As 2020 comes around, it’s easy to predict that certain devices and strategies will root themselves more firmly in the digital marketing landscape. Video content will continue to flourish. User experience is still expected to be bigger and better. Location based data and marketing will keep raising its game. And storytelling marketing will continue to be used as a nostalgic hook. But where else is digital marketing taking us? How are digital platforms changing? What digital platforms should we be prioritising?
Language is key
Naturally, Google tops our one-to-watch list for 2020, and with Google it’s all about familiar language and understanding search queries. So say hello to BERT: Google’s AI system, which processes words in relation to other words in a sentence, allowing them to consider the full context of a search query. This isn’t new from Google, but it’s becoming more important than ever.
As Google continue to raise their game in answering consumers’ questions with artificial intelligence, marketers also need to understand the way consumers are searching, and the language they use when doing so. We’re expecting the language of marketing to become even more familiar to the consumer, as brands increasingly mirror our natural colloquialisms.
Valuing privacy: more regulatory control and scrutiny
As digital platforms like Facebook face more scrutiny for their use of data, this will have a knock-on effect for the companies that use their services. We’ll see a rise in regulations and in turn an increase in regulatory tech companies, who will work to make sure that tech companies are staying in check. The impact this could have? Data will still be key, but it will come at a cost.
Talking the talk: it’s all about speech
In the last year we have seen the increase of home tech at an incredibly cheap price – Google and Amazon have literally been giving their products away for free. Over 27% of the global population is using voice search on mobile. In 2020, voice search is expected to reach 18% of all search results (Quora Creative).
Social media buying options
The unofficial website rule is that users must be a maximum of three clicks away from what they’re looking for. As far as Instagram is concerned, this is one click too many. For social platforms it’s all about cutting steps out of the buying process. We’re going to see more products sold on social media platforms like Instagram, so other companies will need to keep up with the expectation for a seamless user experience.
Ephemeral content and the practical application of VR and AR
Augmented reality will continue to rise, social media platforms will have more filters, and they’ll become more personalised and location related. On an advanced user level, the personalisation of filters will increase social communities and users will have more control of the personalisation of their own content. We’ll see all tech companies raise their AR and VR game, with Apple will be leading the way with their AR headset. The next decade will also see AR glasses becoming as familiar as a smart phone as Apple plan to release their version in 2023 – we’ll be living in the future before we know it.
Personalisation is key
With consumer expectations only increasing, putting a first name on a letter isn’t going to cut it when it comes to personalisation. However, as customers grow more aware of their data rights, this will also demand a higher level of trust and tastefulness. Targeting will continue to deliver campaigns to the right audience, but this will be most successful if supported by a high level of personalisation.
Social listening: turn up the volume
You see the likes, the hearts, the comments and the DMs, but are you really listening to your audience? Social listening is the core of consumer feedback. Be it positive or negative, the conversations are happening, and brands need to respond both actively and strategically. This level of audience and product analysis is key – the reporting that can come from social media monitoring can transform a brand.
Author: Stella Norris