Author: Gabriela Streza, Business Development Director, Valoria

Technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, so some of these trends in digital marketing are concentrated around technology. However, there is also a direction against increasing the digitization and automation of interactions between brands and consumers, but for everything that can make marketing more human again. Although technologies such as artificial intelligence and data-driven marketing will certainly be major trends in 2020, the main focus will be on people, not technology.

1. Customer experience

2020 will be the year dedicated to customer experience. Why? Because there is a massive shift in beliefs about what marketing is really about. The times came when marketing was persuasive because companies were trying to convince people to buy or work for them.

The focus is now on providing excellent customer experiences that will make them want to return. In a sense, when business people focus on providing excellent products and services, coupled with a wow experience, marketing is done by itself.

Increasing the quantity and quality of online content has given consumers more power. So, through marketing, brands have to offer something more than information. According to global studies, 73% of consumers say that their experience with a brand is an important factor in buying decisions, but only 49% of consumers say that brands offer a good experience.

In other words, in 2020 the customer experience must be taken into account in every aspect of the marketing strategy. In this way, companies will be able to provide an excellent experience to retain their customers and attract new ones.

2. Employee involvement

If the excellent customer experience is a priority for companies, how can they ensure that they offer it systematically? The answer, of course, is through their employees. Studies in the field show that 46% of customers will give up a brand if its employees are not competent, and the bad attitude of the employees is the number one factor that prevents customers from doing business with a company.

Employees are the human face of the brand promise, so customer focus should be an essential part of the marketing strategy. Companies should focus on building strong employee involvement and that each employee understands and is aligned with the brand's mission and values. Therefore, achieving a high level of employee involvement is the first and most important step in improving customer experiences.

3. Visual content

Neuroscience research has shown for 30 years that people prefer visual content. Just look at the growth of users of image-focused platforms - Pinterest and Instagram - to see the evidence of this.

Google, Pinterest and a few other companies are also investing in visual search technology. Images are already returned in 19% of Google searches, and 62% of millennials say they are more interested in visual search than any other new technology.

Images are easier to remember than written content. Adding visuals, infographics, images and videos to text not only makes it more interesting and attractive, it also helps to keep the message even better.

4. Customize the content

Today's consumers are flooded with marketing messages coming from many channels and many have begun to select them. Traditional advertising is constantly losing its effectiveness. In this context, personalized marketing messages create a real connection between a brand and its target market.

According to a survey conducted by Epsilon, 80% of consumers say they want to interact with a brand that offers a personalized experience.

Marketing personalization is no longer limited to automatically changing the recipient's name in newsletters. The new technology, based on artificial intelligence, increasing the number of data collection points on customer behaviours and developments in social media, has made hyper-personalization possible, from content strategies to offering product recommendations.

5. Marketing becomes strategic

To be successful in 2020, companies will need to reflect on how they do marketing and correlate everything with the company's development strategy. Marketing objectives must align with the overall business objectives.

Strategic marketing positioning describes the process by which a business that operates without a strategic marketing plan evolves by changing its fundamental business processes and procedures, achieving the alignment of marketing objectives with business objectives.

Such a process helps companies to improve their services and customer experience, strengthen their brand reputation and increase their revenues and profits.

Companies can gain these benefits by improving the way they collect customer data, using technology and automation intelligently, building customer relationships, publishing quality content and improving their online presence. All of these things are part of the basic strategy that influences every department and every employee in the company, not just the marketing ones.

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About the author

Gabriela Streza has over 15 years of experience in marketing and business development teams of major multinational companies and family businesses in Romania, leaders in their fields of activity. Gabriela graduated from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest and has solid expertise in marketing, communication, and business development during hundreds of successfully managed projects Gabriela also has a broad knowledge of public relations and high-quality professional communication in interpersonal communications, organizations and event management to generate awareness of the company's brand and business development. In recent years he has coordinated complex marketing and business development projects involving Romanian entrepreneurs, non-profit associations and multinational companies.

About Valoria

Valoria Business Solutions is a company providing training, consulting and executive coaching services. The company's mission is to transform the potential of teams and organizations into value. Competence, confidence, innovation, and passion are the values that sustain us in everything we do. We believe in people, in their aspiration for personal and professional fulfilment, and their willingness to accelerate their potential.  Learn more about us at: www.valoria.ro