Digital marketing trends and innovations change at lightning speed. We could all be obsessed with TikTok by next year.

We may shop on Instagram, or WeChat might rule the world. Although it’s hard to predict the future, here are some trends that we believe will keep us busy over the next 12 months.

Voice marketing: We’re all ears 

Voice is the marketing trend you will be most familiar with in 2020. In 2020, voice will account for around half of all searches.

Voice search has grown in popularity which is good news for marketers. It’s a sophisticated and valuable tool that marketers can add to their arsenal. Voice search offers more insight into the consumer’s mind and mood than text searches. 

Technology for analyzing data is becoming more sophisticated every day. This makes it more likely that customers will find what they are looking for, giving marketers a better understanding of their customers.

Personalized email marketing: The right message at the right time

Personalization will be the buzzword in email marketing for 2020. Brands will start to realize the power of personalized emails, which are sent at the right time, thanks to advanced behavioral technology.

You can send a welcome email with a coupon code or a recommendation for another product if your customer purchases something. These types of timely communications build trust and loyalty and can increase conversions.

It’s automated so it doesn’t take long and is precise to the moment.

Conversational marketing is a great way to market

Nearly every website and the app has a chatbot that is available to answer questions. Conversational marketing will become even more common in the coming year.

Conversational marketing campaigns have a remarkable success rate and can perform as well as email or news feeds up to 80 times better. A chat is perceived as more personable, more human, and less intrusive by the consumer than traditional marketing methods. Consumers can have a conversation with their preferred terms at any time and receive a personalized response.

Brands find that they can gain invaluable insights from their customers through chat. And, since their responses to customers are instantaneous, it makes it easier for them to close the deal much faster.

Omnichannel tracking makes the picture even bigger

Cross-device tracking was one of the most innovative innovations in Google Analytics last year. Marketers could now see the entire user journey in a more detailed way than before, which was only possible with the use of cookies that track users when they switch between mobiles and desktops.

Google’s Web + App feature provides data for both apps and websites in one location, which makes it easier for marketers to see how and where users interact with a brand.

There is still much to be done in user tracking. Although technology is still improving, we are making progress in the area of physical store data collection. Who knows what we will be able to predict for next year?

The nano-influencer: A gift that keeps giving

Brands are now realizing that micro- and nano-influencers can be more valuable than celebrity mega-influencers. This is thanks to their loyal and engaged followers.

This trend is expected to continue for the next year. Businesses will also begin to view the influencers as more than just brand promoter. You will save money on photoshoots, as well as in-house-generated content branded with your brand.

AI is not the future. It’s now the present.

It is there. It knows it. Artificial intelligence is a part of everyday life. Algorithms that monitor our behavior and learn our preferences can influence everything, from our social media feeds to our online purchases. Brands that haven’t yet integrated AI into their digital marketing strategies will this year.

The trend toward visual analytics will also be evident in the coming year. This means that these algorithms will track not only what users say but also what they do with it, what they do with them, and how they wear it.

TikTok is big!

TikTok has seen incredible growth. The free app allows users to create and share videos on mobiles. There are over 500 million users, 1.5 billion downloads, and more than 500 million daily active users.

Brands looking to reach this large audience, which is largely made up of Gen Z-aged people, are starting to consider TikTok as an influencer platform. However, the app does not yet have an advertising revenue model.

It’s a great time to join the board as TikTok has a small number of influencers, which means that there is very little competition.

Shoppable posts and WeChat are the future of commerce

A huge number of people shop on social media. 60% of Instagram users and 70% of Pinterest users (65% and 70%, respectively) use these platforms to search for new products.

Shoppable posts are a big trend. You can click on an item on Instagram to buy it from the seller’s site. Soon, you will be able to pay directly on Instagram.

WeChat is a giant Chinese messaging app with more than one billion active users. This gives us a glimpse into the future of ecommerce. The platform allows retailers to create their online shops by using a customized mini program. Users can shop through a standardized payment method.

It integrates offline data from customers. This may sound scary, but it is coming to a smartphone near your home.