Our Predicted Marketing Trends for 2020.
Let’s get straight into it. Here are our predicted marketing trends for 2020:
1. Video continues to dominate.
Ensure that your videos are either short and snappy or long and insightful. Don’t waste your time and budget on anything in between. Short videos should be anywhere between 15-30 seconds in length, and the call to action or key message should be clear within the first 5 seconds. Long videos, on the other hand, should be between 10-18 minutes according to TED Talks.
However, please remember that these are just general pointers. The length of your video will essentially depend on your video topic, style, audience, and the platform it is viewed on.
2. Personalization is key.
We’ve heard a lot about the importance of personalization in marketing over the past two years, yet it will continue to grow in importance in the years to come. People are fed up of being bombarded with products and services that do not match their personality and lifestyle. So please ensure that your communications consider the individual receiving your company’s messages.
Keep track of your customers’ buying and booking behaviors and reach out to them with personalized offerings that relate to their travel style, for example. If your customer is a freelancer with flexible vacation days and an interest in sustainable travel, why not offer them a special discount for traveling off-season?
3. Demographics become more complex.
While we are on the subject of personalization, we should mention demographics as well. It is time to stop categorizing our audiences into demographics such as Millennials vs. Gen Z. Yes, each generation consumes media differently. And it is definitely important to consider that Gen Z consume media via smartphones more so than Millennials do. However, younger generations are so globally connected and identify themselves through various sub-demographics – a lot more so than Boomers.
So, when targeting your customers, place them into very specific interest-groups and observe their buying behavior rather than categorizing them into the cliché generational demographic.
4. Print is sticking around a little longer.
Generally speaking, print is on the decline. That’s nothing new. However, magazine subscriptions for some key media are increasing due to their excellent digital adaptations. The German newspapers Handelsblatt and Zeit, for example, are experiencing an increase in readers.
In a time where the majority of readers skim a headline and the first few words of an online article, people are happy to pay for quality journalism and fact-checked articles in the form of newspaper and magazine subscriptions.
Also, the value of media coverage in print papers is increasing due to the limited number of print publications available and their longevity once published.
5. Social is here to stay.
Looking back at 2019, no social media platform has completely vanished from the surface. Hence, social media is here to stay. It will become more important for companies and brands to re-evaluate which social media platforms are worth their time and money though.
Make sure you take the time to identify where your target customers spend their time scrolling, clicking and engaging. Use these insights to then partner with more niche influencers with less than 10k followers – this way you increase your chances of reaching your target audience in a more personalized way.
6. Sustainability is on the rise.
We may be biased given our company focus on sustainability and all, but the notion of sustainability definitely received its Western media breakthrough in 2019 thanks to Greta. Step one of any marketing campaign is raising awareness. As people become more aware of the importance of sustainability, your company will need to stop greenwashing and start walking the walk.
Revise your internal strategy, company culture and policies to ensure the “sustainable” product or service you are selling is truly sustainable – from powering your HQ via renewable energy to carbon offsetting all company flights. And share your stories to inspire businesses and governments around the world to do the same.