The world of marketing is always evolving. That means the modern business that hopes to grow an audience and make more sales needs to stay ahead of the curve. Too often, brands wait until a marketing strategy is already being used by their competitors before they start considering trend adoption, and that means always being one step behind your rivals. The more out of date you are on the latest and most effective marketing trends, the more that you are limiting your potential. While chatbots, video marketing, and voice searches were the major trends of 2019, here are the marketing trends of 2020 that you don’t want to ignore if you’re going to stay ahead of your competitors and customers.

Social Commerce

The priority for brands that use social media used to mean finding methods for driving website traffic. As social media, in particular, Facebook, continues to punish links that lead away from the platform, this was an issue with no obvious solutions. However, with the development of shoppable posts on Instagram and Snapchat, it is now easier than ever to make sales while expanding your social reach, and this needs to be a priority for anyone that sells online.

Nano-Influencers

Long gone are the days where brands had to be big to take advantage of social influencers. Now, those smaller social media accounts with only a few thousand followers bring an authenticity to your brand that has always been a real challenge to achieve organically. There are pros and cons to using influencers, but by making smart choices about who you align yourself with, you can make influencers of all sizes work hard for your brand and your engagement rates.

Data and Analytics

One of the big trends in the coming decade is going to be the analysis of big data for a more aware business. Even small, local businesses should be using their analytics to guide their marketing, with a wide range of valuable marketing analytics software available. If you are still trying to improve your marketing without a better idea of what works and what doesn’t, then you are working blindly. Start using your data now, and by the end of 2020, your business will be in a much stronger position.

Niche Social Media

Amid constant controversy and shady practices, the major social media platforms are seeing a high number of businesses choosing to take their online presence elsewhere. While it might be terrifying to consider abandoning your Facebook pages, the fact is that there are alternative social channels that might prove more valuable, especially as the rates of Facebook deletion continue to rise. Look at:

  • Snapchat
  • Pinterest
  • Medium
  • Reddit

As consumers and brands start becoming more aware of data privacy and personal information, platforms like Ello and Mastodon could be the way forward. Start building a presence there now so that when consumers arrive, you are better placed.

Marketing is not something that a business can ignore, but far too many brands fail to prioritize keeping up with the latest trends. Of course, marketing in the digital age means being aware of the basics, such as SEO and the value of content. However, by staying ahead of where consumers and competitors are going to be in the future, you make it easier to position yourself as a leader in your sector and a brand that consumers can trust.