As every year, our marketing department also looks ahead to 2020. After all, in the rapidly changing online marketing landscape, it is important not to lag behind, but rather to respond to all online marketing trends and developments. Do you want to stay ahead of your competitors? Then go through the following online marketing trends carefully in order not to miss any opportunities. Because this is how we see 2020: as promising and promising. 2019 has already been an eventful and fascinating SEO year, but we expect even more from 2020. How it all works? We are happy to explain it to you.
Chat boxes are in power
Chat boxes: you can't really ignore them any more. While surfing, a chat window is popping up more and more in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen asking whether you can be helped. While you may have to wait until the next working day to fill in an e-mail form (if you're lucky), you can count on an immediate response from a chat box. Some chat rooms are even available 24/7, which means that you will receive an answer to your question very quickly.
So there is plenty of benefit for visitors, but chat boxes are also very useful for companies. Chat boxes can be used to collect useful information, such as contact details, which can later be used in marketing campaigns. The most advanced chat boxes already have a preset menu that guides visitors to the answer. Some can even make product recommendations, bringing visitors ever closer to the final conversion. The potential is huge and we will see that especially in 2020.
It is about the experience
Imagine this: you finally arrive at your destination after a gruelling journey. You plop down on your bed and notice a fruit basket on the bedside table. On top of it is a personal note addressed to you: very nice! This personal touch immediately makes you feel at home, because it's little things like that that make the difference. In 2020, online marketers will increasingly use that personal touch to reach people.
So get ready for even more personalised content and product recommendations that are geared towards the individual. Where will that lead? To approximately 20% more online sales. Incidentally, it is not only online marketers who prefer a personal approach. Consumers, too, prefer information that is specifically addressed to them rather than impersonal messages, even if we are talking about advertisements.
AVG
The importance of privacy reached its peak in 2019 via the much-discussed European privacy law AVG. Suddenly, consent has to be asked for everywhere and sometimes we even seem to be drifting a bit together. Nevertheless, the aim is extremely noble and, as online marketers, we can only praise it. After all, the purpose of the law is that companies take technical and organisational measures at all times to protect the privacy of all people involved as much as possible. And ultimately, we all benefit from this. But what does it mean for online marketing in 2020?
Privacy first
Asking for personal information is no longer allowed, provided it is necessary for certain reasons. Is it a threat to online marketing? Let's just say it doesn't exactly work to the advantage of the shrewd marketers among us. Yet you should also see opportunities when it comes to the privacy issue. Because what was introduced in 2019 will become the norm in 2020: privacy first. We will all have to be even more transparent. What does that mean in practice? Less pushing and more listening.
Fortunately, that change already took place a few years ago in the form of content marketing (more on that later), so essentially, we need to continue on the same path. You have to be honest about who you are, what you do and what you have to offer. This is the only way to ensure that the online consumer trusts you. Today, everything we do is under the microscope and consumer rights have never been so well protected. Are you too aggressive online? You will be punished harshly. Don't say we didn't warn you.
Search behaviour changes constantly
You probably do it yourself sometimes: perform a search via voice. Just under a year ago, 20% of global searches were conducted via voice. That percentage may seem a bit high, but at least it shows that voice is increasingly becoming the norm. For example, do you already have a Google Home device or an Amazon Echo in your home? These personal assistants allow you to search by voice and provide the best possible answers. There is no doubt that there is still plenty of room for improvement on these devices, which is precisely why there are new opportunities in 2020. Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a crucial role here.
With the integration of AI, the devices have to deal with a learning process that never stops. The more voice searches are performed, the better the answers become. Each question is learned from and this in turn gives the devices a sort of robotic function. Since there is a learning process, it can also happen that your device cannot provide an answer about a new and unknown topic 6 or 7 times, but on the 8th time you suddenly get an answer.
The way of searching evolves
The fact that we could carry out searches using our voice would have been inconceivable to most people ten years ago. This also means that we search in a completely different way. While we prefer to be as concise as possible while typing (2 or 3 keywords), searching by voice actually takes much less time and energy. After all, you no longer have to type on a small screen, but can let your voice do all the work for you. As a result, search queries immediately become much longer and online marketers will have to take this into account. What does this mean in practice? That long tail keywords will prevail over short tail keywords that consist of one or a few words.
