Knowing the right marketing trendscan make all the difference.

That’s one secret to crushing it in marketing this year.

Marketing is more than creating ads.

Marketers engineer experiences that wow and attract audiences - from a seamless content strategythat hits right on customer pain points, to creating offers that excite them, to email strategies that move them along their journey - marketers make it happen.

Every year, customers and their preferences change. New developments and products come to the surface.

So, it makes sense that marketers would need to adapt to these and other factors.

What is Trend | Explained in 2 min

2020 And Beyond

There’s no denying that so far, 2020 has been a rollercoaster of a year.

With COVID-19sweeping across the globe and economies of many countries on pause, all of us are feeling the pressure.

Perhaps you’ve asked yourself one or more of these questions:

• What can I expect this year?
• What new developments could impact my marketing strategy?
• What do I need to watch out for?

Looking at the latest marketing trends will help us answer these questions. It will not only make us become prepared but also to succeed in the coming year.

Let’s take a look at the biggest marketing trends and see how they fit into your 2020 marketing plan.

8 Of The Biggest Marketing Trends In 2020

Here are some marketing trends that are likely to become a huge hit in 2020:

1. AI Will Continue To Grow

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to make all the marketing trends top lists for 2020. Why? Because every month - not just every year - we continue to see new ways that AI impacts our industry.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), it’s predicted that spending on artificial intelligence systems will reach $97.9 billion in 2020 - more than double what was spent in 2019.

Such predictions, along with the strides in AI development that we see around us, make this trend one to watch carefully.

Be alert for the latest technologies and seek ways AI can help your marketing to succeed.

2. SEO Will Evolve

SEO strategyis largely dependent on Google’s algorithms.

As Google tweaks its algorithms, we need to adapt our strategies to keep our rankings strong.

How can we expect SEOto change in 2020?

Looking back to 2019, we saw how Google laid into credit repair and debt services, creating stricter regulations and even banning some ads.

It’s possible Google will restrict other industries and will doubtless make other changes.

This means that we need to remain vigilant, ready to adapt our SEOstrategy to conform to any new rules that Google and other search engines throw at us.

3. Email Is Poised To Change

Email has always been an important part of marketing, but the past couple of years we’ve seen a subtle shift in email companies.

Acquisitions and mergers have become a common occurrence across much of the email industry.

For example, just this past year we’ve seen Validity acquiring Return Path and Mailgun purchasing Mailjet.

Such acquisitions reveal a new air of competition around the email industry.

Competition is sure to breed new ideas and new ways to leverage email in your marketing strategy.

It’s likely that email strategies will grow and evolve as a result of these developments.

As a marketer, you’ll need to keep a close eye on such developments to make sure your strategy stays current.

4. Text Marketing Is On The Rise

This is one of the marketing trends to watch out for. We already have email marketingand social media marketing.

Now what about marketing through text messages?

Artificial intelligence has opened the way for this to become a viable tactic. Well, how does AI and text marketing work?

Through detailed algorithms, AI can predict what messages and formats will appeal most to certain audiences.

Over time, AI can monitor what messages get the most engagement and adapt its predictions to best suit your audience.

Granted, this kind of marketing will need its own, unique approach. And we’ll need time to determine what tactics work best.

It is, nonetheless, an exciting opportunity for brands in 2020.

5. Experiences Valued Over Products

Previously, a brand’s messaging emphasized product description and promotion. But we’ve seen a growing preference, especially among millennials, for experiences over products.

If you have a B2B business, you might hesitate at first, thinking that experience marketing doesn’t fit your businessmodel.

However, there are several experience strategies that work well for B2B businesses.

Seek ways to give your audience a hands-on experience, where the benefits of your product or service can be seen in real-world situations.

You could create a live event or join an industry event where you can interact with your audience. Be creative, but make sure that it fits your brand image.

6. Conversational Marketing Is King

This is one of those marketing trends that should be taken seriously.

With the rise of smart speakers and smartphone tools like Google Assistant, people are speaking a short phrase rather than typing it.

How does this affect your marketing plan?

If your marketing materials aren’t written conversationally, then you could miss out on a large portion of your audience.

As you create contentand adjust your messaging, reflect on how people really speak.

When it comes to titles and content, read it aloud and ask yourself, does this sound natural? Is it clear and easy to read?

Look for ways to adopt conversational tone throughout your strategy, including your email, SEO, social mediaand content strategies.

7. People Want Transparency

Transparency is becoming ever more important.

And with the growing Internet of Things (IoT) around us, if you don’t share something with your audience, they’re bound to find it somewhere else.

It’s best to be upfront with everything, good or bad, from the get-go.

Transparency, which will be a part of the marketing trends in 2020, comes into play in many areas, but let’s look at a couple here:

First: Customer Reviews

People want to see what others think of your products. So, give it to them. Invest the time in case studies and testimonials from your customers.

After a purchase, reach out with a friendly, no-pressure note inviting a customer to write you a review.

Or if you’ve worked with a customer on a complex brand issue, broach the subject of creating a case study together.

Second: Pricing

It’s another key area where you can provide transparency.

If people don’t see a pricing list right off the bat, you risk their assuming that you’re too expensive and going elsewhere.

Perhaps your business model makes this difficult.

Could you provide a few pre-priced services, leaving the option for customers to contact you for pricing on more complicated services?

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8. Mobile Needs To Be A Priority

The use of mobile continues to rise year after year.

The most recent data shows that mobile devices now represent 52 percent of total web traffic. Prioritizing mobile needs is certainly one of the marketing trends that shouldn’t be ignored.

That’s because you could lose out on 52 percent of your audience by not being mobile-ready.

What do you need to do to optimize for mobile?

First, explore your site on a mobile device. Ask yourself these questions:

• Is the content easy to read?
• Are the images clear?
• Is it an overall appealing experience?

If not, go back to the drawing board and improve your mobile experience.

As you create new content, think about how it will appear on mobile. Do test runs on mobile to test out the experience and make any needed adjustments.

This includes anything that your audience will see, such as your:

• blog posts
• videos
• calls to action

Conclusion

We look forward to taking this crazy ride with you and seeing what’s in store for marketing strategies.

What do you think is going to be the biggest trends in marketing this year? Let us know in the comments below.

For the meantime, here’s our bold prediction: marketing trends in 2020 are poised to make this an interesting year.