As we are in the New year, it is an ideal time to make plans in advance, taking into account the marketing trends we will see more in 2020. In this article, we will discuss in more detail some specific trends that should be addressed.

Technology is still advancing at a rapid pace, so of course, some of these trends are focused on technology. However, there is a reaction to the increased digitalization and automation of brand-consumer interactions, as well as the desire to make marketing more human.

Although data-driven marketing was a big trend by 2020, the main focus will now be on people, not technology.

1. The Customer’s Experience

2020 will be the customer’s year. We notice major changes in beliefs about what marketing really is. You will no longer be able to persuade people to buy or work with your company. Instead, the priority has shifted towards providing fantastic customer experiences that will make people come back to you.

The growth of online content has given consumers a greater deal. They are no longer passive when it comes to product education. They are not waiting to tell you how great your products are. Instead, they do their own research.

So you have to offer them more than just information.

Customer experience is already a widespread word in marketing circles, it is more than just a passing trend.
73% of people say that customer experience is an important factor in their purchasing decisions, but currently, only 49% of consumers say today's companies provide a good experience.

What exactly makes a great customer experience? Efficiency, convenience, familiarity, friendly service, and easy payment options are what people value most in their customer experience. Also listed are aspects that are traditionally considered the domain of marketing: modern technology, personalization, easy mobile experience, brand image, and design, all complementing the overall customer experience.

In other words, you need to consider the user experience in every aspect of your marketing strategy.
In fact, as you go through this list, you will see that each trend is really just one factor in the overall user experience.

2. Employee Engagement

If efficient and courteous service is the cornerstone of great customer experience, how will you ensure that you provide it? The answer, of course, is in your employees. The aforementioned research also found that 46% of consumers will leave the brand if its employees are not well-versed, and poor employee attitude is the number one factor that prevents individuals from doing business with a company.

Your employees are the face of your brand, so focusing on employee-customer interactions should be a key part of your marketing strategy.

When you shift the responsibility of creating a good customer center to your employees, you need to make sure that they want your business to succeed, as much as you do.

The key to this is to build a solid foundation of employee trust and take steps to ensure that every employee understands and aligns with your brand mission and values.

You cannot expect your employees to care for their clients if they are not satisfied at work and if they do not believe in the work they do. So, achieving a high level of employee confidence is the first and most important step in improving the customer experience.

3. Visualization

With the explosion of video marketing and voice search in recent years, you'd be forgiven for thinking that "readable" content is more important than visuals and design these days.

In fact, this is not really far from the truth. While advances in voice search certainly affect how we create content now and in the future, visual content should not be neglected.

Research has shown that people prefer visual content than plain text. Just look at the growth of platforms Pinterest and Instagram that are image-oriented, and here's the proof.

Google, Pinterest, Instagram, and several other companies are investing heavily in visual search technology. 62% of millennials say they are more interested in visual search than any other new technology.

Visual content is also easier to remember than written content. Adding visuals, infographics, images, and videos to text not only makes it more interesting and engaging but can also help your message be better absorbed.

4. Personalization

Increased data collection and technology advancements have already had a huge impact on the level of personalization that is possible and on what consumers expect from their interaction with brands.

Today's consumers are inundated with multi-channel marketing messages. Traditional advertising is losing efficiency, so what's the answer? Personalized marketing messages that create a real connection between the brand and the target market.

80% of consumers said they would be more likely to do business with a brand that provides a personalized experience, according to a survey by Epsilon.

Marketing personalization is no longer limited to automatically changing the name of the person you refer to in newsletters. Improvements in technology increased data collection, and insights from social networks and other sources have made it possible to hyper-personalized everything from content, design to product recommendations and everything else.

5. Strategic Marketing Transformation

As you read about the upcoming trends in this article, it's easy to think that the secrets of marketing can be discovered by following best practices and using the latest techniques and technologies.

The business of marketing is becoming more complex. For companies to succeed in 2020, they will need to think outside the box and connect everything to the goal of success in the coming year. Your marketing goals and business goals must be aligned with the overall goals of your business.

The advent of marketing transformation can help companies improve customer service and experience, increase brand awareness and reputation, and ultimately increase revenue and profits.

Businesses realize these benefits by combining data collection, leveraging modern technology, building customer relationships and interacting with customers online, posting quality content, and enhancing their online presence. All of these things are part of a core strategy that affects every department and company employee, not just companies.

