7 Digital Marketing Resolutions for 2020 - Warm Thoughts Communications
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7 Digital Marketing Resolutions for 2020

Posted on December 17, 2019

It’s that time of year again – the holidays are coming to a close and its time to set those lofty resolutions for the new year. But instead of the same old, tired New Year’s resolutions – getting in shape, saving more money, eating healthier, etc. – how about setting some goals for your digital marketing?

With seemingly constant breakthroughs in technology and an increased emphasis on mobile devices, marketing has changed more in the past five years than in the last 50. And with digital ad spend projected to reach over $375 billion by 20211, this rapid progress and rate of change shows no sign of slowing down.

Today’s consumers now rely on digital channels to research, shop and find product and service recommendations more than ever before. And with the landscape constantly evolving to meet these demands, what once proved effective may not deliver the same results in the digital world.

After all, a new decade calls for some new (and improved) resolutions.

  1. Appeal to new (and younger!) audiences with video content
    For years now, you’ve heard “video marketing is coming,” and seen the stats of just how huge of an impact its projected to have. But now, as we head into the new decade, video is here – and it’s one of, if not the most important marketing trends today. With over half of consumers reporting that watching videos makes them more confident in online purchase decisions3, it’s become clear that video is by far the most popular way consumers want to learn about new products.

    And it’s not just consumers who love video – Google does too! As a matter of fact, if your site includes video, its 53x more likely to get a first page spot in the search engine results4. It makes sense – video improves SEO, which therefore boosts a business’ ranking.

    The bottom line is this: marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users5. And with the industry set to continually get tougher in the new decade, this is revenue you can’t afford to miss out on!

    BONUS: Use live-video to your advantage
    As videos have exploded as a marketing trend over the past few years, live videos have gained increasing popularity. More and more businesses of all sizes across various industries are taking advantage of live video to conduct interviews, show product and service demos, and provide behind-the-scenes glimpses of life at the office, whether it be introducing team members or celebrating company events like a holiday party, outing, birthday, or work anniversary.

    Much like video, this growth shows no sign of slowing down. In just one year, the daily watch time for Facebook Live videos has quadrupled – and they now produce six times as many interactions as regular videos6. As today’s consumers value doing business with other people as opposed to faceless companies, live videos’ unedited nature makes them that much more genuine, appealing and entertaining. Consider going live at a local community event you’re involved in, a street fair, or even a home show or expo. Whatever the event, grab a camera (or a smartphone) and get filming!

  2. Adopt a mobile-first mentality
    Speaking of video…over half of all video content is now viewed on mobile devices. What’s more, 92% of mobile video viewers then go on to share these videos with others5. See the trend here?

    In 2020, it’s no longer enough to just be optimized for mobile – you need to be mobile-first. With so much at stake, its essential that you design all marketing materials with the growing mobile audience top of mind. Whether it be desktop, laptop, tablet or any other smartphone or new device on the market, your marketing materials all need to work toward a common goal – deliver a seamless, exceptional user experience in order to better assist through the sales cycle. And the results will certainly be worthwhile – mobile ad campaigns are now five times more effective than traditional digital ads1.

  3. If you’re not already doing so, embrace live chat
    In today’s hustle and bustle of the digital world, nobody likes to wait – and this is especially true of your customers. And while you may be readily available to provide any information during your hours of operation, your customers questions and requests for information are not limited to these same hours. As a matter of fact, we analyzed hourly traffic of our clients’ websites over the course of 1 month and found that on average, 36% of total traffic occurs outside of business hours. That’s a sizeable amount of traffic that you simply cannot afford to ignore.

    While the overall quality of your products and services offerings is ultimately the number one factor of a successful business, the accessibility and convenience of its customer service is shaping up to be a very close second. With this in mind, it is no surprise why live chat has become such an important and integral tool in today’s digital world. With instant access to salespeople and support staff, live chat is hands down the preferred method of communication for online shoppers, boasting the highest satisfaction rate of all other methods. Yet, despite this overwhelming preference, a recent study of 1,000 websites found that only 9% of websites are currently using live chat to offer 24/7 support to their customers and web visitors2. This presents a huge opportunity in 2020 – and the companies that can better assist their customers round-the-clock will ultimately be the most successful.

