3 Digital Marketing Trends to Prepare for in 2020

The digital marketing space moves at break-neck speeds. 

Marketing has so many moving parts—SEO, social media, advertising, etc.—that it’s easy to lose sight of what’s coming next. But good marketers know to keep an ear to the ground so they don’t get blindsided by the next big thing. Similarly, agile businesses that take advantage of the latest innovations will have an edge over their competition.

A few exciting digital marketing trends are already building momentum as we approach 2020, but experts really expect them to hit their stride over the next year. Let’s take a look at three hot trends that will shake up the digital marketing space in 2020.

1. Voice Search

Over 25% of Americans own a smart speaker of some kind and Google Assistant or Siri come standard with just about every new smartphone. Voice search is quick, convenient, and accessible, so it’s no surprise that it’s growing in popularity.

Optimizing content for voice search is a whole different ball game. People don’t speak the same way they type, so marketers have to adjust their SEO strategy if they want more voice searches to hit their content.

Tips for Voice-Searching

• Answer the Question. Many people voice search by asking a question, so marketers should identify which questions their target audience might be asking. Voice-optimized content should incorporate these questions, along with detailed answers.

• Write Conversationally. Voice searches use casual language. Content that flows like a spoken conversation will attract more hits, but marketers shouldn’t disregard proper grammar and spelling.

2. Privacy-Conscious Consumers

With all the data breach headlines in the news lately, people are becoming increasingly worried about their data. According to a recent survey, over 78% of adult internet users are concerned about online privacy and consumers are starting to read privacy policies and ask how their data will be used.

This issue is getting a lot of traction with certain Washington politicians, including some of the 2020 presidential candidates. As the race heats up, data privacy could be in the political spotlight. Consumers are paying attention, so digital marketers should be working extra hard to send the right message.

Tips for Marketers

• Privacy Policy. Savvy customers are actually reading these. Marketers should read them too and make sure they’re up to par with consumer expectations. Include visible privacy policy links on your sites so your customers know you have nothing to hide.

• Data Protection. Businesses of all sizes need to safeguard customer data. Marketers should only store digital customer data in secure locations. All sensitive network traffic should stay behind a firewall and marketers should only store the data they need to minimize their potential liability in the event of a data breach.

3. Social Messaging Apps

Proper utilization of social messaging apps will be key to digital marketing success in 2020. The top three messaging apps have more combined users than Facebook. WhatsApp alone has over 1.6 billion. and Facebook Messenger has 1.3 billion. That’s an incredible amount of traffic that’s just waiting to be engaged.  

Marketing through social messaging will become increasingly important in 2020. Messaging apps directly engage clients, one-on-one, so open rates on chat messages are as much as 12 times higher than traditional email. 

Marketing with Social Messaging

• Groups/Channels. Creating a public channel gives customers a way to interact directly with your brand. Public channels are great places to post promotions and announcements, but they can also become communities where your customers come to connect and socialize.

• Customer Service. At the very least, marketers should maintain a social messaging account for customer service and other direct communications. Customers appreciate the convenience of direct messaging and a recent survey revealed that 50% of people say they’d be willing to buy from a company that uses messaging apps to communicate.

Digital Marketing Outlook for 2020

Things are looking bright for digital marketers. 2019 marked the first year that digital ad spending topped the total spend on traditional ads, so there are more opportunities for digital marketers than ever before. 

2020 should be another great year for the industry, but that doesn’t mean marketers can afford to get complacent. This fast-moving field is known for rapid changes and businesses need to follow the trends if they want to succeed.