But the evolution is not done yet. Each digital marketing practitioner has a goal and this is to stay ahead of everybody else. They want to set the trends in the industry. But there’s nothing wrong with following trends, too.

We have to stay in touch with the new practices that drive great results. Here are five important predictions about what will work in 2020: 

1. Big data

Big data started as a buzzword that no one understood. We’ve been reading about the trend for years now. A data-driven approach to marketing means that we learn from our audience. Then, we use those insights into the daily decisions that we make.

So far, most marketers haven’t been using big data in their daily marketing activities. They perceive it as a complex concept that requires tools, investment and employees to yield results. So they continue using their old-school methods. That will have to change.

Without using insights and analytics, it’s hard to optimise your digital marketing efforts. If you ask any business owner or marketer what skills they would like to improve, you’ll get the same answer: “I’d like to get better at data-driven marketing.”

Red Bull gave a nice example of how a campaign can get better when it’s based on big data. There was a special shopper insights team working on the campaign. They helped the internal stakeholders to understand the customers’ behavior. Based on those insights, they made decisions with less risk involved. After that, the increase in revenue was inevitable.

The data showed that the target audience of people who consume Red Bull was changing. The shopper insights team also suggested the channels that the company should use to attract its audience. Red Bull is still redefining its relationship with retails at this point, as a result of the goal to improve in-store tactics of promotion.

2. Conversational marketing

Conversational marketing is an approach that is focused on feedback. It’s based on the concept of listening to the customer’s praise and critique. One should also listen to the needs of the potential customer, in order to craft a better offer for them.

Brands are doing their best to mimic human dialogue. The goal is to bring their products and services close to the audience. If we look at good essay writing service and assignment help providers, we’ll understand conversational marketing.

Before the era of full-on customer support, customers had to filled in forms and wait several days to get a response. Today, they can use intelligent chatbots or direct live chat features to get in touch with an agent immediately. 

The team listens to the complaints all the time, and they do their best to solve the issues without delays. When you check the websites of these services, you’ll see that they guarantee 24/7 support. They also offer free revisions upon request.

It’s just a part of the digital marketing process. You can’t attract today’s audience by convincing them to buy something. They will always ask, “But what if I don’t like it?”

You need to answer that question before you lead them to the purchasing process. It’s a great way to drive them through the sales funnel, since you’re offering a risk-free experience.

3. Consumer confidentiality

Facebook’s data privacy scandal shook the online world. It reached a peak in 2019 and the network still hasn’t recovered from it. In July 2019, Steve Wozniak warned Apple users to get off the platform. That’s how serious things got.

Since that happened, people are more aware of privacy issues than they’ve ever been. They will read the terms and conditions before providing private information. If you don’t disclose the way you use their details and you don’t guarantee full confidentiality, your brand is in serious trouble.

Every marketer should learn how the General Data Protection Regulation works. Then, they can hire legal experts to create their privacy policies. Writers can also help to make the confidentiality policies part of their promotional campaign. 

4. Realistic storytelling

We live in an era of edited lives. We all follow Instagram influencers who showcase their ‘perfect’ selves and ‘perfect’ lives. That kind of marketing no longer works. We’re seeing brands and influencers trying to infuse more reality into their publications.

The audience wants to see rawness and, therefore, marketers have to provide it. If you’re promoting a makeup brand, publishing unedited photographs won’t make you look worse than competitors. A realistic touch will make you look different and closer to your audience.

Lauren Rudick, an influencer in the yoga niche, has been using Instagram to promote her yoga school for years. In a particular post, she expresses that most of our publications are unrealistic.

Digital marketing is unrealistic. We have to change that. This post used honesty for marketing purposes and it got more attention than over-edited photographs. Showing the raw reality behind the scenes is a good start. You can connect with your audience if you share some of the struggles that your business faces. Avoid over-editing images.

5. The marketing approach is free from gender stereotypes

We have already entered the era of pansexual marketing. The trends in advertising are moving away from setting a target audience based on gender. MAC Cosmetics campaigns, for example, are based on pansexual marketing.

They have never promoted makeup as something that only women should use. It took a long time for other brands to start following this method. We all need to move away from harmful stereotypes that put men, women, and children in gender roles.

Making your marketing campaign more gender-neutral will extend your target audience. Move away from the risk of offending and avoid depicting a person in a stereotypical gender role. However, you’ll still need to specify your audience by interests, location and other factors of identification.