To remain in the catbird seat: what digital marketing be like in 2020

SMM: more stories, AR and UGC

Reports on Instagram are becoming the main channel of communication for brands — coverage in the feed is falling, while the number of views in stories is reaching 500 million people. This is why today it is enough to publish posts in a day, while 5-7 stories should be uploaded daily to maintain the subscribers’ interest.

Augmented and virtual reality are more mastered by marketers as an effective tool to attract consumers. VR glasses to visualise a future flat, apps for try clothes and furniture on at your home on, animated masks and filters on social media — all this works to boost interest, consumer activity and sales. The audience’s interest when using AR and VR technologies augments tens of times: moreover, the consumer remembers information better and wants to repeat the positive experience. What’s more, AR breaks barriers that are often on the way to online shopping: no chance of seeing a commodity in its real size, walk through one’s future flat and so on. This helps to accelerate the decision-making about a purchase and create a strong emotional connection with the brand.

The audience’s interest when using AR and VR technologies augments tens of times: moreover, the consumer remembers information better and wants to repeat the positive experience

UGC publications have also become a tool of influence for millennials: people trust their friends’ opinion 90% more than brands. UGC can have any format from comments on an account to video reviews on YouTube. The most important thing is that your product or the name of the brand is mentioned positively. Such an approach looks sincere, which inspires consumers’ greater trust in the company and helps expand the audience of potential clients. UGC has a positive influence on SEO as well: publications about a product boost traffic, which improves the account and the company’s website’s ranking.

2020 is the time to take a closer look and create an account on Tik Tok: the earlier you do this, the cheaper subscribers will cost you. Many bloggers have already shifted to this site because today it is not only poaching the young audience but also finds imitators on IGTV. This means that one should take a closer look at the format of short videos with music that make one get hooked on.

Purchases via Instagram is a pleasant bonus of social media. We already can pay for a good or service on Vk.com with VK Pay and are waiting for the function of Instagram to appear in Russia. The beta version of Checkout app, which is tested with the world’s biggest 20 brands today, was already released in March. At the moment Instagram is charging a fee from the sellers for purchases, but if it increases sales volumes, the fee won’t stop big brands and bloggers from working with this tool.

2020 is the time to take a closer look and create an account on Tik Tok: the earlier you do this, the cheaper subscribers will cost you. Many bloggers have already moved to this site because today it is not only pouching the young audience but also finds imitators on IGTV

Websites: unique illustrations, 360-degree video, chatbots and blockchain technologies

Illustrations in web design have been a sign of good manners for the second year in a row. But we are already fed up with painted people with Shutterstock: in 2020, brands must create their unique copyrighted illustrations for content. More liveliness, more originality is the key visual trend of the new year.

Voice assistants and chatbots are becoming smarter and more sought-after: almost all big brands are already using chatbots in their own today. But they are doing it wrong. Chatbots perform well in impulsive sales for not big sums, but they aren’t suitable for chatting with irritated clients. In the new year, this tool of communication must be realised and redefined because the interaction with voice assistants is turning into a separate field of marketing.

Video content this year is leading in terms of coverage and actively developing: a lively and honest video without filters will be the trend of the new year. This can be:

• personalised video address — a record of the screen with voice-activated explanation;
• video of SEO that is found in search of certain hashtags and keywords;
• 360-degree video is the most engaging format for those who have something to show: a stage, a hall and inner workings.

Blockchain technology in media advertising is also due to be launched in 2020. It is unique possibilities for verifying any data, which will add transparency to companies’ operation and confidence of the brand and consumer in each other. Firms will certainly know if the target audience watches their advertisement because now they have to trust the data from Yandex, Google, Vk.com and Instagram. They will be able to regulate the frequency of ad impressions to the user, which can save the company’s budget. While clients, in turn, will be able to verify the authenticity of a product, know more about the brand and track the origin and the way of the good from the factory to the purchaser. All this will significantly boost the interest and trust of consumers in the brand.

Blockchain technology in media advertising is also due to be launched in 2020. It is unique possibilities for verifying any data, which will add transparency to companies’ operation and confidence of the brand and consumer in each other

Content marketing continues keeping the position of one of the best tools for B2B and services: it is 62% cheaper than the traditional one and provides three times more potential clients. Also, consumer content easily bypasses ad blockers and increases the conversion level 6 times. While companies with a corporate blog get by 126% of growth more than those who don’t have it. I advise not to discard it.

Communications: omnichannel marketing, artificial intelligence and development of personal brand

Omnichannel marketing will be vital in 2020. The attention is focused on the consumer, constant and consecutive engagement in any place and on any device — this is a flawless strategy to get warm clients, long-term relations and regular profit. It is a constant dialogue of the brand and the consumer, which can begin on one device and continue at another point of the contact. If messages are personalised and logical, the consumer will come to the shop faster and with a greater desire: brands using this strategy of interaction in several channels of communications are already receiving 18,96% of engagement against 5,4% now. Moreover, clients are ready to pay 13% more for a product. And such consumers often come back to your company again and again. Artificial intelligence actively develops, and many even give names to their future AI systems: Sberbank, for instance, has already announced the news about Christofari supercomputer. AI-based programmatic solutions are available for us at the moment in advertising and marketing. There are some questions for the quality of traffic, but technologies already allow finding the necessary target audience. However, media ad in Yandex and Google as an analogue of the programmatic solution is clearer and more available at the moment.

Artificial intelligence actively develops, and many even give names to their future AI systems: Sberbank, for instance, has already announced the news about Christofari supercomputer

But what certainly needs attention to be paid is the development of a personal brand of the manager to promote the company’s services. “Humans buy from humans” is the tendency of the modern market. The companies in which communication is established through the manager’s personal brand has higher sales. Many executives have already understood it and begun to massively write texts, shoot videos, promote themselves and services of their company. Moreover, it is important to not only talk about yourself but also your team, acquaint your consumers with it. Because everybody wants to cooperate with the coolest specialists.

Summary

Marketing in 2020 will be full of new tools: development of digital technologies will provide a big site for experiments and allow improving interaction with consumers qualitatively. To be one step ahead of your opponents, it is necessary to master them and learn to introduce them into your marketing strategy right now. Then you can reach a qualitatively new level of development and be famous as a company that is interesting for the consumer and deserves trust.