Is Your 2020 Marketing Plan Keeping Up With Technology?

By Kayla, Account Executive / Communications Specialist | November 11, 2019

We know – it’s hard to keep up with the constant emergence of new trends and new technology. But as you finalize your 2020 marketing plan, you should at least be aware of new ways to optimize technology and make the most of every opportunity. Here are some of our recommendations.

What to Know About SERP Position Zero

It’s official. Being number one doesn’t matter to Google anymore. There’s a new high-ranking spot…position zero. Search engine results page (SERP) position zero is an automated snippet of text that shows up right before the search results. Google has been experimenting with SERP position zero since 2014. It’s here to stay, especially since it provides users with the exact information they need without having to scroll or even click:

In 2020, marketers will need to shift their focus from ranking first in Google searches to leveraging position zero. SERP position zero affects both SEO and SEM efforts. Not only does the featured snippet appear before organic Google search results, but Adwords as well.

According to recent data from Jumpshot, more than 50 percent of search results in Google are now zero-clicks, meaning that users no longer feel the need to leave the Google results page to find what they need. This trend is greatly affecting the traffic from Google to websites. Who needs to visit another website when Google is providing you with the exact answer you need without even scrolling? As a result, more and more keywords are becoming less profitable.

Most of the time the information pulled for the automated snippet is pulled from a website that is already on the first page of Google. However, it’s still not clear how Google chooses who gets that coveted spot. So, the real question is, how do we optimize our content to rank zero? That’s a question a lot of marketers will be trying to answer in 2020.

Is Your Content Interactive?

It’s not news to us that most people prefer visual content over just text copy. Forbes reported that 91% of consumers are seeking more visual and interactive content. For example, live videos keep audiences watching three times longer than pre-recorded videos. The daily watch time for Facebook Live videos has quadrupled in the last year, and they produce six times the interactions as pre-recorded videos.

For 2020, consider incorporating more visually appealing and interactive content in your marketing mix:

• Facebook Live videos
• Instagram Story polls or quizzes
• Webinars
• Assessments
• Interactive maps
• 360/VR videos
• AR apps/tools

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) content continue to be a popular tool for businesses to offer experiences to their consumers, but AR is nosing ahead of VR. What’s the difference? Essentially, with VR users see something that is generated for them by a computer; AR adds elements that aren’t physically there into the user’s environment. For example, consumers can now see their Amazon purchases in their home:

Another example of interactive content we’re seeing from retailers is shoppable posts. According to a recent article from Forbes, 72% of Instagram users have made purchases on the app and 70% of Pinterest users go to the social platform to find new products. Thankfully for e-commerce stores, these social networks, as well as Facebook, have created shoppable posts to entice users to buy directly from social media posts.

Check out this great article on how to optimize your Instagram with shoppable posts and consider incorporating them into your content marketing strategy for 2020.

Consider Smart Speakers + Voice Search

In March of 2019, TechCrunch reported that over a quarter of US adults (66.4 million people) owned a smart speaker, typically an Amazon Echo. With the rise in smart speakers and voice search, marketers are scrambling to find ways to leverage these devices. Something called a ‘branded skill’ is a great way to advertise to consumers on smart speakers without being too salesy.

Right now, if you tell Alexa to “Ask Patrón for a cocktail recipe,” she will respond with a list of possible recipes. According to Digiday, Patrón gets more than 6,000 queries a month for its Alexa skill. It’s easy to see why consumers respond well to this type of advertising – it’s actually helpful.

Advertising on smart speakers is a tall task, however, optimizing for voice search is an easier way to meet the rising popularity of smart speakers. Google stated that 20 percent of all Google search queries happen through voice search. Also, Thrive Analytics reported that 71 percent of all mobile users between the ages of 18 and 29 use voice assistants on their smartphones.

Neil Patel, an SEO and digital marketing guru, recommends making your keywords and phrases more conversational and longer. See more tips from Neil in his blog post here and get started!

We’ll Help You Adapt

As we enter a new decade with new trends, new technology and a new type of consumer, marketers must adapt. It’s time to add these tools to your marketing toolbelt. Contact us for a free consultation for your 2020 marketing strategy.