It’s been a turbulent year for marketing experts. New technologies, trends, and even platforms have changed the business landscape, and marketers have been forced to race in order to keep up. As the year draws slowly to a close, and a whole new decade approaches, it’s time to look back at the key marketing trends of 2019 to identify which are likely to be relevant as we go into 2020. As consumer demand continues to evolve, and brands are expected to keep up with trends more than ever, here are the essential marketing trends of 2019 and what you can expect from them as we head into the 2020s.
1. AI and Automation
2019 was certainly the year that automation caused a huge impact. Driven by advances in machine learning, automation has had a dramatic effect on the business landscape. When customer service and marketing data analysis can be performed faster, more accurately, and without causing workflow interruptions, things are better for everyone. 2019 is simply the start of automation’s influence on businesses of all sizes.
2. Smart Speakers
Google Hubs and Amazon home speakers are growing ever more popular. Amazon sold an impressive 26.1 million smart speakers in the second quarter of 2019, and that’s been good news for fast-acting marketers. Being able to reach consumers via targeted, personalized advertising strategies that are delivered through home speakers and voice assistant devices has become the next big competitive arena for marketers, and that looks set to be a dominating factor in 2020.
3. Content, content, content
It’s certainly not new, but content marketing remains as influential and critical as ever. Getting seen by the right people is where content excels, and the right type of content in the right place can still boost your SEO, drive your website stats, and even improve your sales figures. With more brands than ever outsourcing their content marketing to digital experts like clickintelligence.co, the world of content marketing is no doubt going to continue playing a vital role in improving online visibility and domain authority for businesses of all sizes and sectors.
4. Micro-Influencers
The social media influencer has seen a turbulent year. For every success of an Instagram or TikTok influencer, there are a thousand stories of brands that trusted the wrong accounts or failed to see a return on their marketing budget. Micro-influencers have been steadily growing in 2019. As a safer and more effective form of influencer marketing, brands are gaining a lot more traction by targeting those influencers with smaller and more personalized social audiences. Expect to see influencer marketing take a hit in general in 2020, but micro and nano-influencers could be the key to stronger online visibility.
These aren’t the only marketing trends of 2019 that had an impact. Voice search is expected to become the standard method for browsing online, and the use of brand storytelling to build brand loyalty continues to be beneficial. However, for brands that want to start planning for 2020 and beyond, these four marketing trends should be the key area of focus. Get your planning done now and the next decade could be the one that makes your business grow beyond your wildest dreams.
