Marketing is developing rapidly. Digitalization is getting more and more updates and smartphones and gadgets have become an integral part of our daily lives. The previous year was the year of growth of both social networks and their trends. We have carried out the analysis and distinguished what will have a mainstream effect in 2020.
Virtual and Augmented Reality: brand new world
If you are an Instagram or TikTok user, you must notice that people often use masks in their stories. In the beginning of 2020, so-called prediction masks became popular. This technology is in-dev and will broaden its function and potential in order to attract more users.
Chat Bots: assistant 1.0
Chat Bots have grown considerably and are used in Messenger, Telegram, WhatsApp, etc. Nowadays, the main goal of marketers in this area is the optimization of bots, AI improvement, full optimization, focus on customers' needs and coverage of a wide range of issues.
They have a great prospect for growth, because consequently, they will perform purchases and sales in just a few clicks.
Social networks as marketplaces: a challenge for the USA and China
There are many Instagram and Facebook profiles that conduct sales of various goods: cloths, gadgets, furniture, and so on. This trend is becoming more popular and gives a challenge to larger marketplaces (such as AliExpress or Amazon). A salesperson knows a lot about a product and can describe it in detail for the customer.
Moreover, offers for different products may appear to the user depending on his or her preferences and search results. Another factor is that customers can order a product and rely on open and effective communication with the sender.
Voice interaction: you said - you found
The apps such as Siri, Alice, Bixby are just considered to be in-dev because of the short range of voice commands (surely, they realize the fundamental commands). In 2020, an effort will be made not only to improve these apps, but also to create such apps for social networks. For example, you can use it if you write posts or need to find something.
Voice messages have become very popular because they require less time than texts. They also facilitate the communication process.
Visualization: the vanguard of your line
It is constantly said: "never tell a book by its cover", but in SMM this saying is interpreted in a different way. First of all, users will notice photos, post covers, avatars, infographics. Some users take screenshots to deliver the information by writing down a short commentary.
Color harmony is in trend. So, learn the color psychology in marketing. A lot of people like a unique perfectionism, which is why it's very important to make your profile non-chaotic.
Text: is it relevant?
The text was, is and will be relevant. Another thing is how to provide it. Users don't want to read long articles with difficult definitions and without any division into categories, paragraphs and punctuation. Hence, an attractive text 2020 will be a precise, clear text focused on an exact target audience, where different fonts are used. There should also be a division into parts and emphasized important facts.
Infographics have become quite popular, and you can find lots of their samples on Pinterest. They display the information in a schematic and clear way. Moreover, the visualization described in the previous point is used here fully. You can use the Canvas app if you want to create the infographic.
Verification: no more two of "Me"
Instagram and YouTube make the verification process quite strict. Facebook has significantly improved its privacy policy. It is done in order to prevent the complete filling of servers by inactive accounts that are created to artificially increase the audience or to share misinformation and spam.
Furthermore, a lot of attention will be paid to the personalization of an account. The main goal is to simplify the analysis of clients' wishes and his or her potential targets.
Top social networks: nothing has changed
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube remain the most popular social networks in the world. WeChat as a local network is quite popular in China. However, Telegram and TikTok are the social networks that have the greatest potential to become world leaders. They have a positive growth rate, a wide range of functions, innovations and last but not least, accessibility for youth.
Video Content: rapid expansion
According to research done by CISCO, videos will cover approximately 82% of content by the end of 2022. And there are plenty of examples why: entertaining videos on IGTV or TikTok, YouTube channels on various topics, streaming platforms.
Great popularity will be gained by influencers' or even ordinary users' videoblogs (they will be popular even if we are talking about the profile of institutions). Thus, vlogs will overwhelm text blogs.
Influencers and marketing: a number of matters
Doubtless, popular bloggers have not only a large audience and high profits, but also their own brands of clothes, cosmetics, catering, etc. That's why influencers are attracted to the commercials: because they have thousands or even millions of followers.
Localization: think globally - act locally
Marketers put an emphasis primarily on the local audience. It is about close interaction with the client, such as holding various events (forums, meetings, trainings, roundtables), notifications on the creation of offices and, of course, providing with contacts. Maintenance is above all. Another issue is the realization of clients' needs, which is more possible on the micro-level