What advertising trends will be ruling in 2020? Which of them are worth implementing to give the brand a competitive advantage? Here are our suggestions!
It is high time to start preparing for trends in the world of marketing and experimenting with them. All of them have a common denominator, namely an innovative and customised approach to communication with recipients. It is worth talking to consumers using many channels – through livechats, social media, emails and via push advertising. What else should marketers focus on to make brands grow in strength?
Relationship marketing
The main task of relationship marketing is to maintain existing customers by understanding and fulfilling their needs. An individual approach is required for each customer in order to design an offer that meets specific expectations. Loyal customers provide a fixed profit, while campaigns to acquire or recover new ones generate higher costs. It is crucial to analyse the customer’s needs and then suggest additional options for a product (cross-selling) or increase the value of the product sold (up-selling). Relationship marketing allows to develop a good brand image, and any action taken helps both maintain loyal customers and encourage new ones to use the company’s services.
Higher level of customer service
The definition of customer service is a bit ambiguous, but the concept keeps evolving. It used to focus primarily on sending messages by email or phone contact. Today, new technologies give us a lot more opportunities. Customers happen to be impatient and expect having their problems solved here and now. A key to communication with customers is chiefly a quick response, as well as a professional and client-oriented approach.
Communication with customers may be improved thanks to marketing tools that provide an opportunity to segment customers, specifying their preferences and interests. One of hot trends is push campaigns. Notifications informing about a new offer or promotions are sent to a specific target group. Push advertising provides a 24-hour customer service – it is enough to specify the dispatch time for the campaign.
Other tools worth pointing out when summarising the strategies for 2020 are livechats, Internet monitoring, and customer satisfaction surveys. Social media consistently are and will be a good channel of communication with customers. It should be remembered that discussions with recipients are followed by hundreds or even thousands of Internet users. The way how the discussion proceeds can significantly affect opinions about the brand.
Social mission – eco trends
Consumers often opt for products or services of a brand that shares more or less the same values as they do. In 2020, climate- and health-related trends will continue to prevail. Brands representing the eco trend have a better chance of gaining a competitive advantage. Ongoing campaigns regarding the concern for environment are becoming important for an increasing proportion of the society. Collection of footwear from recycled waste? Furniture from renewable sources? Eco trends are growing in strength, as is the general knowledge of the public about environmental protection.
Integrated campaigns
Omnichannel is a strategy that involves a mature understanding of customer’s needs. One of the challenges is to recognise customer’s expectations in all contact points – in an online store, social media, brick-and-mortar store, email marketing, mobile or in a relatively young communication channel represented by push advertising. A customised offer should be delivered across all channels – in this case, it is crucial to understand the generation of buyers representing the target group. Especially generation Y, or Millennials, is open to technological novelties. They actively use laptops, tablets and smartphones, watch videoblogs, read blogs, rely on influencers’ recommendations, or contact brands in virtual channels themselves. Merging all marketing channels enables maintaining a consistent company strategy, so that recipients are more likely to connect with the brand.
Influencer marketing
Influencers are seen as more credible than celebrities dominating mostly in traditional media, such as radio and television. We identify with our favourite bloggers or vloggers who provide interesting content and unobtrusively promote brands. According to some research, a tremendous 70% of teenagers trust influencers more than celebrities – especially if they are from a peer group. Influencers engage in social media interactions, creating strong ties with their fan group. They are more likely to use some advice from trendsetters than TV stars. Influencer marketing continues to grow in strength, affecting future generations of online buyers.
Brand transparency
In the current world, access to the desired information is extremely simple. All the interesting data regarding activities of companies is available almost at one’s fingertips. As it turns out, brands that play open cards with their existing and potential customers have a very large competitive advantage. Transparency is an opportunity to build confidence among consumers. But how to open oneself to recipients? First of all, by sharing information about the company, employees, struggles, and achievements. Implementing a transparency policy allows to a large extent to establish lasting relations with recipients, as well as paving the way for open and sincere communication.
