2.
Instagram
is Still One of the Top Choices to Reach Younger Audiences
Instagram has already
passed one billion users and is one of the most rapidly growing social media
platforms with a primarily younger crowd (typically under 30). However, one change
that Instagram recently made was removing the "like" feature on posts
to decrease competitive pressure among people who value popularity. Since
Facebook owns Instagram, most likely, we might see Facebook follow suite. If
you need to get in front of people under 30, Instagram should be considered a
critical component in your marketing plan.
3.
Chatbots
Will Start to Become Ubiquitous in Customer Service
Artificial
Intelligence (AI) will become a dominant factor in about 10-20 years as we’ll
see smarter voice assistants embedded within our environments and robots’
services our stores. Many forms of AI are already here, even though they may
not seem super-human yet. Several companies will start utilizing chatbots to
help with customer service - acting like a virtual "concierge" by
communicating with users and assisting them in completing their
goals.
It is said that 80% of
businesses claim they want to start using chatbots this year. Some of the
benefits are 24-hour service, instant responses to customer queries, and no
need for break, vacation, or overtime pay. Tidio research company from January
2020 found that 43% of consumers prefer to message an online chatbot than talk
to a person when it comes to customer service. With the benefits of chatbots
becoming more cost-effective for business and consumers preferring it over
typical customer support, this is one trend that is here to stay.
4.
Video
Should be Considered a Necessity, Not an Option
The popularity of
video cannot be overstated enough. If your business isn't already utilizing
videos, most likely, your competitors are. Static images and text-based content
can't compete with the multifaceted layers videos can accomplish. More people
are consuming video content than ever before, and they are using their phones
to share the content. Think about these stats from Impact BND:
- 70% of consumers have shared a brand's video
- 52% of consumers claim that watching product videos makes them more confident and guides their online purchasing decisions
- 72% of businesses believe video content has improved their conversion rates
Live streaming video
is also a powerful way to engage your audience by posting live video updates
about your products, services, and brand. Popular video sites like YouTube and
now TikTok are great sites to get started if you're considering video for your
marketing.
5.
Content
Is Still King
For years, it has been
said that content is king, which is more accurate now than ever, with a few
modifications. The changes are coming in sub-niches and nuances in content. You
must provide exactly the right information that users are looking for when they
land on a page on your website. Google released its BERT update in November
2019, which helps the search engine understand the natural language in user
search queries. All this means Google is getting smarter, and companies must
keep this in mind as they develop content that is relevant to the user and good
quality if they want to stay ahead on search engine rankings.
If you need assistance
in improving your website and increasing your online presence, Creative
Programs and Systems are here to help! Our team of staff is locally employed,
in-house, with a dedication to detail. Call CPS, open Monday – Friday, 9 am to
5 pm (810) 224-5252.
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