2019 has been a year of new marketing formats and widespread digital marketing implementation, taking the budgets away from traditional media to channel resources into the trendy world of social media. We have seen the rapid rise of interest for everything digital — we have also seen many fail to adapt.
Will 2020 be the year when we finally adapt? I’m looking at major trends set to change digital marketing.
Personalisation
In the survey conducted by Epsilon, 80% of consumers said that they’d be more likely to do business with a brand that provides a personalized experience.
Today’s consumers are flooded with marketing messages from multiple channels to the point where they have started to tune them out. Traditional advertising is losing its effectiveness and the answer to this problem is personalised marketing — messages that forge a real connection between the brand and the target market.
Turning social media into a store
Sure, this has been in a roll-out for a while now, but we are finally seeing more and more brands joining in on the shoppable posts on their social media pages. Whether you use Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, there are now ways for e-commerce stores to create shoppable posts, making it easy for users to shop directly from your post.
This represents a tremendous opportunity for businesses, given that 72% of Instagram users have purchased a product on the app, while 70% of Pinterest users use the platform to find new and interesting products.
Interactive content
Buyers are looking for new experiences when they go online, and for many, that means greater interactivity. A whopping 91% are seeking more visual and interactive content. Interactive content is simply more engaging, leading to more shares, and greater retention on your channels. Users enjoy it more than other content.
Transparency in influencer marketing space
Remember how the rise of influencer marketing brought with it the rise of fake followers? With greater transparency coming to market, we can expect this issue to be (nearly) eliminated. Instagram had just recently released a branded content feature globally, which allows brands to access post insights. This feature will ensure greater transparency for brands that are now able to accurately measure the success of the advertisement.
Additionally, more and more platforms incorporate in-built analytics that gives brands access to key audience insights. This means no more guesswork when it comes to choosing influencer partnerships.
Creators replacing professionals
Social media influencers can already be seen producing content for brands rather than advertising through their own channels. Due to lower costs, online creators are starting to become an attractive option for brands. Most of these creators have built popularity online by producing own content and have professional equipment to do the same for other brands. Influencers are becoming guns for hire when it comes to producing trendy digital content for brands at a fraction of the cost.