2019 has been a year of neck-breaking technology inventions that revolutionize human interaction, and subsequently, marketer’s strategy. Improvements come with expectation, and these are what marketers should look out for in the upcoming 2020
Personalization
By this time, customers have already got used to the convenience of personalized content. Take shopping, for example, the vicious cycle of product suggestions on Amazon make it easy for customers to discover new and related products. LEGO has its own station in stores where buyers can design their own characters. Facebook and other social media ads are targeted since viewers have the choice to turn off generic ones. In a survey of 1000 people, 90% prefer personalization, 80% of which state that they are more likely to go for companies with a personalized experience. With all the tools available, personalization is not too unapproachable. One can start by segmenting the email list, involving customers in the product building process by getting feedback, or personalizing content for the newsletter.
Content Refinement
“Content is king” is a not an unfamiliar phrase. Given the overwhelming amount of information that one has to take in during a day and subsequently one’s ability to choose what to listen to, makes creating engaging content a constantly more challenging but nonetheless, crucial task. Interactivity might be the key especially when considering virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and interactive content (videos, animation, etc.). The reason is quite intuitive: interactive content is easier to digest, better at keeping the viewer’s attention, and more appealing to share. The numbers tell the same story: 93% of the surveyed enterprises claim that the adoption of VR had a positive impact on their business. Google also ranks video higher than text-based content.
Employee Engagement
Sounds unrelated, right? Not really. If you think about it, getting customers to care about, and even make a purchase, is only the first step. What makes them decide whether they come back and even recommend your brand to a friend boils down to their experience. And the cornerstone of great customer experience is efficient and friendly service. This idea of friendly service is not limited to B2C brand experiences but B2B as well. When different companies, or different buying decisions, are just a click away, how you handle the touchpoint with customers is fundamental. A survey by PWC shows that bad employee attitudes are the number 1 reason for customers to leave a brand.
Other than ensuring employees understand the brand’s mission, values, and personalities, think of it as an investment. If they are not happy at work, chances are that employees will convey that discontentment to customers. Therefore, make them want the business to succeed as much as you do by caring for them and involving them in the growth of the business.
So, are you ready for 2020?
Though technology developments provide marketers with more tools to turn their ideas into engaging material for audiences and brands, the core value does not change: it is crucial to deliver authentic and high-quality values to customers. If that is what you have been doing – now is the time to level up your game. If not, it is always worth it to recenter around your brand’s missions in order not to get lost in the fast-paced movement of today’s business world.