What’s Expected of Marketing in 2020

David Wharram

January 24, 2020

The conversations around what the Marketing industry can expect in the coming year is well underway. Technology is expanding and developing at a rapid pace, and Marketing is no exception. In the past year, we have seen a rise of Content Marketing in correlation with the demands from consumers and a significant increase in the use of Chatbots.

With Digitization and Automation slowly becoming less admirable due to its lack of meaningful engagement, Marketing is appearing to become more humanlike once again. Here are my predictions for the Marketing industry in 2020.

Emailing is an old standby for marketers and is not set to go anywhere in 2020.

1. Paid Media

In 2020, we can expect to see Marketing budgets shift towards external agencies who have the knowledge to modify and develop campaigns, with the attitude to take risks and try new things. Rather than working with bigger agencies influenced by money, companies are looking at smaller, personalized ideas and approaches.

Agencies that have a good relationship with specialists across a range of different platforms and other key attributions will become immensely competitive. In addition to this, a design that is created to look visually pleasing but also has an emotional impact on audiences will not only look good for KPI’s but will encourage ad recall.

2. Personalization

We are set to see personalization within Marketing become more of a focus. With today’s consumers being flooded with different messages, it is now vital to know your customers and personalize messages in order to stand out from the crowd. This can be echoed with research highlighting that 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand if they provide a personalized experience.

Constant improvements in technology and Artificial Intelligence means that it has become easier for marketers to personalize messages, therefore real connections between brands and consumers can be created. Additionally, advances in data collection and AdTech will also make it possible for marketers to personalize almost everything. The purpose of this technique is to encourage customer loyalty, as it is cheaper to please consistent customers rather than trying to attract new ones.

Some of the incredible multi-channel reporting available to us in Google Ads and Analytics will become more refined and improved upon. This type of reporting has become invaluable to campaigns and will continue being a critical method for marketers throughout 2020 and beyond. Reporting will also assist in creating better conversions when it comes to how digital channels perform together and help with how brands can grow and drive incremental value, as opposed to being focused on siloed channels and last-click performance.

3. Interactive Emails

Going nicely alongside personalization is interactive email content. Emailing is an old standby for marketers and is not set to go anywhere in 2020. Innovative and interactive elements within an email, without leaving the inbox, is set to become a key trend in the coming year. Surveys, animations, rollovers, and carousels are all components marketers are adopting in order to improve user experience, whilst allowing the brand to make a lasting impression on the customer.

Research has found that 77% of brands emphasize that making their email more accessible is a priority, however, only 8% of marketers rigidly follow accessibility best practices. Email Marketing is a great way to motivate customers to contribute to the content and promotes genuineness as well as improving conversion rates.

4. Influencer Marketing

Influencer Marketing has seen meteoric growth in recent years, with estimates as high as 83% year on year. Influencers can offer brands access to broad and niche audiences with known interests, hobbies, or skills – and can offer in-depth engagement that other channels can struggle with. Brands are now engaging not just with one or two influencers, but vast numbers, to help drive messages into the depth and breadth of their audiences. Influencer Marketing feels a little like the wild west from a regulation perspective, but some positive changes here, we should be expecting to see Influencer Marketing in all of our digital strategies.

The future looks bright for the marketing industry and opportunities for marketers are soaring. It is looking like paid media will become prominent with marketing budgets shifting towards external agencies. Personalization is also really important and I am sure this will be a top priority within the Marketing industry in the next year, allowing customers and brands to build a stronger rapport.

Similarly, there will be a key focus on making emails interactive and personal. Influencer marketing is another key trend set to make further impact in the Marketing industry in 2020. I look forward to seeing these trends emerge and the benefits they will bring to the industry.