Great marketing is all about being innovative and creative. That’s how you stay ahead of the game, ahead of all the other marketers vying for the same people’s attention that you are. But staying creative doesn’t mean you need to reinvent the wheel.
Here are eight of your favorite marketing strategies and tools that are getting a new twist in the new year. Read on for our favorite 2020 Marketing Trends.
Eight 2020 Marketing Trends That Put a New Spin on Old Favorites
#1: Hop on the Flywheel
Hubspot’s Flywheel Model really picked up steam at the beginning of 2019, and it’s a game-changer. When you’re looking to shake up your marketing strategy in 2020, this is a good one to consider incorporating.
Hubspot has reframed the marketing funnel we all love, to a more modern flywheel. Here’s what makes it so fly:
- It puts customers at the center of the wheel, rather than at the end of the process.
- It acknowledges that your customers help your business grow.
- It includes three major aspects of your business in the model: customer service, marketing, and sales, and illustrates how they all feed into each other.
#2: Take Things Personally
Personalization is a trend the same way blue jeans or the little black dress are. In other words, it’s a classic and is already a staple, especially for big brands. Personalization only grows in importance each year, as brands are pushed to look for more and more ways to reach new leads and be heard above the noise of all the other marketing their audience sees. For example, personalization is crew is core to companies like Spotify and Netflix, who use it to serve up content targetted to individual users.
Spotify, the original master of personalizing content for its users.
You don’t have to be Spotify to personalize things for your audience in 2020. Here are a few ideas:
- Segment your email lists so you can tailor your email marketing to the reader’s interests.
- Make sure you’re using your contact’s name in the email.
- Automate things like abandoned cart emails and similar product recommendations so that people have an experience more tailored to them.
#3: New E-Commerce Optimization Opportunities
In November 2019 Search Console unveiled product results reporting! This is a big deal because it will show you how your e-commerce products are performing in search and what you can do to improve how you rank. This includes optimization tips like making sure you have a description, product reviews, and other key components.
In other words, 2020 is going to be a huge year for your e-commerce store.
#4: Write Like You’re Talking to Real People
Writing in a way that real people can read and connect with has always been key to good marketing and search engine optimization, but recent changes will make this more crucial than ever in 2020.
Google has unveiled its BERT update, which makes the Google algorithm better able to understand natural human speech, giving your site’s well-written content a better chance to rank higher.
On social, humanizing your brand on social is a crucial way to make sure you’re connecting with people who are inundated with countless other sales posts and ads. A more personal, engaging tone is one great way to do this.
#5: Shop From Your Feed
Instagram shopping and Facebook catalog make promoting your products simpler than ever by letting users shop from their feeds. In 2020, your social media advertising will reach customers more directly and make purchasing that much easier.
An Ulta Beauty Instagram Ad for Laura Mercier lipstick.
#6: Strong Branding Is Even More Crucial
Google is pushing SERP results in a big way. This includes infoboxes, FAQ results, and more content designed to help searchers find the answer they’re looking for directly on the results page. This means, however, that if they found what they need on the search results page they’re not clicking through to your site to become leads.
One way to help your brand overcome this is to make sure your brand is memorable, and your site is well-optimized for branded searches. That way, you’re reaching people you know will want to visit your site.
Your 2020 marketing strategy will need a focus on branding and a strategy to create demand for your brand, specifically.
#7: Privacy, Please
Alright, so calling this one a trend might be making light of something that’s actually a really, really big deal. Facebook has spent years mired in consumer privacy scandals, and CCPA makes consumer privacy a legal matter for some California businesses. So making sure you’re respecting consumer privacy is more than a trend, it’s a MUST.
#8: Open the Pod Bay Doors… for Smarter Chatbots
Chatbots have been a big deal for a few years now, and they’re only continuing to grow in importance moving into 2020. They’re not just a novelty, but a staple on more and more websites.
One way to make sure your chatbot is keeping up with the times is to spend some time developing a knowledge base for your bot, so it can talk to people in a way that feels more like an authentic conversation, and less like a script. (Having a real person manning it is also key to this.)
New year, new you, new marketing strategy. Incorporating these 2020 marketing trends and ideas is a great way to make sure your marketing never feels stale to your audience. Want to brainstorm how you can have a more innovative, impactful year in 2020? Let’s talk strategy.