As we move into our second month of 2020, we want to look at where we are heading as an industry. So, what have we got to look forward to? What should we be looking out for? And what should we be doing?

Below we’re going to look at a small handful of the more popular predictions being made. Looking at what they mean and how they will be used to increase sales and provide better customer experiences.

Going ‘Live’ on Social Media and ‘Shared Experiences’

Did you know that those who watch live-streams are now streaming 47% more in 2020? It’s not surprising when you consider how visually driven we are as humans. A picture really does speak a thousand words and marketers are trying to harness this.

There is also a rise in shared experiences. By this, we mean experiences of products or services that would also be used by others. Giving insight and visual evidence of pros and cons.

Live streaming via social media – Facebook is the most popular channel to live stream. Facebook’s very own Head of Video revealed that more than 20% of all videos on Facebook are first streamed live. Time spent watching live streams have also quadrupled.

Videos testing products/services – There has been a sharp rise in videos relating to testing products and services. With a viral trend recently of “I went to the worst reviewed ???” or “experiencing the most expensive ???”. Although these are covering two extremes, it does highlight a users need to get a second opinion and demonstration.

Visual First Marketing – Seeing Is Believing

Let’s face it, although long form content continues to perform well – it’s all about the look. We are naturally more drawn to image based content than written. This is partly down to it’s quick and immediate consumption, but also from a what-you-see-is-what-you-get viewpoint.

Many eye tracking studies highlight how users looking at an infographic (as an example of mixed written/visual content) tend to spend more time looking at the images than the written content itself. One trend we expect to see as a result of this is a rise in higher quality product and service images, alongside HD and 4K video.

We also then expect this to impact the way in which we build websites and other promotional content. With more image led website designs aiming to drive higher engagement on-page and enticing users with beautiful imagery. Though the impact this would have on search visibility is still up for debate.

Artificial Intelligence, Interactivity and Automations

The rise of the robot is not at all a bad thing, especially when it comes to digital marketing. Did you know that top performing companies are more than twice as likely to use AI in their marketing efforts than smaller businesses?

Many are also using AI to do the digging for them – pulling data together, then determining the best way to use that data based on set criteria. This is not only saving time in terms of admin, but it also eliminates human error and helps increase ROI through better targeting.

We also expect we’ll be getting consumers more involved interactively, via augmented/virtual reality as well as other interactive content. One great example of this comes via IKEA and their mobile app, which is able to place items into your home using AI so you can see if it suits.

In terms of automations, there are many existing tools being used to automate social media and email marketing efforts, but in 2020 we’re looking at chatbots. Having an ‘always online’ chat for your business encourages users to get in touch, no matter the time or day. But of course, you can’t physically man a chat 24/7, so chatbots are a great way to get their foot in the door.

Increases in Mobile Purchases and Voice Search

As mobile devices become more commonplace in society, so does their use for making purchases. There are many ways in which you can shop via your phone and each year it comes easier and easier to tap and buy in seconds. The new term being coined is M-commerce.

Sales via a mobile device has even taken over desktop, making it the most popular device to make purchases from. It’s not surprising when you learn that UK shoppers buy items from Amazon at least once a month. You can also use Google Shopping as a means to purchase items, amalgamating a range of ecommerce sites.

One other trend on the rise is the use of voice search. For the most part, these are questions aimed at enabled devices asking questions. These devices use information from all over the web to best answer the question, and you could be one of them.

However, you can also make purchases via your smart devices by just using your voice. Those who use Amazon’s Alexa were found to make purchases 6% more often and spend 10% more. This alone shows that the convenience of voice commands certainly pays off.

Ranking Position ‘Zero’ Using Featured Snippets

You may have seen these before, more specifically with Google, where little boxes appear in search results with snippets of certain information. These are called featured snippets and they are a great way of appearing high up in search, without paying for ads. Almost 10% of all snippets are of a commercial nature.

If you’re very clever with your marketing efforts you can even appear as position 1 and position zero within the same search result. Those who are able to do this tend to gain over 30% more traffic than without the snippet as a result.

There are a wide range of snippets, ranging from text snippets answering questions and bullet pointed lists to e-commerce and transactional related snippets. It is also helpful to ensure your Google My Business page is optimised, as this alone can help increase local visibility.

What do you think we have to look forward to? If you’d like to add to our list then please do! You can send us your thoughts and suggestions via any of our social media platforms.

If, however, you’d like to speak with us regarding our services then please call us on 01473 350485 or email hello@unity.online to speak with a member of our team today.