Whether you’re a small business, a solo entrepreneur, or you’ve just started thinking about starting a business to make a living on your own terms – it’s worth considering the landscape of digital marketing in 2020. Since the beginning of the 2010s and the boom in smartphone devices, digital marketing has taken off – everything from content marketing and targeted advertising to influencers and video marketing. Looking back it seems like the 2010s had it all but thinking in that way could mean we miss the next big thing. We now stand at the threshold of a new decade and if we look around there are obvious signs of new practices emerging that can inflate your small business revenue going forward.
Video Marketing
3.5 billion people in the world are using smartphones on a daily basis. It presents new challenges and new opportunities to marketers and businesses. While the 2010s was all about text-based content to drive traffic to websites the 2020s is all about video. Video is easy to access, enjoyable to consume, and simple to share. According to some statistics, 70% of smartphone users say they have shared a brand’s video, and 72% of businesses say that using video has increased their conversion rates. 52% of consumers have reported that watching brand videos has given them more confidence in the brand and increased their likelihood of purchasing. These global statistics, and others, such as the Top countries for Beer Consumption can be accessed through the statistical search engine Nationmaster.
Chat bots
If you haven’t met a chat bot before you’re sure to meet one in 2020 and beyond. Chat bot software is installed on websites and interacts with visitors helping them to navigate the site or offer advice. It’s hugely beneficial to companies wishing to cut back on the costs of hiring someone to monitor the site and communicate with customers. So far, customers are responding positively to chatbots: they are personable and unbiased, allowing customers to make fast, informed decisions or find answers to queries without needing to send an email. It’s 2020 and the chat bot train is just about to leave the station – don’t miss your chance to get on board.
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 potential customers with laser-guided accuracy and 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.
Personalized Content
Content has always been a big winner, but as we’ve seen over the past decade, it has become ever more sophisticated as marketeers compete to offer the best, most engaging content. The effect of this is a change in consumer expectation, which raises the bar for content producers. Increasingly, consumers want ads that are in-depth, focused, and highly specialized. They want to see the relevance of ads and content with their individual preferences highlighted. The year 2020 will be a starting point for content that is bite-sized and laser-guided.
