How to Stay Ahead of the Game in 2020 — UNBXD

Podcasts

Although LinkedIn and other social platforms are still a great way to grow your B2B connections, podcasts are steadily becoming a brilliant way to establish yourself as an expert within your industry.

In addition to this, it’s never been easier to start your own podcast channel, with so many applications making it possible to get on the major platforms at practically no cost. Also, if time is an issue, many people are offering this as a service you can outsource which can really enhance your social media presence.

As Gary Vaynerchuk has been saying for the better part of 2 years, “voice is the next big thing”.

Messaging apps

For better or for worse, smartphones have changed the way we interact with one another (no new news there), but throughout 2019, we saw a huge rise in the use of messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Viber and WeChat used by businesses as a form of communication between them and the customer.

To stay ahead of the curve, companies need to embrace these and use these platforms and groups in the most use-friendly way possible. We’re sure this year will be no different in the last, seeing more and more moving to these platforms for an instant messaging and personal experience.

Mindful Marketing

Green is the new Black!

We need to start with putting the planet first. If it doesn't bother you, it will bother your clients. People are going green, and you should follow them.

Mindful marketing, aka conscious marketing is potentially one of the most important trends this year which will affect the most extensive range of people. Companies with eco-friendly incentives, brands with philanthropical schemes and brands that look after the planet and the people on it are finally starting to get the recognition they deserve. Brands that don't will have to change if they want to keep up.

UGC: User Generated Content

Every customer and user that you come into contact with is now a micro-influencer with a reach of literally millions. Therefore it makes sense that 90% of consumers are more influenced by user-generated content then any other form of marketing.

Any content created by your customers that can be used by your brand adds a sense of authenticity and reliability. It could be social media post, a product review on a website, a rating on Trip Advisor… if it involves your brand and has been created by a customer, it is user-generated content.

Unlike influencer marketing - which is a different type of user-generated content where influencers are paid to promote products in some form - user-generated content is organic and reliable content that promotes your high-quality product or service and the trustworthiness of your brand.

Unpaid contributors will be huge for all companies. Whether they want world peace or just some attention, we need to make sure we do our very best to treat everybody amazingly. Blogs, webpages, photos, social media posts, and testimonials can pop up about your company without you even knowing. And they may well go viral. Marketers must use this to their advantage.

Look at Coca Cola's genius personalized can and bottle campaign. It became the "share a coke" campaign, and it went all over the world. So what does Coca-Cola do to take this even further? They got customers to upload pictures of themselves sharing a coke. The campaign went viral, and the customers were doing all the advertising.

Voice searching and AI

Voice recognition and AI are developing at such an alarming rate that we think in 2020, we all need to be ready. in comparison, voice and text requests are not the same, we can’t rely on the same on SEO that we have been working with and evolving up until now. We have to learn how people make voice requests and update our SEO accordingly. Many tools can now even recognize sentiments such as cheerfulness or irony, and we can take note of this. Companies can learn from users on a scale never seen before.

Social Media

Although social platforms are nothing new, it still remains one of the primary marketing channels direct to consumers, and with +500 criteria in order to define audiences, it can give you more precision than ever before.

‘Groups’ and ‘communities’, whether public or private, are going to be on the rise in 2020. While social communities are not necessarily a new concept, the way in which brands are building them is changing they way their consumers interact with them.

User Experience

User experience, whether print or digital, UX remains one of the key elements of a successful campaign. The consumer has changed, is changing, and will continue to change. People want an experience, a representation of values, but above all, people want to feel valued. Marketers, designers and developers that can really embrace the consumer and provide value and enjoyment will be the ones that come on top in 2020.

If you think you need some help identifying what can push your company forward in 2020, or if you are a little cautious of being left behind, get in touch with a member of our team today.