Aligning with best practices and keeping up with ever-changing digital marketing trends can be tricky. As we look into 2020, we hope to arm our clients with information that helps them stay on trend, competitive and ahead of the curve.
Let’s Get SOCIAL!
- Brands re-evaluate the metrics that matter most.
When Instagram announced it would be hiding likes, social media loyalists cringed knowing it would change the industry. So, where do we go next? Conversation with customers through ads and Messenger chat bots are just the beginning. This new conversational approach ultimately leads to long term brand awareness, then snowballs to increase engagement.
- The growth of private communities and tight-knit tribes.
Major American cities like Chicago boast billboards by Facebook promoting the community aspects of the platform. Call it community goodwill or an encouragement of a private, like-minded friends and cohorts all directed at driving communication and building relationships on and off the platform.
- Advanced, dynamic and direct social ads will grow.
We know our phones are listening to our conversations. As consumers there’s a creepy level of ad targeting and delivery. But, this can also be an advertisers best friend as they capitalize on direct ads via social media with dynamic visuals and advanced tech capabilities. Cost and accessibility are attractive to advertisers. Studies show that users are becoming increasingly comfortable with ad placements which means, marketers can make a bigger impact and sell differently.
- Changing landscape for influencers.
Hiding likes, industry fakes and scrutiny for measure have all but ended the insta-famous ideas of grandeur. While influencers are still beneficial, the blind faith advertisers and consumers put on influencers in 2019 is changing — and fast. If influencers are needed, best practices recommend connecting with nano-influencers, or those with only a couple thousand followers for a more personal approach.
- The Rise of the Social Story
As video drives media engagement, swiping through people’s lives, their favorite boutique or sports network on Instagram & Facebook Stories is signaling the strength of this placement and increased usage. We recommend working the engagement angle of this placement with polls, quick questions, and the ever changing Story features.
- Video is STILL King.
Social platforms have changed to promote video as THE way to capture users attention for sustained periods of time. From the Watch mechanism on Facebook to Instagram’s IGTV capabilities, the social media video landscape is chasing its peers like YouTube & TikTok’s big successes. We recommend maintaining the use of 10-15 second clips to pique the consumer’s interest and then funnel longer, more focused vignettes to increase engagement.
Voice Search Comes on Strong — especially for healthcare!
Did you know that more than 70% of healthcare information is listed incorrectly online? Attention to this seemingly tiny detail about correct business information online can have sincere repercussions.
In 2006, there were 6 billion searches on Google. In 2016, Google hosted 2 trillion searches. What’s even more fascinating comes from a Google report that said 5% of all searches are healthcare-related. So what is 5% of 2 trillion? Skip the math, over 100 BILLION searches on Google were healthcare related, which translates to 273 million per day. The numbers from 2019 must be staggering. Those statistics along justify the importance of business listing accuracy
At Digital Tulip, our number one “go to marketing solution” is a directory listing which collects, corrects, protects, syncs and manages your business information with patented technology internet-wide. As the search engine landscape grows, so does how people use the platform. These trends offer consumer insight but also realities of why a proper digital footprint matters.
Search will become (even) more conversational.
Expect to see an uptick in long-tailed search queries. Instead of “OBGYN near me” someone may search “OBYGN in Lexington who takes Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield”
Healthcare searches lead the way with the conversational component creating long-tail search queries and multi-sentence questions that can align with structured data. Expectations for direct answers will rise, so patients will become less interested in hunting for information and favor organizations who enable them to find a direct answer on Google or on owned websites.
Search in 2020 will be about intent.
While intent marketing is not new, users are creating an intent marketing renaissance. How? Consumers signal through their searches their endpoint intent. With conversational questions on the rise, businesses and healthcare organizations can use those searches to define relevant and most frequently asked content.
This trend is so ingrained in consumers’ behaviors that Google has stated that intent marketing is redefining the marketing funnel. Delivering answers to intent-based questions, such as “which insurances do you accept?” ads an intentional layer to the demographic, psychographic, and behavioral targets. The sooner your business can capitalize on intent, the faster you will rise within your industry category.
Expectations for direct answers will rise.
Instant gratification represents the tech age in which we live. Consumers will demonstrate dissatisfied, digital behavior such as an immediate bounce or negative brand connotations when they cannot find or receive an answer that directly addresses the question at hand. FAQ sections on websites and structuring data for larger websites offers a quick fix that will make your brand more attractive because of the information you provide.
TECH WATCH: The Great Disrupter – Streaming Services with OTT & CTV Placements
It’s no secret that smart TVs are the new normal. And, the OTT/CTV and streaming service opportunities have exploded and across traditional media and dynamic digital options. While Netflix, Hulu and other apps reported record numbers in 2019, Disney+ swooped in to disrupt the clear winners for the year. For advertisers, the ability to hyper target the user — not the show — changes the “why” behind buying traditional TV, pushing the envelope for what’s possible. So, which streaming service will earn bragging rights in 2020 amongst advertisers and consumers?
The Bottom Line
Your consumers have choice–and, you as the advertiser have even more choices! With a cohesive, multi-channel strategy and compelling your story, more conversions will occur IF you can be found, meet the intent of the consumer and stay ahead of the curve. Brand trust is crucial (Social), search is driven by intent (voice + Google) and the masses are using traditional media outlets differently (OTT/CTV). How will you thrive in 2020?
Maximize digital for your business today with Digital Tulip. Call 859.327.4242 or email [email protected] for a complimentary consultation.
