This time of the year, everyone with a business-focused blog, podcast or YouTube channel puts out predictions for next year’s biggest trends. I’ve read and listened to the marketing-related roundups out there so far and it dawned on me that most of us are missing the whole point.
While there’s truth to the most popular trends (like “Organic reach on Facebook & Instagram will continue to go down, so ad spend dollars on these platforms will go through the roof!”, or “Video is the next big thing!”, or “This is the year for virtual reality!”), none of them are helpful when taken out of context.
Questions that you might have when thinking about your own marketing could be something like:
What new channel or social platform should we allocate a bit more of our budget to in 2020?
Is voice search really something my local business should be concerned about?
My local TV and print media reps are increasingly cutting me deals on spots and insertions, should I put less value into this kind of advertising?
All great questions.
But the answers to all of them is, “it depends.”
What a typical thing for a marketer to say, I know. But that’s just how it is. The right answer for you is dependent on the context of your business.
Instead of trends and predictions, I’m going to take you through some marketing truths that have real implications on your business today, whatever your business may be. Hopefully, this added context can give you some insight into how much energy to put towards specific tactics in 2020. More importantly, it’ll help you determine if you even should in the first place.
Marketing is changing faster than it ever has.
What worked to connect customers and businesses two years ago is quickly becoming less relevant, while most of us are still doing the same old thing we’ve always done. At the same time, it’s unreasonable to think you can just dive into the next big thing head first. Still, if you’re realizing what you used to do may not be working so well anymore and you’re curious about how to adapt, you’re on the right track. Here’s why.
4 Marketing Truths for 2020:
Your customer has never been more in control of their relationship with you.
It’s estimated that consumers are bombarded with around 4,000 ads, products, and brand messages daily. That’s a lot! But it’s also made us very good at being able to tune out messages that we’re not interested in or find relevant. In fact, 47% of people now take the extra step of intentionally tuning out by installing ad blockers so they never see your ads in the first place. Makes sense, especially when you think about how so many banner ads, pop-ups, and pre-roll video ads interrupt the experience of what people are actually trying to watch, read, and engage with. Frustrating!
Wouldn’t it be better if the thing your customers are watching, reading, engaging with comes from you instead of being interrupted by you?
Advertising shouldn’t be the bulk of your budget, but investing in how you communicate with your customers and what you create to put in front of them (online especially) should be.
If we know that consumers are increasingly become wary of advertising and that people are spending an average 6+ hours per day on the internet, the key is to understand how you fit into that time and that you don’t spend that time selling.
For example, while most of us understand that being on social media platforms is essential for a business today, we’re still using them to push what we’re selling. The point of social media is not to publish little mini ads on a daily basis. It’s about creating conversation and providing value. Humanizing your brand. Invest in ways to make your business more visible when people in your area start searching for something you’ve got a solution for. Stop thinking about what you want to tell your customers in all these different ways and start thinking about who they are, how they’ll find you, and how you can help them see that you’re the choice for them because you’ve invested in gaining their trust.
You have to prove yourself worthy of your customers’ attention before they ever have the opportunity to experience you.
Here’s the thing. Because of the Internet and how much we use our phones, and because of how much further your customers’ opinions reach today, we’re at a point where 2/3 of our “marketing” is out of our hands. They’re telling their friends about you in all kinds of new ways, which in an increasingly loud world, is one of the only remaining sources that is trusted. You can influence their experience when they’re in your store, restaurant, or in how you conduct business, but if you don’t reinforce it online and in all the places that people are when they hear about you, it’s going to be harder and harder for you to get them to give you a shot.
Your brand is literally everything.
How do people feel about your business when they interact with you? We live in such a fast paced world that we forget that what happens after the transaction is as important as what comes before it. It’s the whole experience. You will never be the only person/business that sells what you’re selling. The “what” is also never the thing that people are buying, and definitely not if they’re buying from you over a lifetime. It’s the “why” and all the other less tangible pieces that add up to a positive experience that matter. Those are the things they’ll come back for and what they want to tell others about.
We know this probably isn’t the best news you got today.
Guess that’s why they say that sometimes, the truth hurts. We hear you… things used to be easier!
Even 5 years ago, it was infinitely more simple to acquire customers and keep the ones you already have. But… there is a silver lining, as there always is.
When we no longer have the luxury of doing everything to capture the attention of our customers, we’re forced to narrow our focus and convey only that which absolutely differentiates us from competitors, resonates and connects on a human level. The good news is, you’re probably already doing this in your interactions every day. Make 2020 the year you extend these actions beyond your four walls!
Next year, we’ll be forced to be more intentional and efficient in how we communicate. We’ll have to show up at all stages of the customer journey and help them along so that when they buy, they buy from us. It won’t be easy. This is a longterm game and we’ll have to commit to it every single day. But it’ll be worth it. Once it clicks for you and you’ve figured it out, you’ll have those customers for life and you’ll be way ahead of the game.
