In one important way, digital marketing is the same as it was at the beginning of 2019: It is still a critically important part of any company's marketing strategy. You might even be able to argue that digital marketing is more important now than ever before.
What has changed is the form digital marketing takes. New strategies and technologies mean that businesses need to change their approaches in order to keep up a modern online presence.
Here are a few digital marketing trends you definitely want to use in 2020.
Digital Marketing Trend 1: Shoppable Social Media Posts
Social media marketing works because it allows for the rapid spread of information about your brand. Plus, it meets your target audience right where they are: On social networks.
In 2020, digital marketing will take social media marketing to the next level with shoppable posts. This term refers to posts about products or services that consumers can use to buy that product or service. In many cases, the consumer never even has to leave the social media platform to complete their purchase.
Shoppable posts started with Instagram in 2018. However, there are similar ways to encourage direct-from-channel purchasing among social media networks. For example, tagging your products in your Facebook posts makes it easier for users to buy the products featured in those posts. You can also integrate shoppable elements into your Twitter feed.
Shoppable posts appeal to social media users because they simplify the buying process (and there is nothing impatient, time-strapped shoppers love more than shopping simplicity). They also make it easier for shoppers to indulge impulse buys: There is nothing more than a few clicks standing between them and owning whatever appealing product catches their eye on their social media feed.
Digital Marketing Trend 2: The (Continued) Rise of Video
Video marketing is nothing new. For the past 20 years, it has steadily gained traction as an appealing and effective way to reach consumers. In 2020, however, the ways in which video is used will continue to shift. These shifts will make video more authentic.
For example, Facebook Live videos are increasingly popular. They allow businesses to deliver an unvarnished impression to their followers. They also deliver a more urgent feel. For example, if you promote a new product through Facebook Live, you make it feel more important to buy that product right away, since the video, and the offer, will not last forever.
Video will continue to impress and produce results across all social media. Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Facebook all report improved engagement numbers when video is used. Almost 75 percent of consumers want to learn about products and services through videos. Savvy businesses will make videos part of their digital marketing strategy in 2020, using the latest approaches, such as 360-videos, long-form videos, Facebook Live videos, and more.
Digital Marketing Trend 3: Micro-Focus
Success in digital marketing in 2020 will depend not on big, flashy campaigns and promotions but in the smaller details. In particular, micro-influencers and micro-moments will prevail.
Micro-influencers are those people on social media who have small or medium-sized audiences. While they do not reach the same numbers of people as do the big name influencers, they tend to have a more authentic and trustworthy online presence. They also tend to be more cost-effective to reach, especially for small and medium-sized businesses who would never ping the radars of the big influencers.
Reaching these smaller influencers allows small and medium sized businesses to earn brand recognition and trust among their target audiences. They provide a way to earn the benefits of influencers without the disadvantages.
Micro-moments, on the other hand, are those moments in hich consumers are making snap decisions regarding what to buy. These moments often take place in the context of which movie to watch, restaurant to buy, or shop to patronize.
Digital marketing that can effectively put a business in front of consumers at the moments that they are making these decisions can significantly improve a company's ability to earn business from these consumers. Strategies like retargeting, marketing funnel marketing, and more can all help to put companies in the right place at the right time when it comes to consumer decision making.
These are only three examples of the kinds of digital marketing trends that are taking center stage in 2020. In order to put these trends to good use, and find out more about the changes taking place in digital marketing, you need a reliable digital marketing company. That is where Distinct Web Design comes in. We can take all the latest trends and help you choose which ones will work best for your business. Then we can implement a digital marketing campaign that is up to date and effective for your business, in 2020 and beyond.
