2020 is the year that the facade of perfectly polished marketing crashes and burns. Too many people have been burned by influencers faking it with perfect photoshoots, and consumers are desperate for authenticity.
As consumers get hungry for REAL answers, they will be looking for context outside of keynotes. They’re looking for signs of congruency – proof that their favorite people on platforms are actually walking the walk.
In 2020, the marketer who provides all-access, behind the scenes, contextual marketing wins.
It’s the year of humanized marketing.
Here Are My Marketing Predictions for 2020:
- Tik. Tok. The clock is ticking. TikTok is a rare platform that shows more dimensions and allows audiences to fall in love with your creative, unpolished, impromptu, or UCG content.
- Go live. Anywhere. Showcase the chaos of getting ready for an event with 3 kids when your baby has the flu and your last clean outfit was *cough* messed up.
- Record your podcast in real life scenarios. Allow your audience to FEEL your life and surroundings through the audio.
- Drop Photoshop. So you have a scar on your eyebrow? The holiday eating magically added an extra 15 pounds on your photos? Let it be. Let them see.
- Video tells all. Consumers are looking for contextual clues in your video marketing. They want more than a perfect set and script. They want to see who you are. Give them more to work with.
- Tell the truth. So 2019 was a hard year? Tell them. And don’t just brush it off with the usual ‘Oh man, it was a challenging year!’ Tell them what went wrong. Tell them how your heart broke. Tell them about the night when you almost quit. Tell them about the mistakes that nearly destroyed you. Just tell them the truth.
– Rachel Pedersen. If you want to learn more about the courses and services I offer, please go to my website: www.rachelpedersen.com
Can Siri Help Your Customers Find You in 2020?
Any business wanting to get ahead this year should consider how accessible their marketing material is. Can screen readers and chat bots interpret your website, blogs, videos, podcasts? If your ideal client asked Siri for exactly what you offer, would they find you?
In addition to catering for disabilities, this focus on accessibility will ensure that people can consume your marketing in the way they want (and try) to. Voice search is still on the rise, and it won’t be long before people are ‘reading’ your website by chatting with a bot – and maybe not even yours!
So 2020 is the time to hire an accessibility expert. I know, it’s not the sexiest piece of advice, but paying attention to ‘the semantic web’ NOW will get you ahead of the curve.
Accessibility is no longer about ‘inclusivity’. It is for everyone.
– Georgia Mountford, GEMO Creative – www.gemocreative.com
How to Get the Marketing Edge in 2020
Having a good offer isn’t enough. The amount of competition out there in the digital marketing world is intense. In order to get the edge and really stand out in the market, small business owners need to really dial in on WHO they’re marketing to. They have to study their target audiences so they know not only how to serve them well, but how to communicate the ability of their offers to meet a need the audience has.
– Christa Nichols, Christa Nichols Messaging, www.christanicholsmessaging.com
The 2020 Blue Ocean Opportunity
Pinterest is one of the hottest platforms to advertise and promote a product or brand organically in 2020. According to Pinterest reports, 97% of the top searches are unbranded, and 68% of Pinterest users discovered new brands while using it. Pinterest is not a social media platform but a visual search engine in which people come to dream, discover, plan, and make a purchase.
– Tereza Toledo, Tereza Toledo Social, www.terezatoledo.com
Facebook Ads Aren’t Going Away in 2020
You have an offer for your audience, but without a large following, your business needs to consider growing from a cold audience. Facebook Ads are still one of the best ways to increase your brand awareness, grow your following and generate revenue. When done with proper strategic implementation, your business can take advantage of growing an audience and selling your products and services without breaking the bank in ad spend.
– Kelly Sturtevant, Blue Page Social Inc, www.bluepagesocial.com
If You Aren’t Visible Yet, 2020 Is the Time to Get Visible
As a business owner, you need to be visible on Social Media. Find out where your customer is on Social Media and speak to them every day. If you are bold, do live videos. Not so bold, write blogs, posts, or produce engaging content for your customer. If your customer likes, knows, and trusts you, they will buy from you. This tactic seems so simple, yet it is overlooked by many business owners. If your business is already utilizing Social Media, I am advising all my clients to lean hard into “Stories” as a way to uber engage with their customers while having fun with them.
