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To quote the late baseball hall of fame player Yogi Berra, “The future ain’t what it used to be.”
Here are some predictions for the future of digital marketing in the year 2020 and beyond from some thought leaders I polled, plus a few of my own prognostications.
Here are predictions from Elena Filimonova, senior vice president of global marketing of the 7,500-person, New York City-based IT services firm CGS:
1. The Importance Of Influencers Will Increase. “B2C brands have become dependent on influencers as a way to engage with online customers,” says Filimonova. “While some B2B brands have jumped on this bandwagon, B2B marketers should focus on a different type of influencer in 2020: Their immediate network. Partners, customers and employees will become an even more essential part of a brand’s marketing strategy, as technology buyers are becoming more reliant on their peer network for solution knowledge.
2. Peer Reviews will Be Even More Important. “A recent consumer report from Edelman found 77% of consumers surveyed say peer reviews are either deal-breakers or deciding factors in their brand-buying decisions,” says Filimonova. “As B2B marketers look to mirror the B2C approach in 2020 and attract high-paying enterprise clients, trust becomes increasingly important – from both the peer-to-peer network perspective and the growing influencer demographic.”
3. Soliciting Online Reviews Will Become Even More Important. The B2B technology community trusts one source of information over anything else – their peers. “A recent study found that 60% of enterprise technology buyers use online reviews to identify new solutions,” says Filimonova. “Many B2B technology buyers rely on internal forums that are moderated by users, allowing them to ask questions and share real-life feedback. To encourage your customers participate, ask them for feedback at the point they are most compelled to leave it.”
4. Marketers Should Focus On The Positive. “Entice employee stakeholders to share their experiences on peer-to-peer platforms,” says Filmonova. “Educate them on the best practices for using social platforms. Encourage them to connect to each other on social – the more they see what their colleagues are doing, the more likely they are to join the conversation.”
5. External Influencers Won’t Be Forgotten. “But B2B companies should re-evaluate how they are engaging with them,” says Filimonova. “Just like with employees, give influencers content they want to be associated with. This may require asking them to comment on the results of proprietary industry surveys your company conducted. Another way is to invite the influencer to join a webinar panel to create a relevant audience. Influencers are looking for brands to help boost their professional profiles.”
Here are predictions from digital growth marketing expert and speaker Lisa Apolinski, owner of 3 Dog Write in Phoenix, who I met last year when she asked me to help edit her book Weathering the Digital Storm. Recently I asked her for some 2020 forecasts and here are three points she made:
6. Expect Tighter Looks At Marketing Budgets. “With an impending economic recession and political uncertainty, companies will look at how they are spending their dollars on service-related items,” says Apolinski. “Because of this, companies will be more critical and discerning of what service agencies are brought in, including talking to past clients and looking at consistent thought leadership.”
7. Prospects Will Scream Liar Liar. “Potential customers are becoming more distrustful of what they read in the digital space, and rightly so,” says Apolinski. “Companies need to show consistent and truthful communication. If there is any misalignment or inconsistency (or something that seems off), prospects will discover it and make sure others know too.”
8. Always Be Humble And Kind. “Communication that brings in compassion and humility will be able to cut through the digital noise to touch and inspire audiences,” says Apolinski.
Here are two of my marketing predictions:
9. Client Attraction Chain Reaction. Let me repeat myself, not because I have forgotten what I said last year, but because I want you to remember. For attracting high-paying clients, marketers will quit looking for the silver bullet and focus on a whole marketing approach. The focus will be on articulation of outcomes, results, and alignment. Articulation is everything.
10. Budgets Will Get More Prioritized. Winter is coming, although the economic winter that was predicted has been delayed. Who knows, maybe the good times will stay with us until after the election.
The digital marketing future will reward those who seize the day. Nobody can control the future, we only control our response.
