Digital marketing has become an essential part of every brand's marketing strategy to connect and build a presence across its target audience. Moreover, it is constantly changing with technological advancement and innovation. As we step into a new decade, let us take a look at the digital marketing trends shaping the online marketing world in time to come.

The growing popularity of social media influencers

Influencer marketing has been a popular digital marketing trend for some years. Now at a stage where it has grown to become a preferred and viable medium to build a network, big-shot influencers are thriving on this business model. Not just that, with a massive follower base, all types of brands include them as a part of their digital marketing strategy to reach out and engage with a large customer base. Social media influence is now considered a commodity. Whether the brand is a big brand or small, it is ready to leverage the power of the massive followers count that influencers bring with them. 2020 is expected to see a steady rise in popularity of influencer marketing.

Streaming Video Ad Engagement & Vlogging taking 2020 by storm

According to IAB's 2019's Video Ad Spend Report, video ad streaming has been a must in 2019, and this trend is likely to continue in 2020. Digital budgets increased by about 25 percent over a year due to a rise in customer viewing habits.

Online viewers have a higher attention span to both ads and content when viewing educational videos. Also, videos on social networks, website, live videos on Facebook Live and Instagram Live have a viewership 3x longer than videos that aren't live.

As discussed above, videos especially live, engage a broader audience as compared to other mediums. Thus, this explains the unstoppable success of channels such as YouTube, Instagram Stories and Snapchat, video blogs.

Vlogs get an edge over other types of video content such as short films and explainer videos due to their ability to connect with audiences directly. The tone is direct and addressed to the viewer, thereby creating a more personal and direct connection with the viewers. Video marketing and vlogs continue to grow and diversify globally. It's time 2020 gave due importance to video ads and vlogs for digital marketing purposes.

Interactive content & emails

According to experts, ninety-one percent of consumers search for more interactive content online. And, keeping this concept in focus, the year 2020 is likely to move its focus towards offering them what they want. AR/VR, quizzes, 360-degree videos, etc.are just some of the many examples of interactive content online.

Email marketing is still one of the best channels in the digital marketing domain. However, it is seen that the ROI is slowing down. Instead, to letting it go, digital marketers are revamping it with a whole new approach and look. There is a swift decline in plain-text emails and newsletters. They are being replaced with vibrant, pixel-perfect emails that look attractive and interactive. Started in 2019 and continuing into 2020, emails crafted for this purpose not only look but also function like web pages, having clickable links and interactions to improve conversations.

Other social media channels taking the stage

Facebook, despite its popularity and high earnings, shows a decline in revenues. Similarly, Twitter too, is becoming stagnant. Even though they remain to be a part of some of the essential digital marketing tools, alternative social media channels are growing at a fast pace. Social media channels such as Pinterest, Medium, Snapchat and Reddit are the new space for marketers to interact and engage while connecting their brand to millions.

Content Experiences shape Content Marketing st rategies

Content experiences are the perfect mix of content with context. Why this is important if you ask? It is because; every piece of content shared online is similar to sharing an experience with the audience. It can either be a good one or a bad one depending upon various elements like design, placement, environment and more.

For example, let us consider Coca-cola's campaign - 'Share a Coke' that began in 2011 and continues till today. Consumers can easily personalize their bottles with their or someone else's name on it. This not only created a fun element but also connected with the consumers. The campaign went viral, and people began sharing their photos with their personalized bottles.

In simpler terms, the content experience is focusing on the whole user experience when consumers engage with the content. Thus, while devising their 2020 digital marketing strategy, marketers will think holistically and plan an engaging brand experience for the consumers.

One of the biggest game-changers of 2020 for the digital marketing field will be emerging technologies. From 5G technologies to new developments in AI, and a string of connected devices, all these will transform the way consumers engage with any sort of content. Thus, what will be interesting to watch will be that the 2020 digital marketing trends will be both quite human as well as mechanical. Even though the focus will be on connecting with audiences on a human level, the mode will be that of automation. Thus, let us wait and watch how this paradox will shape the digital marketing landscape in 2020.