– Megan Flanagan 609 Media, www.609media.com
2020 Is the Year to Get Clear on Your Customer Avatar
Marketing trends are always changing but one thing is constant and that is; social media is always focusing on building relationships with your followers/audience! As a business owner, being active on social media helps, but it is not enough. In order for your agency to get fresh, qualified leads (and those dream clients!) you need to be able to market to your ideal client.
You need to work on WHO you’re actually marketing to.
Knowing your audience equals engagement! Content builds relationships, relationships build trust, with trust comes sales. Share value in facebook groups and genuinely be helpful… it’s not all about promoting your services or products. Promote you and your brand: what do you stand for, and what are your values?
– Kim Cullen, Designed To Network – www.designedtonetwork.co.uk
Reply to Every Comment in 2020
Creating great content that attracts your client or customer is so important. But one thing I see lacking is the customer takes the time to leave a comment, but there is no acknowledgment or response from the business. This silence suggests to that customer – and any potential customers who may be observing – that you are either not monitoring your social channels or that customer service is not a priority for you.
Be sure to acknowledge and provide a heartfelt response to every comment. Bonus if you can pose an engaging question so that they respond again! Your response not only helps your customer, validates your customer, and demonstrates that you care about them, but it helps your post get in front of more viewers – and that visibility is vital for your brand awareness.
– Crissy Conner, The Visibility Queen – https://thevisibilityqueen.com/
2020 Is the Year of Conversation
Marketing will always be about creating relationships and 2020 is no different. Social media of the next decade is going to be all about interactive and personalized content!
From Instagram Stories to messenger chatbots, people want to be a part of the conversation. Interactive content personalizes the story and creates relationships that drive sales.
– Mary Pendleton, Mary Pendleton Social, Marypendletonsocial.com
Consistency Is King – STILL
In the space I am in (social media marketing), trends can change on the daily, but some things remain key, and one such thing I think that is often overlooked is one of the most simple things… CONSISTENCY! New opportunities and networks pop up all the time, but if you don’t come up with a game plan that allows you to be consistent at whatever it is that you are doing, you’re quickly setting yourself up for overwhelm which never leads anywhere good. The framework for any small business owner as it relates to social media marketing is a strong content baseline that needs to be planned out and researched in advance. Creating a content marketing plan not only alleviates dodgy ‘in the moment’ messy content, but it frees you up to create real, VALUABLE, in-the-moment content that your audience will eat up. So… my advice… stick to a plan, and avoid jumping on every single new trend that you see.
– Brittany Hardy, Empty Desk Solutions, https://emptydesksolutions.ca
Go Digital With Your Advertising in 2020
Your potential clients are all online, waiting for you to find them. Fully developed, organic and paid marketing strategy is crucial for your business. Facebook and Instagram ads allow you to target your ideal clients. Facebook is still one of the cheapest and most accurate marketing platform used by successful businesses today.
Here are some facts for each platform:
Facebook – 2.37 billion monthly active users
Instagram – 1 billion monthly active users
Tiktok – 1 billion monthly active users
LinkedIn – 303 million active monthly users
Keep your edge, discover what the online marketing world can do for your business.
– Marta Dvorakova, Marta Dvorakova – Digital Marketing & Social Media Management, www.martadvorakova.ca
Online Marketing Is Flexible in 2020
We are entering a brand new decade, which means marketing trends will continue to develop. For business owners, it is important – now more than ever – to stay FLEXIBLE in your marketing strategy. We live in an everchanging digital climate that allows for new opportunities to form and develop in an instant. With flexibility, we are able to stay abreast of the latest trends without sacrificing a solid (planned ahead) marketing strategy.
– Mallory Majcher, MK Digital Co, www.mkdigitalco.com
Get Real With Your Content in 2020
In 2020, business owners and brands need to focus on being authentic on social media. Social media users are seeking authenticity in content rather than polished professionally edited content. Business owners need to keep this in mind as they move forward with content creation in 2020 by focusing on creating raw content that doesn’t feel polished. People want to know the people behind the brands they shop with – create content that shows them behind the scenes and let’s them get to know you and your team.
– Gabrielle Crumley, Gabrielle Crumley Marketing, gabriellecrumley.com
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