22 Digital Marketing Trends You Can’t Ignore Going Into 2020

Marketing has changed more in the last five years than in the last 50, and the rapid progress doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

As summer 2019 approaches, the digital marketing landscape that encompasses SEO, social media, PPC, content marketing and more is witnessing a dramatic shift.

There may have been a time when you could’ve dismissed artificial intelligence or visual search as gimmicks from the latest blockbuster science fiction film, but that time is long gone. AI is now significant in every aspect of digital marketing and in an integral part of most of the trends in this list.

Many new digital marketing trends and strategies are evolving in the current high-tech, Internet-connected era, which means that businesses need to use them to succeed in their efforts because what worked for you last year may not work (as well) this year.

Here are 20 key digital marketing trends in 2019 and beyond that you can no longer pretend aren’t important.

Marketing is all about testing, which is why SEO A/B split testing tops our list for 2019. 

Search engine optimization A/B split testing — like all split testing —  allows you to isolate the variables increasing traffic so you can take a targeted approach to content changes. 

Platforms like Clickflow suggest pages with untapped SEO potential — a high-impression count but low click-through rate (CTR) — which can be improved to increase clicks and traffic:

Clickflow lets you choose your target CTR increase, then it serves up pages along with a keyword report that lists what your page is ranking for and which keywords will help you get more traffic. Inside the app, you make changes to title, meta description, title tag and body content, which are automatically reflected on your site:

Choose your target CTR:

Run the experiment for at least 15 days and Clickflow will show you how many more clicks you’re getting — and the revenue you’re gaining from the click increase.

SEO A/B split testing squeezes the most SEO juice out of your site and gives you insight into the variables that move the needle.

2) Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence will take over the world! Or at least the world’s simpler jobs.

For example, Microsoft and Uber are two companies – in addition to malls, sports arenas and campuses – that are using Knightscope K5 robots to “patrol parking lots and large outdoor areas to predict and prevent crime. The robots can read license plates, report suspicious activity and collect data to report to their owners.” You can rent these R2-D2-like robots for $7 an hour — which is less expensive than a human security guard's wage.

Just a couple years ago, Gartner analysts predicted that by 2020 (now a mere 6 months away!), AI technologies would be pervasive in almost every new software product and service – a prediction that Harvard Business Review seconded earlier this year.

As per Techgrabyte, “Artificial intelligence is the biggest commercial opportunity for companies, industries, and nations over the next few decades” and “will increase global GDP by up to 14% between now and 2030.” An indisputable fact that means “AI latecomers will find themselves at a serious competitive disadvantage within the next several years.”

Here are the top reasons why organizations are adopting AI into their business:

AI can analyze consumer behavior and search patterns, and use data from social media platforms and blog posts to help businesses understand how customers find their products and services.

One exciting example of AI in practice is chatbots (more on that later). Mastercard created a Facebook messenger bot – that uses natural language processing software to decipher what the customer wants and respond as if it were a real person – to automate handling payments:

Artificial intelligence will soon be the driving force behind many services, and currently we’re already seeing it implemented in such areas as:

·        Customer service chatbots (25% of customer service will use virtual assistant technology by 2020, up from 2% in 2017)

·        Basic communication

·        Product recommendations

·        Content creation

·        Email personalization

·        E-commerce transactions

Businesses adopting AI in 2019 will be able to cut staffing costs and accelerate growth, getting an edge over their competitors.

Dive Deeper:

·        AI Trends in Marketing for 2019 [Infographic]

·        The Effects of Natural Language Processing (NLP) on Digital Marketing

·        Content Marketing and Artificial Intelligence: A Perfect Marriage?

·        How Artificial Intelligence Is Revolutionizing the Digital Marketing Sphere

3) Programmatic Advertising

Programmatic advertising means using AI to automate ad buying so you can target more specific audiences. Real-time bidding, for example, is a type of programmatic ad buying. This automation is much more efficient and fast, which means higher conversions and lower customer acquisition costs.

It’s changing the face of digital advertising so swiftly that, according to eMarketer, 86.2% of digital display ads in the U.S. will be programmatic by 2020.

According to Irina Kovalenko of SmartyAds,

“Most search-driven manual advertising campaigns (even those performed with professional tools) take into account three or four targets: the keyword, time of day, and location. Such tools like programmatic demand-side platforms can use hundreds of targeting signals to individualize the advertisement and even target according to lifestyle or behavior habits when integrated with customer data platforms.”

Here’s a quick look at how programmatic advertising works:

To learn how to capitalize on this digital marketing trend, check out PPC Hero’s guide to get started.

Dive Deeper: 5 Trends that Will Define the New Vision of Marketing Automation

4) Chatbots

Chatbots will continue to be an important part of digital marketing in 2019. This AI-based technology uses instant messaging to chat in real-time, day or night, with your customers or site visitors.

Surveys show that:

·        63% of respondents prefer messaging an online chatbot to communicate with a business or brand

·        Chatbots will power 85% of customer service by 2020

·        Top benefits of chatbots are 24-hour service (64%), instant responses to inquiries (55%) and answers to simple questions (55%).

·        By 2022, chatbots will help businesses save over $8 billion per annum

·        80% of businesses want chatbots by 2020

Many customers prefer interacting with chatbots as they are responsive 24/7, give answers promptly, accurately recall your entire buying history, and never lose patience. These virtual assistants offer outstanding customer service, meeting customers’ expectations and automating repetitive tasks – which means you can focus on more important work.

Many brands already use chatbot technology, including Uber, whose chatbot communicates with customers, making it easy for them to hire cars via their mobile app, Facebook Messenger, Slack or Google Maps:

Passengers can use the menu to choose the type of ride, make a request, track the location of the car, send friends a time estimate of their arrival, and even make payment.

Other brands who are successfully using chatbot technology include Whole Foods Market, Fandango, Sephora, Staples, The Wall Street Journal and Pizza Hut.

Dive Deeper:

·        Facebook Messenger Chatbots: The Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Massive Results

·        5 Reasons Why Live Chat Helps Your Business Go the Extra Mile

·        Why Chatbots Are a Must-Have for Businesses (and How to Build One!)

·        13 Messages Your Chatbot Should Be Saying to Prospects

5) Personalization

If you want to stand out in 2019, you need to personalize your marketing – and that means personalized content, products, emails, and more.

With the availability of data like purchase history, consumer behavior and links clicked, as well as sophisticated software to implement campaigns, custom content has never been easier.

Consider these personalization stats:

·        63% of consumers are highly annoyed with generic advertising blasts

·        80% say they are more likely to do business with a company if it offers personalized experiences

·        90% claim they find personalization appealing

As per EmailMonks, “Personalized, triggered e-mails based on behavior are 3x better than batch-and-blast e-mails.”

Top examples of businesses leveraging the power of personalization always include Netflix and Amazon, with their tailored recommended products or movie titles. But other companies successfully using personalization include:

·        EasyJet launched a data-driven email campaign that used customers’ travel history with the airline to build personalized stories, which then suggested where they might like to travel next. About 12.5 million unique emails were sent, which had a 25% higher click-through rate than non-personalized emails.

·        Cadbury’s created a personalized video campaign that matched a Dairy Milk flavor with users based on data from their Facebook profile, including age, interest and location. The campaign saw a 65% click-through rate and a 33.6% conversation rate, proving the personal touch works.

·        Starbucks uses a gamified mobile app that draws on data like purchase history and location to get as personal as possible, allows customers to customize their drinks, and encourages further use with its rewards system – which skyrocketed their revenue to $2.56 billion.