The rate of technology is evolving in this digitally interconnected world. It is highly fast-paced that businesses who could not keep up will get left behind by those who do.
Even target customers – either consumers or other businesses – are way ahead in terms of knowledge and familiarity with the latest digital marketing trends. They expect the same from the brands they engaged in or do business with.
Now, what Digital Marketing Trends can brands and businesses expect in this breakthrough year of 2020?
If summarized down to its most basic sense, the upcoming Digital Marketing Trends in 2020 can be described in two words – personalization and technology.
It all boils down to giving people what they want, at their most convenient and most preferred time and place – and technology is what you need to make these happen.
1) The Rise and Domination of Artificial Intelligence
People may not have realized now, but Artificial Intelligence (AI) is slowly gaining dominance in many business and industrial applications worldwide, including digital marketing.
These include implementations in various service areas that include Basic communication, Content creation, Email personalization, E-commerce transactions and Product recommendations.
The following facts make this evident:
• In 2019, Harvard Business Review predicted that AI would be the most pervasive feature among new and upcoming software services, products and applications by 2020. Gartner gave the same analysis and prediction a few years earlier.
• As much as 84% of businesses believe that AI will give them a competitive advantage. Up to 75% say they can enter new markets and move into new businesses through AI.
2) Omnichannel Engagements Will Be the Norm
In 2019, Omnichannel was one of the hottest marketing buzzwords. It is now even more relevant in 2020 and is just a few steps from becoming the norm in engaging clients across the whole customer’s buying journey.
• Brands and businesses can now seamlessly engage costumers across multiple omnichannel touchpoints. These include voice channels, social media, mobile applications, emails, blogs, and even physical storefronts.
• Engaging in automated omnichannel marketing generates greater results than single-channel networks. These results include:
– 13.56% higher engagement rates
– 250% higher purchase frequency
– 13% more average order value
– 90% higher customer retention rates
3) Emails Become More Polished and More Interactive
With an ROI of 3,200% in 2019, email marketing remains a viable digital marketing channel in 2020 – but it will evolve into something more polished and more interactive.
• Emails are transforming from being mere plain-text newsletters, into something with an interactive website-like interface, clickable buttons, and impressive visuals
• Email templates will be adapting more UX-centric designs, employing stylized buttons and stunning images as links instead of plain texts.
• These polished designs and interactive interfaces are aimed at impressing, engaging, and improving conversions.
4) Sentiment Analysis and Social Listening Will be Used More Extensively
Brands and businesses are going beyond merely counting the “likes” and “dislikes” on posts, reviews, and comments, but are using machine-learning technologies on getting insights from the gray area in between.
• Data collecting tools and social listening algorithms are being utilized to gather, compile and analyze the user or customer sentiments, reactions, or mentions about their products or services.
• Sentiment analysis is not a new digital marketing tool, but the latest advancements in data-gathering technologies and natural language processing give better and deeper insights that reveal what people are thinking and saying about a brand, product or service.
5) Customer Engagements Will be More Conversational
Customers want to be engaged in a more conversational, one-to-one, and real-time manner at whatever channel or touchpoint they can engage with a brand or a business.
• When they ask a question, as much as 82% of consumers want an immediate reaction or response. They want to get answers to what they are looking for in the now and not later.
• By 2020, as much as 85% of customer service channels will be powered by Chatbots. This instant messaging application that makes use of AI-based technology allows brands and businesses to communicate with potential clients 24×7.
• It is a communication option preferred by 63% of consumers and wanted by 80% of businesses by 2020. It enhances the user experience, generates higher engagement, and fosters greater customer loyalty.
6) Marketing to Generation Z in Their Own Language
A new generation market is coming of age and this group’s purchasing power will dictate marketing trends soon – and they want the engagement to be on their terms.
• Millennials are born between the years 1981 and 1996, while Generation Z’ers came to this world between the years 1997 and 2012. Eager to enter the workforce, this latest consumer group will be comprising 40% of all consumers within the year 2020.
• Engaging Generation Z requires brands and businesses to communicate using stylized content that embodies the concepts and beliefs they value including: Authenticity, Privacy, Diversity and a Sense of Humor.
7) The Continuous Rise of Immersive Technologies and Augmented Reality (AR)
Dynamic brands and businesses are looking for innovative technologies that are aimed at enhancing the consumer experience and increasing sales.
For years, they have been experimenting with Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Immersive technologies. 2020 is the year where these concepts will finally be implemented as a viable digital marketing tool.
• By the year 2022, up to 25% of enterprises will deploy Immersive Technologies, while the other 70% will start to experiment with this engagement tool.
• A lot of excitement is being generated on the use of Augmented Reality (AR), and experts say this technology will soon outpace Virtual Reality in the market.
• With AR technologies continue to improve, more and more brands will soon find an innovative use for this technology as a digital marketing tool.
8) The Emergence of Augmented and Predictive Analytics
Advancements in machine learning, predictive modeling, and data mining sciences are making it possible for brands and businesses to make widespread use of Predictive Analytics and Augmented Analytics to analyze, identify and predict market patterns in the future.
• Natural Language Processing, as well as machine learning, is used by Augmented Analytics to automate the preparation, enablement and sharing of data to make better market predictions and decisions
• By 2020, the analysis and processing of big data collected will be automated by as much as 40%. This will make it easier for brands and businesses to be more productive and make more personalized and better decisions in the future.
9) The Dawn of Neuromarketing
Neuromarketing is a revolutionizing technology that measures and analyzes targeted clients’ brain activity as well as their nervous system in an attempt to identify the types of content they prefer and are more susceptible to engagement.
Although it might sound something coming from a sci-fi film, and may not come into practical application in 2020, studies in neurometrics, complex algorithms and biometrics related to neuromarketing continue to develop – may one day create a huge impact in the future of digital marketing.
The Take Away
2020 is here and is about time to start planning your digital marketing strategy. Personalization and the innovative use of technology are shaping how brands and businesses will connect and engage with targeted customers with what they want, where they want it, and when they want it.
It is quite important to get your brand and business up to speed with the current digital marketing trends to keep your business ahead of the game and your competition.
The trends described above provide an overview of the innovative concepts, technological advances and upcoming stratagems that will shape the digital marketing arena this year and beyond.
Jomer B. Gregorio is a well-rounded expert when it comes digital marketing. Jomer is also known as a semantic SEO evangelist and practitioner. Check out our Digital Marketing Services today and let us help you in achieving positive and profitable results for your business.