  4. Dominate changing SEO algorithms with content marketing
    By now you’ve probably heard the popular saying, “content is king.” And for good reason – it’s true! As we move into 2020, the reality is that the more content you have, the more time people are going to spend on your site. Regularly posting blogs, videos, articles and case studies not only positions your company as the local industry expert, but also gives your web visitors something worth sticking around to read or watch (and in all likeliness – come back for more of). And while we don’t know much about Google’s ever-changing algorithms, we do know that time spent on site is one of Google’s key indexing factors. One of the most inexpensive marketing tactics, content marketing boasts conversion rates 6x higher than other methods10. As Google continues to value well-researched, regularly updated articles, content marketing is going to remain a must for 2020.
  5. Integrate an omni-channel approach to your marketing strategy
    While you may have never heard of the term ‘omni-channel marketing,’ chances are you’ve already done it in some capacity. And you’re going to want to do a lot more of it in 2020! Omni-channel marketing is all about giving your audience a complete multi-channel experience by leveraging multiple platforms (such as social media, blogs, videos, and other digital content).

    For example, if your company has a new YouTube video – it doesn’t just start and end there when you post it. You can have the audio transcribed to create an accompanying blog post or article, upload the video to Facebook for expanded reach, rip the audio to be used as a podcast, or even link to the video in your email marketing efforts to generate more clicks. It’s all about presenting a seamless, consistent voice and message across all mediums linked in one all-encompassing strategy.

  6. Grow your local customer base with geo-fencing
    Local optimization is nothing new – an extremely valuable tool, it gives businesses the ability to rank high in local searches. And as a propane, heating oil, or HVAC-related business, that’s exactly where your best prospects and customers are – local. As we approach the new decade, expect to see an increase here – especially in geo-fencing, as this market is expected to reach $2.2 billion by 202311, largely thanks to the increasing use of mobile devices.

    A location-based service, geo-fencing allows businesses to engage their target audience(s) by sending relevant messages and ads to devices within a pre-defined location or geographic area. It all starts with selecting a desired location, and then building boundaries to denote the targeted area. This designated area can then detect and communicate with any mobile devices that enter the set boundaries. For example, setting a geo-fence around the area of a home improvement store is a great way to capture the attention and interest of local homeowners in that area.

    While today’s customers are constantly on-the-go, they always have their smartphones with them, which are their go-to sources for researching products and services before buying them. And with location-specific digital ad campaigns proving to be more than 20x more effective than traditional banner ads1, there is no better time to start applying geo-fencing to your digital strategy.

  7. Leverage user-generated content to drive engagement
    With today’s consumers trusting other people over brands, more and more businesses are turning to user-generated content to tap into the millennial and Gen Z markets. Whether it be as simple as a blog comment or testimonial, or in the form of a blog post, image, or video created by a user, encouraging your audience to generate their own content (you can offer an incentive if need be), not only increases engagement rates, but smashes conversion rates as well.

    As a matter of fact, in a recent survey, 90% of consumers reported that user-generated content influenced their decision to purchase, while a whopping 97% of consumers between the ages of 18 and 29 reported that it had an extreme influence12. And with the next generation of homeowners falling into this age group, you can’t afford to miss out on this opportunity.

Thanks to innovations over recent years, digital marketing strategies are constantly evolving. If you want to keep ahead of the curve (and competition) its more important than ever to follow the latest trends. And what better time to do so than with the start of a new decade?

Warm Thoughts manages digital campaigns for propane, heating oil, and HVAC-related businesses across the country. Access to proprietary data shows us what works best to create experiences that drive leads and communicate your brand in a way that resonates with customers. Want to see what we can do for your business? Contact us today!


1. https://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/digital-advertising-key-trends-heading-into-2020-02253334
2. https://www.superoffice.com/blog/live-chat-statistics/
3. https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/6-intriguing-stats-why-you-should-implement-video-marketing
4. https://www.brightedge.com/blog/how-to-use-videos-to-generate-seo-results/
5. https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/03/08/video-marketing-statistics
6. https://99firms.com/blog/facebook-live-stats/#gref
7. https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2018/04/10/voice-search-statistics-2018
8. https://voicebot.ai/2017/07/12/60-percent-smart-speaker-owners-use-4-times-per-day/
9. https://99firms.com/blog/voice-search-statistics/#gref
10. https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2017/10/stats-invest-content-marketing/
11. https://ifocusmktg.com/the-importance-of-geofencing-in-2019/
12. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-study-shows-user-generated-content-tops-marketing-tactics-by-influencing-90-percent-of-shoppers-purchasing-decisions-300475348.html


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