Digital marketing is going nowhere. Since it’s inception with a basic HTML website in the early days of the internet, it has grown to include email marketing, social media platforms, and local marketing through search results like “near me”
Just like we advanced beyond building your own website from code (
hello, Wavoto!), every year new technology and trends change the best practices for your business and where you should be focusing your time.
With 2020 around the corner, we’re looking at what we expect will continue to rise and you should consider in your new year marketing strategy!
Chat Bots
A chatbot provides pre-programmed outreach and answers to questions that can occur without a person present for your company. They can save you valuable time and money whether used on Facebook or your site!
Similar to a phone directing operator, but more convenient, a chatbot helps streamline your user’s experience and answer their questions without you having to be there! While initially started for customer service they have been growing in sales and marketing, being found in Facebook ads and promoting a weekly newsletter through Facebook Messenger.
Where should you begin with them? I recommend ManyChat Facebook Messenger Chatbot, where you can build your own automation funnel and start building your chatbot list!
Quality Over Quantity Content
Just a handful of years ago blogging (and content marketing as a whole) was all about how much you were publishing, but that’s no longer the case!
The internet is flush with answers, so you can’t just provide answers - you have to provide the best answer.
Rank Fishkin, a leader in Search Engine Optimization, introduced the term “10x Content” which means when you think of publishing a new blog or video you need to make it 10x better than the next piece of content on that subject.
Instead of just posting an answer, take a new look at how it affects people, how they benefit from this answer over others, what other answer’s they may need, and anything else viewers may need to know.
Instead of just posting an article on the best recipe for a chocolate chip cookie, post a blog article with your favorite recipe, the common issues people run across baking cookies, how to bake better cookies from store-bought dough, and alternatives to your recipe for gluten or vegan individuals.
Think of your entire audience and how they will most benefit from what you’re posting. If that means you post once a month instead of every week, the quality content will stand out over the quantity.
Stories Are Taking Off
While SnapChat isn’t a huge resource for business, they did introduce something you might want to take notice of: stories.
Instagram found that ⅓ users have become more interested in a brand or product after seeing it in a story. Additionally, Stories appear at the top of the newsfeed, making it more likely your followers will see your content. And the more they view your stories, the more they’ll see your content in their feed.
Catch your followers first in stories and benefit from, almost, automated views! Even if you’re posting once a week, the views from stories will help boost your other content!
Authenticity Matters
Studies show people are more likely to interact and be loyal to brands that are 100% transparent. We are leaving the decade of perfect image and entering an era of real image.
How can you be authentic and transparent? You don’t have to get rid of photoshop or overshare everything about your product, but you do need to not hide anything!
If you’re posting on social media and took 400 pictures for one post, say that in the caption! If you’re releasing a new product, share its origin and how it’s made. Don’t shy away from honesty, shy away from having to be perfect.
While you may not catch people’s eye with reality, they will appreciate your honesty and transparency in how products are made, what goes into your social profile, and the human aspects of your business.
Community Matters
This is nothing new, it will only continue to be important in 2020. We particularly see the importance of community on platforms like Facebook, where Pages are getting less space in newsfeeds, but Groups are getting more!
Instead of focusing on Likes, look to engage your audience as a whole. Ask them questions to prompt answers in the comments, create a Group that focuses on your community’s challenges and how they can help each other solve them, share your community’s successes in Stories and in your own feed.
Also, consider moving your community off of social networks. That’s right, social m=networks may not be where your community flourishes.
In 2019 we saw Facebook and Instagram go down at least twice. You lost access to your audience and your community lost access to each other. Make sure you can connect in an area you control, like a website forum, monthly Zoom call, or at the very least, via email.
If you haven’t started a community yet, consider starting small with a branded hashtag and ask your community to share their success or product usage on social media using the hashtag!
Email Stays Strong!
Every year we hear email marketing is dying and every year, surprise! It’s still strong! While it doesn’t deliver $41 for $1 invested anymore (it now sits at about $38), email marketing is still a major part of every effective marketing strategy.
While social media has become oversaturated, leading people to actually leave the platform, email marketing remains the one constant in consumer’s lives.
65% of consumers have communicated with organizations in the past year, more than any other digital marketing effort to date! If you have nothing else in your digital marketing, make sure you have a growing email list and a regular newsletter email.
What do you think will be all the rage in 2020? New decade, new trends - let me know in the comments below!