As 2020 comes to a close, the Move Digital team took some time to reflect on the digital marketing trends that marked the year.
This year was an uncertain and challenging year for pretty much everyone.
With so much change and upheaval, it is only natural that social media experienced some massive shifts.
While some trends took a more accelerated path to the forefront of the digital world, others came out of left field.
So without further ado, here are the digital marketing trends we noticed throughout 2020.
The Trends of 2020
Chatbots and Messaging Apps
Chatbots and Messaging Apps allow you to automate a portion of your customer service. This automation allows you to assist your customers quickly and easily.
These services were beneficial during the COVID-19 quarantine as many businesses had to let go of staff or move operations to home offices.
Artificial Intelligence
This year, artificial intelligence (AI) made its way into almost every aspect of digital marketing. AI enables computers to read and process information and respond accordingly.
We expect this trend to continue growing from the previously mentioned chatbots to content creation and digital advertising.
The Battle of Personalization versus Privacy
Brands struggle between offering users the personalized and unique content they demand without appearing to cross the line with too much personal data.
This is another trend we expect to see more of as consumers continue to expect personalized content while simultaneously demanding companies not access private information.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing experienced its biggest year yet! Influencers allow brands to reach their target audiences in a more authentic and trustworthy way than traditional advertising.
This year, companies relied on influencers more than ever as traditional advertising opportunities, like shooting big commercials, became impossible.
Voice Search and Smart Speakers
Whether it’s Google Home, Amazon Alexa, or Apple’s Siri, it is increasingly impossible to find a home without a smart speaker. Factor in the fact that many people spent a good portion of the year working from home, and you’ll understand why voice search saw such a boom this year.
This increase caused brands to consider new voice-centric content and SEO strategies to take advantage of the growing platform.
Interactive Content
Dynamic, engaging content rose to the top of many businesses’ priorities this year. Quizzes, 360-degree videos, and augmented reality ads all saw tremendous growth this year.
Move Digital Group jumped on this trend early in the year by creating a Marketing Budget Calculator.
Social Justice Marketing
Social justice marketing has been growing for several years, but in 2020 it reached new heights. The Black Lives Matter movement paved the way for businesses to broadcast their beliefs to their audiences.
This trend is more consumer-led than anything else. Consumers aren’t just asking brands to stand behind social causes anymore; they expect it.
Remote Working
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses to shift from their traditional office buildings to remote working. New technology for time management and communication grew tremendously due to remote work.
This trend catalyzed many others, such as voice searches, influencer marketing, and chatbots.
Human Connection
Being able to make real human connections online was never more important than in 2020.
This year people craved the human aspects of life and brands responded by creating more personal social media content and facilitating ways to connect with their audiences.
TikTok
During quarantine, TikTok became the go-to app for people to channel their creative energy or simply waste time.
This app’s growth emphasized the importance of engaging video content in today’s social media landscape and incited copycat competition like Triller and Instagram’s Reels.
2020 was one for the books.
This year forced companies to embrace digital marketing more than ever before and reminded consumers to value human interaction.
You can bet that most of the trends on this list are here to stay as the world continues to inch its way toward a post-pandemic reality and ponder over the “new normal.”