Social media are full of opportunities
Whereas content was mainly textual not so long ago, we are now increasingly focusing on the visual aspect. Photographs and videos are becoming more attractive and therefore attract more attention. Logical, of course, because most people are stimulated visually rather than by pieces of text. If you take a look at your social media pages and scroll through your timelines, you will soon notice that a colourful image often manages to attract attention.
Next year, the vast majority of social media content will consist of videos. A good example of this is the explosive growth in the number of vloggers. Initially, this was mainly reserved for private individuals, but in 2019, we will see more and more companies taking part in vlogging. And don't blame them. While we are constantly nagging companies to give themselves an online face and be transparent, vlogging is considered the best way to do so.
Live streaming
A related development is the rise of live streaming. Live videos can be broadcast on social media like Facebook or Instagram. The videos work like magnets, because online users are always triggered by the 'live element'. We get it, because while you can manipulate all sorts of things with an edited video, live streaming keeps it nice and raw and real. What can you use live videos for? To get people to register for a particular event, to redirect viewers to an external link or to hold a regular weekly Q&A session.
Facebook Messenger
Messenger offers plenty of opportunities within Facebook. With around 1.3 billion people using the platform every month, you can imagine what the potential is. Some of the companies which use the possibilities of Messenger well are Nike and KLM. Through their integrated implementations, the visitor is presented with a choice menu before being contacted. Very handy if you have a question about your KLM flight.
Mobile conversion even more important
No, we're not going to repeat the same old thing by saying your website needs to be mobile friendly. You should know that by now. However, one aspect of mobile usage is becoming increasingly important and that is conversion. Chances are, you regularly make purchases via your smartphone, just like making reservations, filling out forms and making payments. While a few years ago, we were a bit hesitant to convert on mobile, nowadays it is the most normal thing in the world.
Thanks to mobile apps and optimised sites, things have become safer and easier. For example, forms adapt conveniently to numeric fields when a number is required. And do you accidentally click the wrong button? Then there is a good chance that you can pick up where you left off. This now sounds very self-evident, but just 2 or 3 years ago you could start all over again with the form in many cases.
Speed is always important, also in 2020
We don't have to tell you that a slow website is fatal. In fact, you only have a few seconds to make an impression and if the site has not loaded by then, it is the end of the story. We say just about every year that your website has to be fast. But that doesn't change the fact that in 2020, a fast website or not will make the difference.
The demand for local information is rising
The same applies to local information. More and more websites are asking you to turn on your location, which is a goal in itself: to be able to provide you with targeted information. Local information is also playing an increasingly important role in apps. Being able to easily post photos and reviews makes local businesses make or break. Also, providing complete information, such as a phone number or correct opening hours, ensures that someone is won over and converts. Are you impatient and want to get immediate local results? Then you can also choose to set up local ads for Google Ads. SEO takes time, also locally.
Even more content to come
The amount of content is therefore skyrocketing and it is becoming increasingly difficult to reach your target group. Because why should they be interested in your content? It has all become so massive and abstract. Well, good news - that's where the opportunities lie. How do you make it less massive? Exactly, by keeping it personal. It has to remain intimate and credible. In the case of online marketing, that means actually focusing on content, in the literal sense of the word. It is time to focus your marketing activities on individuals instead of a one-sided target group.
Email marketing in a new guise
Perhaps the greatest challenge is to implement new techniques. One of the activities that lends itself best to this is e-mail marketing. Email newsletters from webshops such as Zalando run like clockwork and that's because they take into account just about everything that modern online marketing stands for. The newsletters are visually appealing, user-friendly on all devices and above all personal. They also form a pivot in the entire online marketing web: from the newsletter to ordering is just a few clicks away. In 2020, e-mail newsletters will have to rely on the interactivity on smartphones. Whereas a few years ago we were already busy enough optimising websites for mobile use, now newsletters have to be mobile-friendly too. By integrating the right techniques you know exactly which products have been viewed often and are interesting for the respective recipient. With a little skill, this leads to click-throughs and conversions. How does that feel? Like an online marketing victory.
Need help?
At The Fully Bookers we are extremely optimistic for next year. Are you too? Then get in touch. Our professionals will help you on your way, also in 2020.
