by Sharon Jones
The landscape of digital marketing is constantly changing and transforming meaning marketers need to keep a close watch on what is changing and how it could benefit or adversely affect their brand. In just ten years, there has been the emergence of digital and targeted advertising, the boom in smartphones, and the vast increase in personalized advertising that seems to be a hit according to statistics. Standing at the threshold of a new decade it's worth looking around and taking note of some of the present innovations the are likely to be the next big thing. I hope you’ve got your ticket, the train is about to leave the station.
Social Media
In the twenty-tens social media, in particular Facebook, went from being a platform for socializing to one for marketing. Analytics technology allowed brands to target potentiometer customers with laser-guided accuracy with some impressive results. This landscape however is set to change. Facebook is quickly losing popularity, especially with young people who seem to prefer the visual appeal of other sites like Instagram and Tik-Tok. Brands and marketers are following suit and are developing multi-platform marketing campaigns to reach the most relevant audiences.
Personalization
Through a variety of successful digital marketing campaigns certain brands have shown that personalization definitely works when it comes to advertising. A campaign created by Cadbury’s using confectionery industry statistics generated a 65% click-through rate and a 33.6% conversion rate with a personalized video campaign matching a Dairy Milk flavor with users based on their Facebook data: age, interests, and location. Starbucks and EasyJet have run similar campaigns with comparable results. If you want to stand-out in 2020, you need to get personal.
Chatbots
According to a Gartner survey 85% of customer service interactions will be handled by a chatbot in 2020. Chatbots are a form of AI that can be deployed in any industry online, from banking to delivery services. When visitors arrive on a site a helpful chatbot will pop up to and say hello and offer you any assistance. So far, they seem to be popular with companies and consumers alike. They cut down on staff costs eliminating the need for someone to continuously monitor the website, and customers can enjoy an efficient unbiased interface. With both customers and businesses seeing the clear advantages of chatbots this is one fastest-growing digital trends of 2020.
Video
It started with written words on the internet - blogging. Then along came vlogging - video is fast becoming indispensable to businesses and brands online as an effective marketing tool. When it comes to selling products and services online or building your brand written content simply cannot compete with video. 3.5 billion smartphone users worldwide are watching and sharing more videos than ever before. Video is easily accessible and highly engaging, live streaming is brilliant for digital marketing and brand building, and it's perfect for influencer marketing. If you’re a business or a brand operating in 2020 this is one gravy-train you don’t want to miss.
