18 Jul
A career in digital marketing is constantly evolving. Keeping an eye on trends outside of your day job is crucial, as your role is very likely not to exist in 10 years’ time or if it does, it could be outsourced to a robot, called Sally.
I’ve researched online and met some Google specialists to find out the 4 new marketing trends of 2020 and beyond.
1. Optimising SEO to reduce the threat of zero-click results
Ever heard of zero-click results? You’ve probably seen them, without knowing. Zero-click searches happen when users get the search information they’re looking for, right on the initial search results page, which Google shows through a variety of featured snippets e.g. If you type in, “What is the temperature in Tenerife?” Google will automatically show you a result it auto generates. Further down the page, you will see the Adwords results and organic search results.
49 percent of search results in Google are now zero-search results, according to a study. As a result, more and more keywords are becoming less profitable and while the automatic snippet sometimes comes from a website that ranks somewhere on page 1 of the search engine results page (SERP), companies are unsure how-to ensure their content is picked by Google.
Tip: If your brand figures out on-SERP SEO in your sector first, expect to grow your market share significantly.
2. Maximise your content for voice search (Smart speakers)
A leading report expects there to be 200 million installed smart speakers across the world.
Despite the growing number of households asking Alexa, Siri and Google Home questions, smart speaker marketing and advertising opportunities have been limited. But this seems to be changing. Google states “27% visit the website of a local business after conducting a voice search”. Even more telling is that 65 percent of 25 – 49-year olds use voice search once a day.
When people are speaking to their voice assistants, they typically use questions or short phrases, like “What’s the weather?” or “surf shops in Lanzarote”. They might also ask about local offerings like entertainment options in that area. Try to incorporate similar phrases or questions throughout your brand’s content, to gain the attention of these smart assistants.
Tip: Marketers will start investing in sponsored placements on content sites that appear in the smart assistant listings, think about doing the same. With most search happening on smartphones, optimise your content for voice search. Think of popular topics people will search, i.e. “Holidays in Tenerife” or “Broadband in Lanzarote”. The trick is to make your content as conversational as possible.
3. Chatbots are becoming the new low-cost employees
Written content is the main knowledge base of chatbots, which are expected to see increased usage in 2020 and beyond. A leading B2b survey revealed that “80% of respondents said they already used or planned to use chatbots by 2020”. Chatbots are interactive software platforms that reside in apps, live chat, email, and SMS and can behave in a human-like manner.
Any business that has a website with traffic, can benefit from a simple chatbot that answers the most common visitor questions and helps convert visitors into new leads. Chatbots give you time to focus on the things that matter, not repeating yourself again, and again and again.
Tip: Chatbots will help you cut costs, save time and answer customer questions quicker; get them implemented on your site to free
4. Invest in Augmented Reality
Augmented reality (AR) is a type of interactive, reality-based display environment that takes the capabilities of computer-generated display, sound, text and effects to enhance the user’s real-world experience. AR is expected to transform the online experience of customers in the future.
Facebook has provided a new platform to advertisers to display their products by rolling out augmented reality feed ads. With AR feed ads, shopping online will become an even more interactive experience and assist companies in better conversion rates. Imagine trying on beach clothes without leaving your bedroom?
Tip: Think about how AR could optimise your Brand.
Have you investigated in innovative ways to spend your marketing budget? Are you focusing on the marketing channels that work best for your business? Go “Back to the Future” now, before your competitors do.
Will Pointing runs a money saving blog called GreatDealsMadeEasy.com. He works as an Affiliate Marketing Manager at WPP and loves travelling, particularly visiting the Canary Islands.
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