Your strategic marketing plan defines goals and determines what marketing tactics you will use to reach clients, including content marketing, SEO, email marketing, social networks, advertising, and offline marketing. Then, a plan is put in place to keep each part of the organization involved in these tactics.

Simply put, a marketing strategy is no longer just the responsibility of the company. Strategic marketing transformation recognizes this and implies that every business activity takes into account the brand, company reputation, customer relationships and customer experience as a whole.

6. SERP Position Zero

SEO will continue to be an important aspect of digital marketing in 2020, but now we see one of the most significant shifts in the SEO industry in the last decade.

With the growth of mobile and voice search, people are changing the way they use search engines like Google.

You have probably noticed that your own search and browsing behavior has changed over the last few years due to Google changes and the fact that you are looking for the fastest information, especially while on the go.

Featured snippets and other information mean you no longer have to click through to the website to get the information you are looking for - it's now on the Google Search Results Page.

This SERP information can appear in various places, but the most sought after position is at the top of the page, before the organic listings. This position is called "zero".

Brands are still trying to find a way to get a zero position because it requires a different SEO technique than the one used for normal SERP listing. If you can be the first in your industry, you will have a huge advantage over your competitors. So expect to see more SEO companies offering this service over the next year, and keep an eye out for the latest best practices for optimizing your content.

7. Voice Search

Voice search shows no signs of slowing down and will continue to have a big impact on how brands create content and market themselves online.

We didn't often predict that by 2020, 50% of the searches would be voice-driven (currently Google estimates it's around 20%), but those statistics are probably not that far off.

Consumers also expect to use voice search more in the near future - 61% of those in the 25-64 age range who already use a voice device intends to use it more in the future, according to a PWC survey.

Voice search brings with it new challenges as well as exciting opportunities.

Even if your brand isn't ready for voice search, it's important that your content is optimized for voice search. Voice search engines use search differently. They use longer, more conversational queries, so tilting your content to serve these queries as well as answering questions directly can help make them more visible for voice searches.

8. Artificial Intelligence-Based Automation - AI

Will 2020 Be the Year of Robot Growth? Maybe (but hopefully not in the terminator style of dystopian sci-fi films!).

We have already seen tremendous progress over the last few years, as well as a large increase in the number of companies using technology and automation to help with their marketing efforts.

AI is one of the main technologies behind voice search and smart assistants. Chatbots are also enabled, which are now appearing on more websites than ever before.

AI technology and automation help get some of the dumbest business out of marketing so that brands can concentrate on strategy and delivering fantastic user experience.

Remember, the human aspect of marketing is still important (perhaps more important than ever), so the idea is to use this technology to enhance your marketing activities, not replace the real people behind them.

Big data, backed by AI technology and predictive analytics, also help brands learn more about their audiences and customers. Enables the hyper-personalization of user experiences and marketing messages on a huge scale.

9. Focus on Customer Retention, Loyalty and Advocacy

The huge part of providing a great customer experience is focusing on retaining existing customers, not just attracting new ones.

Regular customers are more valuable than new customers. Studies have found that attracting a new customer is five times more expensive than retaining an old one, so it is definitely worth the effort to please your customers.

Loyal customers also help to increase the reputation and awareness of your brand as they will discuss your company and products with their friends and family. Lucky customers are great (and free!) Brand ambassadors and influential people.

Many of the trends and technologies mentioned above can be helpful in increasing customer retention rates. For example, personalization is something that your existing customers are sure to expect as well as new ones.

10. Live video

The live video industry is expected to cost more than $ 70 billion by 2021. Live video is incredibly popular with consumers, and people spend three times more time watching live video than watching the pre-recorded video.

Video is also the most popular way for consumers to learn more about new products.

When a live element is added, it makes the video more appealing because the audience feels it can influence the content, not just watch it passively.

Live video is great for grabbing your audience's attention on Facebook or Instagram.

Get Ready for 2020

Now is the time to start planning your 2020 marketing strategy, if you haven't already. Be sure to start the new year with a clear plan for your goals and how you will achieve them.

We can't really call it a trend, but it's clear that digital marketing will continue to dominate in 2020. Most of these trends rely on content in some way. To succeed in them, you will need to have a solid foundation of quality content across all your marketing channels.