5 Bold Changes To Look Out For In 2020

We can’t believe that 2020 is just a few days away. However, as the new year approaches us, it’s always fun to research predicted trends, or changes that will happen in the upcoming year.

So, what’s next in the world of digital marketing? We came up with five bold changes you might want to keep an eye on.

1. Instagram officially removes likes.

You might have heard the buzz around this last month when Instagram announced they were expanding their test to the United States. So far, we haven’t seen this change on any accounts we manage, but we’re ready for it.

Instagram has tested the removal of likes in several countries before it hit the United States. According to most headlines, it’s because of mental health reasons. However, many marketers, like us, believe it’s more of a PR spin. Instagram needed to find a way to take back control of influencer ad dollars.

Think about it. When influencers like Kylie Jenner get paid a million dollars per paid post or even when micro-influencers get paid $100 per post, this activity is happening on Instagram’s platform, and they don’t see the direct-to-influencer dollars.

By removing likes, this shifts the power back to Instagram. Marketers who want to measure the impact of a campaign will either have to run Instagram ads and/or pay an influencer.

Now, this doesn’t mean that influencer marketing will go away; it just means the risk of overpaying an influencer increases while running Instagram ads becomes the safer and more analytical choice.

2. Consumer Privacy

We’re sure many of you will agree that this is a pretty big one. In 2020, a lot will be changing around privacy.

The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) have reaffirmed the need for businesses to think more about privacy when handling details about its customers. Marketers will be required to think carefully about how they use cookies when advertising products.

How are marketers going to address this changing landscape? To comply with the new regulations, there is going to be an increasing number of marketers prioritizing privacy.

For more than just compliance reasons, privacy is going to be a great incentive; marketers will use privacy to put customers at the center of everything they do.

This change will emphasize the 1st Party Data collection and will improve the list of 3rd Parties equipped to manage the data used to inform strategy and navigate upcoming digital marketing trends.

In addition to rethinking data management, marketers and martech companies will have to look for alternatives to the ‘tried and true’ usage of tracking cookies. In 2014, awaiting the ‘crumbling cookie,’ the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) established a working group of technology experts to rethink data transparency and privacy controls. The result of these discussions has urged investment into things like advertising IDs (as used across Google and Apple ecosystems) and 3rd Party software solutions that include device-based statistical identification and universal login.

As more information about how Consumer Privacy is changing in 2020 comes out, be sure to check back with us. We’ll be staying updated and keeping you informed as well.

3. Google Ads Smart Bidding

Digital marketers are already familiar with automation, but now Google has announced Google Ads updates that will possibly lead to automation and smart bidding becoming the new norm.

Google Ads makes use of machine learning to optimize your bids. This will give marketers several new abilities to help maximize conversions, including:

The ability to choose a conversion action at the campaign level
Being able to set your bids to change automatically when sales start or stop
Having the ability to optimize bids over multiple campaigns with a chosen set of conversion actions

Anybody else think this change will make their lives just a little bit easier? Just keep in mind, while there are a lot of new trends to keep your eyes on, it doesn’t entirely mean the old methods are outdated.

4. Google Incorporates Social Into Its Search

We have already covered this bold change in our last blog post…but hey, we’re including it here, so it must be important, right?

Since 2014, Google has denied the impact of search results from social media. However, since then, studies have shown a positive correlation between rankings and social engagement. SEO experts believe that Google is planning on incorporating social media into its algorithm…and we agree.

Especially with Google being granted patent 9632972, which identifies “influence in a social community,” and it shows a process of how social media influencer scores are calculated and explains how this score will be stored in association with a particular user.

In 2020, we believe we’ll start seeing a “social index” starting to personalize search engines result pages.

5. Gen Z – Talking to Them on Their Own Terms

Last but not least, those of us in marketing will be welcoming marketers’ latest consumer group, Generation Z. This group will consist of those born just after the turn of the century are now turning 18 and entering the workforce. This source even claims Generation Z will make up 40% of all consumers in 2020.

Marketing to Gen Z means changing the way you stylize your content. The youngest market is the quirkiest, with tastes that may seem weird to those of you that are more familiar to marketing to Boomers or Generation X.

If Gen Z is one of your top markets, here are a few of their universal values to keep in mind:

Authenticity—having grown up online in the era of misinformation, Gen Z are very sensitive to authenticity and can detect phonies a mile away—avoid overly promotional approaches and opt for transparency instead.
Privacy—concerns about privacy rank highly among Gen Z, so respecting their data will earn you more than using it against them.
Diversity—the most diverse generation yet appreciates that diversity reflected in the videos and images they see online.
Sense of humor—Gen Z humor has been described as “absurdist” and other less-polite euphemisms, so if you don’t get it… you might want to hire someone who does.

Marketers note the commonalities between Gen Z and Millennials, but as the Gen Z market grows over the next few years, expect more divisive differences to surface.

6. Creating More Opportunities for Video

Okay, you caught us, we know we said Five Bold Changes but since we like you so much we decided to add a surprise with a sixth bold change…Using More Video in your digital marketing strategy.

As we mentioned in an earlier blog post, in 2020, video will make up over 85% of all consumer internet traffic in the U.S.

And if you still don’t believe us that this trend is going to be crucial to your digital marketing strategy, here are a few more stats to help convince you.

Studies show that 54%of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support (HubSpot, 2018, and 73%of consumers claim that they have been influenced by a brand’s social media presence when making a purchasing decision. (Social Video Marketer Trends 2018)
Video marketers get 66%more qualified leads per year (Optinmonster, 2019).
72%of people would rather use video to learn about a product or service (Wyzowl, 2018).
Viewers are 95%more likely to remember a call to action after watching a video, compared to 10 percent when reading it in text format (Forbes, 2017).

So, Are You Officially Ready for Digital Marketing in 2020?

There’s going to be a lot going on in 2020. These upcoming trends are, paradoxically, both more human and more mechanical.

In general, it seems like digital marketing is going in the direction of more personal relationships (which we have seen this some in 2019) with more targeted niches. However, the means of making those connections rely on automation, new technology, and fully emerging yourself in these trends. The core of digital marketing remains the same; getting people what they want, when, and where they want it, and the 2020 technology is just opening new doors to get there.

Here at Jubilant Digital Marketing, we continue to stay updated on the latest digital trends and changes, we specialize in multiple areas of digital marketing and are here to help businesses be successful with their digital marketing efforts. If you would like some expert knowledge and help with your digital marketing strategy, contact us!