The modern consumer is far different from the consumer of the past. They like to feel control over their contact with companies and desire a personal touch. As a result, the shift from outbound marketing efforts to inbound marketing efforts will continue to intensify as 2020 begins.
Fortunately, many of the biggest inbound marketing trends are accessible for businesses of all sizes. Here are the top inbound marketing trends your small business can use in 2020.
Email Lifecycle Marketing
Email marketing may not be as effective as it once was, but it can still be a powerful tool in your inbound marketing arsenal. To get the best possible results from this approach, consider adding lifecycle marketing triggers to your email flows.
Top inbound marketing agencies are capitalizing on AI integrations to get a better idea of their target customers’ position within the customer lifecycle. With smart integrations, businesses can send reminder emails that inform customers of sales on products they like, abandoned carts, and time-based triggers to reduce churn.
Start 2020 by investigating the smart capabilities of your eCRM platform to determine if email lifecycle marketing is right for your goals.
Voice SEO
Home assistants and voice search is becoming increasingly popular as time goes on. By the end of 2020, it’s expected that 30% of searches conducted will happen without a screen. Furthermore, words like “how” and “what” are becoming more common in searches, as opposed to broken text keywords. This indicates a shift toward speaking in full sentences.
Your business needs to phrase keywords in the form of a question, to optimize for voice SEO. There are plenty of free tools and services to help you with better searches. To enhance this feature, ensure that your Google My Business information is up to date so that your business ranks on local searches.
Shoppable Posts
The social media landscape is always evolving. In 2020, one of the top social media trends will be shoppable posts. Now, when consumers see a product post that they like, they no longer have to click through a link in the seller’s bio. Instead, they can click the product within the image and get redirected directly to the sales page.
This inbound marketing strategy drastically reduces customer friction, increasing conversions. It’s a simple shift that can yield significant results, especially in partnerships with influencers.
Targeting SERP Position Zero
Over the past decade, achieving the first position on a SERP has been the holy grail of inbound marketing. Now, position zero trumps all.
Position zero is the snippet that appears at the top of the page, above position one. The beauty of this position is that your page can be number four on an SERP but still hold position zero, circumventing the other top contenders.
To target position zero, your content should be crafted to answer questions. Use H2 headliners and list formats with the goal of sharing information quickly and efficiently to your target customers.
Social Listening and Analysis
Social listening an analysis has long played a role in politics. In 2020 and the decade following, more marketers will be using this strategy to get a better idea of how their brand is perceived by the world. Furthermore, they’ll use smart tools to analyze the tone in which they speak to their audience.
Not only will social listening give your business a better idea of how effective your strategies are, but it also provides other valuable insights. For example, highlighting previously unexplored opportunities or tracking growth.
Tips for 2020 Inbound Marketing
To reach your 2020 business goals, having the right inbound marketing tools is paramount. Combined with an effective strategy, these tips for the new year can help you set your business up for success in the next decade.