When we were all kids and imagined the year 2020, I would bet we all had thought we’d have flying cars and robotic maids who clean our houses by now (well…we sort of do have robots who clean our houses, but that’s beside the point).

So while we are still having to go to the airport and stand in security lines if we ever want to leave the ground for transportation, we are seeing some exciting technological and cultural trends in marketing.

There are many new trends on the horizon, but let's just focus on five that we're really excited about.

1. Conversational Marketing

More than ever, people are demanding immediate gratification and easy access to what they need. Whether it’s the simplicity of one-click purchases and two-day free shipping from Amazon Prime, or the ability to access libraries of thousands of shows and movies through subscriptions like Netflix, people don’t have the patience they used to. They are used to everything being one click away.

For that reason, our marketing efforts must shift in that direction, especially in the realms of customer support and communication to those who want more information from us.

Conversational marketing is the process of engaging with your customers, donors, and audiences in real time (no more assumptions that people will dig and dig to get information about your organization). Real-time marketing is often seen in  the form of “live chats” available on your website, or chat bots which utilize artificial intelligence to help answer questions. In 2020, it will remain important to continue to find ways to take the hassle out of the education process about your service, ministry or nonprofit.

2. Increased Voice Search

"Hey Siri, what's the weather today?" Just a few years ago, that search would have looked like this in a Google search bar: "Nashville weather today." Do you see the difference in the keywords and phrase structure?

According to Forbes, in 2020, 50% of all searches will be done via voice search. That’s HALF of all searches, people!

For that reason, it’s important to optimize your website for these voice searches. You’ll want to integrate more long-tail keywords and conversational keywords and phrases into your copy, as voice search queries often mimic how people speak instead of the short snippets and keywords that people would typically type into a search bar.
 

3. Sensory Immersion

In this day and age, everyone is over-saturated in all things digital. And while digital content plays an extremely important role in marketing strategies, it's easy to be overlooked with all the competing content. Brands/nonprofits/ministries are seeing a shift in what people desire from the organizations they follow.

People want to be a part of an experience and a part of moments that are important to them. They want to be engaged uniquely in a world full of Instagram ads and retargeting. The phrase “sensory immersion” most literally means engage more than just a couple of their senses (like digital content does).

We want to encourage you to find one or two different experiences you can create for your brand followers, donors, potential donors, church members, your community, or anyone you want to be noticed by. Create moments for people to be a part of (ultimately pointing back to your brand or mission), and it’s sure to stand out to them in ways that result in long-term loyalty.

For a church, maybe it's a huge "serve the city" day, where you all go out together and find ways to love and serve those in your community. Nonprofits, maybe you create an experience or moment for donors to be a part of personally to see direct impact (not just one they give to).

4. Data-Driven Personalization

It’s no surprise that data continues to be the driver of many foundational marketing strategies. If you’re not utilizing relevant data to target and communicate with your audiences, you’re wasting too many resources to count.

Now more than ever, the data we have access to (both in depth and in variety) is allowing us to create and manage campaigns that are directed to the exact group we want to communicate with (down to their personal interests, brands they like and so much more). We're no longer limited to just gender, age and income level. Make sure to educate yourself on what type of data you’re able to access, as well as the built-in capabilities of the social media platforms you’re advertising on in order to reach your marketing goals.

5. TikTok Growth

Why TikTok, you ask?? I know, I know. But it’s not just a simple video platform where people do silly dances and lip-sing to songs you’ve never heard.

It’s a platform like no other out there right now. It has the ability to take someone who has only posted one time, had no views on their post, to quickly generating over 1 million views if their content is considered entertaining to the TikTok users. No more “you have to have a ton of followers for people to see your content” situation.

The platform is growing at lighting speed, and for that reason, it’s estimated that in 2020, TikTok will release ad bidding for agencies, taking the platform to new levels.

We’re excited for all that 2020 has to offer, and you can rest assured that our teams are staying on top of all the trends so you don’t have to. If you're ever in need of marketing assistance, or if you're unsure how to modernize your marketing plan for the new year and its new trends, don't hesitate to reach out to us.