What you need to know about how to approach marketing in 2020

Is it really almost 2020? The end of the teens as we know it? Frosted tips and old school Beyonce was really 20 years ago? We get it. We’re in denial too. Times seem to change faster and faster the older we get, and we simply feel like some days, we can’t keep up. Trends are constantly coming and going, and if you aren’t on top of them, you’re missing out on taking advantage of them.

Quite a few trends have been popping up as resources online begin to predict what’s going to become the most popular or rise in the next year. We’ve scoured the deep depths of the marketing web to bring you the top 10 trends we noticed people couldn’t get enough of, and ranked them from 1-15.  

 

#1 ‘Like’ Removal

We’ll start with the biggest update and trend to date that has been a big player in the way we view engagement- likes. With the removal of likes from Instagram (yes, it’s really happening), this is going to mean big game changes for brands. What other platforms might follow? Likes are a basis of counting engagement or how well something was received, and without them, social media influencers and the way they partner with brands will also change. What may end up happening? An influx of paid ads on Instagram, with and without influencers online. 

 

#2 Brand Created Social Media Communities 

The increase in popularity of the groups on Facebook was seen as an opportunity by brands and marketers to create a forum or network for consumers to interact, for consumers to provide feedback, and to bring people together with a common interest.

Buzzfeed has groups, Girl Boss has groups, popular magazine publishing Conde Nast has one. It’s a way to get people to talk to other people over your brand or product, and entice conversation about it, and create a sense of community. Nothing but positives with this trend. 

 

#3 Rise of the “niche platform” 

A niche. We all know it. However, many primarily know it in the context of a “niche blog” or a “niche instagram”. A niche platform on the other hand, has slowly creeped up on us and we’re not even sure if we noticed it was happening.

TikTok for example, its niche is video making. Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are niche platforms for communication. Expect for these to become more and more relevant. Why? Because personalization will be more prominent than ever. 

 

#4 Social Shoppers

These are your social media shoppers. The dedicated “swipe up-ers.” The ones who’s explorer page is primarily retail because, well, that’s primarily what they’re on that social platform to do. In 2019 brands experienced a lot of engagement this way and more and more sales deriving from this source. Reference Pinterest. Not that they were ever lacking in popularity before, but last month when they announced their new Small Business Shop feature, it shone a new light on them.

Not only is this new ecommerce highlight supporting the small business community, it is also allowing for their audience (turned consumer) to have an easier, less stressful shopping experience directly from their platform. No change-of-tab needed.

 

#5 Rise in AR (Augmented Reality) Technology

You probably don’t remember (god forbid we have to remember what we ate for breakfast now a days), but back in 2015 augmented reality was already starting to make an appearance. Disney debuted a new technology that allowed for its coloring book characters to become 3D. Fast forward 4 years, and here we are. Ikea has launched its own application where you can virtually test out the visual aspects of over 2,000 products in your space on your iPad or iPhone camera.

Rayban is also offering an option where you can try on sunglasses through similar product cameras as well. While this is all still fairly new and exciting, there’s plenty of room for growth – growth you can expect, considering the global market for AR technology is estimated to sky rocket 192 billion dollars by 2025. 

 

#6 Influencer Marketing

Influencer Marketing has been on the rise since the beginning of social media conception. It’s cheaper for brands than regular placed ads or marketing, it allows for brands to feel more “real” to consumers through the eyes of a celebrated consumer, and makes it feel more personable too. Inlfuencer marketing is something you can’t go wrong with (unless the influencer you’re promoting isn’t in line with your brand and the guidelines).

What’s interesting is marketers and brands aren’t just working with one or two influencers, but a small network of related influencers, both big and small. According to the stats, 80% of marketers find influencer marketing effective. However, we are interested in seeing how this goes with the development of the disappearance of likes. 

 

#7  Podcasts continue to increase in popularity

Not that this is news to anyone, but people are getting more and more into podcasts. Like, seriously- 22% of americans listen to podcasts each week. So why is this a marketing trend? Lets take into consideration the massive internet presence of barstool sports (we hope some of you are familiar). They have 25 different podcasts, which brought in a whopping $15 million dollars for them last year.

Each podcast promotes a different section of their brand that appeals to their wide consumer base, partnered with active social media platforms on instagram, facebook, and twitter. It’s the perfect example of how podcasts can be used to promote your brand or service, if done right.

 

#8 RIP to organic social media reach 

It’s been on the minds of every marketer lately, and we’re here to confirm- it’s slowly on it’s way out as social media paid advertisements rise. More than 3,000 companies on Facebook said organic reach dropped 42% between May and January 2016. That was 3 years ago, so we can only assume the stats just get work. So in 2020, we would advise to allocate some of your budget to making some bomb paid social media campaigns to increase your reach.

 

#9 Content is King, But it Depends

2019 was the year of content marketing. But as the year progressed, it became evident it was the type of content that works. In 2020, that type of content is being predicted as video content, stories, and quick fed content. Let’s break it down: video content and stories go hand in hand. But the idea here is it’s not just a picture you can like and then forget about, it contains more attention grabbing material. Quick fed content (or ephemeral content) includes stories and videos that are less than 50 seconds. It’s the all consuming question advertisers and marketers are always trying to answer: how can we grab our consumers attention, and for how long are they willing to listen? In 2020, that time frame is only seconds long, so we’re advising to keep that in mind. 

 

#10 Chat bots and Social Media as improved customer service 

It’s no shock to anyone that customer service is moving away from a cellphone call to all online and all on social media. Chatbots, with the rise of AI, are becoming integrated into this. Chatbots allow for increased efficiency when it comes to customer service- they can talk to multiple people at once, surf the web at the same time instead of only being able to answer manually inputted responses, and overall be more helpful for the company. Additionally, social media teams can respond to consumer questions on platforms in real time, in the comments or dm’s, and make consumers still feel like they’re talking to a real employee on the other end without having to pick up a phone. 

 

Seriously, we can’t believe it’s the end of a decade. A whole decade. And let’s just say, what a decade this has been (yes, you know what we’re talking about). From our LBMG team to yours, we hope this year has been a good one to you, and that the year 2020 is prosperous, happy, and filled with exciting new things. We can’t wait to see them.

And as always… drop us a line if you’re ever, like, ‘mmmmmk these guys are the pros, I need their help.’ Ya know?