With three months left of 2019, it’s time to begin looking ahead towards the future of marketing. As the digital landscape continues to change at a fast pace, it’s important for marketers and brands to evolve with new tactics and technology to avoid becoming stagnant, stay ahead of the curve, and stand out amongst the competition. While these are simply mere predictions, here are 3 innovative tactics and trends to keep an eye out for in 2020.
1. Voice Search Advertising and Optimization
The rise of smart speakers and voice assistants have paved way for a new accessible means to access and receive information, bringing brands new platforms to advertise on. One trend we can expect to see is brands taking advantage of voice search popularity. According to Google, 20% of all searches occur through voice assistants, both through mobile devices and smart speakers. Similarly, the majority of people between the ages of 18 and 29 use voice assistants on their mobile devices.
This brings us two opportunities to take advantage of. One place to begin is by optimizing content for voice search. This includes accounting for spelling/pronunciation variabilities when it comes to SEO keywords and making your copywriting more conversational. The other opportunity we’re presented with is smart speaker advertising. While still new, smart speaker advertising allows brands to advertise themselves in a more organic, interactive, and less intrusive manner through branded skills. Essentially, a skill is simply a voice-activated tool, much like an app on a mobile device, that allows for different capabilities within the Amazon Echo ecosystem. By creating a skill specific to your brand you can position yourself as an authoritative figure and the go-to platform for specialized information specific to your brand. One example of this is the “Ask Patron” skill, which serves as an accessible platform for all tequila related inquiries such as recipes and facts.
2. Zero Click Results
Another trend that is on the rise is zero-click results, an SEO tactic that positions a snippet of information before any organic or paid search results. Zero-click results are effective since they provide the information one looks for at the top of the page without having to scroll and click on any links. The goal, as a brand, is to have your content displayed as a zero-click result; however, it is still unclear as to how a brand can do so. While there is no established method, it’s still an important trend to look into since 61.8% of Google search results consist of zero-click results, causing keywords’ profitability to decrease.
3. AR and VR Marketing
While artificial and virtual reality has been around for a while, it is still not a commonly adopted practice within the marketing and advertising strategies. This is expected to change in the upcoming year, as more brands are looking for ways to create interactive content that draws their audience’s attention and drives purchases. AR and VR marketing are beneficial as it allows for a personalized consumer journey. For example, many brands are now experimenting with try-on features with VR technology to create or enhance e-commerce experiences. In this case, users are able to determine whether a product suits them through their devices. As this trend potentially picks up we can expect to see brands adapt to these new technologies by creating new channels where these new capabilities can thrive, or the optimization of current strategies that make way for the inclusion of AR and VR.
In a highly competitive and saturated landscape, the adoption of new trends and technologies can be crucial for a brand’s survival. And as we pass through seasons of change, it’s never too early to start thinking about how we can adopt innovative ideas to our current marketing or advertising strategies.
Source: business2community.com/digital-marketing / entrepeneur.com