The marketing space has evolved and innovated rapidly, and in 2020, businesses need to stay more competitive than ever. This competitive environment has also given birth to new marketing avenues and lucrative opportunities.
Marketers are exploring new avenues for image-building and brand awareness through social media and influencer marketing. Artificial-intelligence applications are taking over the marketing realm through chatbots and data-driven analytics.
In this article, we will walk you through the ten best marketing solutions beyond 2020.
1. Personalization
Personalization is the leading marketing solution for businesses to maintain profitability and relevance in 2020. Consumers are more empowered than ever, and they will not settle for anything less than what they desire. Brands and marketers cannot ignore the preferences of their targeted consumers.
From handling communications and devising marketing initiatives to product development and placement, consumers seek highly personalized experiences.
In 2020, businesses can gain a competitive edge by tuning into the preferences of their consumers. It is ideal to use social media platforms to engage with consumers and understand their requirements.
2. Influencer marketing
In 2020, the trend of influencer marketing has gained new heights, opening an abundance of lucrative avenues for advertising and promotion. Influencers command immense trust and loyalty amongst their fan following, making them excellent candidates for word-of-mouth marketing.
Brands are increasingly collaborating with influencers to introduce new products, sales, and discounts, boost brand awareness, and revive stagnant sales.
Today, consumers are more likely to trust their favorite influencers as opposed to brand advertisements and promotions.
3. Visualization
Modern-day consumers are not attracted to lengthy blogs and content deprived of visuals and colors. As a graphic designer or content creator, it is crucial to underscore the significance of color schemes and visualizations.
Consumers are attracted to appealing visuals that are colorful, animated, or aesthetically pleasing. Be it social media or a web page, designers must give significance to color schemes and visualizations. While writing blogs and articles, embedding relevant videos and multiple high-quality images is a great strategy.
Research reveals that users prefer visually appealing content, as seen from Pinterest and Instagram’s significant growth.
4. Video marketing
Video marketing has soared new heights in 2020, and it is currently dominating the trend radar and the digital landscape. Marketers understand that a successful marketing campaign requires immersive videos that are impactful and inspiring.
Modern-day consumers do not have time to read through tedious and lengthy articles. But they will watch the same content if depicted through an animated or conversational video.
A recently conducted study reveals that videos are an excellent tool to boost conversions. Moreover, 52 percent of consumers watch product videos before making their online purchases.
5. Conversational marketing
Brands and e-commerce platforms can win over their audience by adopting conversational marketing tools and techniques.
You see, modern-day consumers are impatient, and they want immediate responses to their queries. Brands must comply with this requirement or risk losing customers to their competitors who respond promptly.
What is conversational marketing? It is real-time, one-to-one communication between the brand representatives and consumers. In 2020, it is crucial to develop feedback-oriented communication models that focus on fostering relationships with customers.
6. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
2020 is the year when AI-powered applications are ready to dominate the digital landscape, allowing brands to reduce their spending considerably. AI-powered solutions urge brands to step into the future by streamlining all menial and insignificant tasks.
AI-powered tools derive consumer data and analytics from social media, website, and Google search patterns in the marketing realm.
It allows brands to learn more about the preferences and to buy behaviors of their targeted consumers. AI-based solutions enable marketers to deliver highly personalized and tailored marketing experiences.
7. Chatbots
So far, chatbots are the most dynamic and prevalent marketing and customer care solution powered by AI. In 2020, chatbots are far more intelligent than their predecessors as they come with language processing software and tools.
AI-based chatbots can automate payments and converse with customers like a real person. They offer excellent service to assist clients with buying decisions, product recommendations, and much more.
8. Visual Search
Visual search is another prominent trend that is all set to enhance the user experience by offering greater convenience and accurate search results. People can now get more specific and precise results by conducting their search using images.
One such tool is the Pinterest Lens, a visual search tool that allows consumers to capture a photo of the product they seek.
The results show where they can find such an item online or browse through similar items and pinboards. It allows you to search for all kinds of fashion products, home objects, and much more.
The Google Lens is a visual search engine introduced by Google, which allows you to obtain more information about products and objects by using a camera app. You can use it to find out more about product barcodes and where to shop them, home goods, fashion and clothing, books, event flyers and billboards, landmarks and tourist attractions, and even business cards, amongst others.
9. Going Live
Going live on Facebook or Instagram is an excellent marketing solution and strategy to engage your audience and attract new followers.
The live video industry is booming, and as per industry reports, it is likely to cross $70 billion by 2021. This growth stems from the popularity live videos enjoy across consumers.
Consumers are more likely to watch live videos than pre-recorded or animated videos. Why is that? Live videos attract uses by triggered FOMO, the fear of missing out.
Consumers tune into live sessions to make sure they don’t miss out on any discounts or special offers. They want to be the first to find out new information from the brands they follow.
Live videos are an excellent marketing solution and strategy to boost audience engagement and introduce new products. They aid in cementing brand identity and awareness by going behind-the-scenes and training the teams managing various processes. They allow brands to humanize their businesses and connect with their audience on a deeper level.
10. Social Media Stories
A concept that started from Snapchat has emerged as a massive trend in the last year, and Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube quickly jumped aboard the bandwagon.
Today, social media stories hold immense importance for digital marketers in capturing consumer attention and intriguing them with your campaigns’ glimpses. Social media marketing is the best platform to connect your audience with your brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic.
Stories allow brands to boost their brand awareness and maintain consistent engagement with their audience. They are much more economical and budget-friendly, and they can help you increase traffic to your website.
While consumers do not always have time to check out your social media profiles or websites, stories offer them encouragement and sneak-peeks of all that is new and exciting.
Conclusion: Marketing solutions that work
Have you noticed that all the new marketing solutions and trends mentioned above point towards personalization?
Be it AI-powered chatbots or influencer marketing, the ultimate goal is to deliver personalized and tailored marketing experiences. So, without further ado, begin your experience with these emerging marketing solutions!
I am Adeyemi Adetilewa, an SEO Specialist helping online businesses grow through content creation and proven SEO strategies. Proficient in WordPress CMS, Technical Site Audits, Search Engine Optimization, Keyword Research, and Technical Writing (Portfolio).
I help brands share unique and impactful stories through the use of public relations, advertising, and online marketing. My work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Thrive Global, Addicted2Success, Hackernoon, The Good Men Project, and other publications.