The new decade is here, and as always, a whole lot of new things to think about when it comes to your business. People are inundated with more information than ever before (don't even get me started on the news cycle) and digital marketing is more competitive and challenging then ever. There are a million articles out there filled with a million different trends, but we pulled our faves- things that are top of mind for us and our clients. 
 
Basic marketing truths we’ve held to since school will need to be rethought.
Now that data science techniques can simultaneously make sense of the thousands – or millions, or billions – of data points, we will question concepts as basic as that of “target market.”  
Instead of a handful of “targets”, we will realize our potential consumers represent a constellation of diverse, micro markets, composed of very different people who happen to share a similar need or desire. With all of the data and creativity in our marketing arsenal, the barriers that prevent us from acquiring all audiences that we can responsibly and profitably identify, reach, and convert will be removed.  
 
Creating a personal connection is key
People no longer want to connect with businesses that promote. Instead they want to connect with the owners, team and customers. What we used to share on our personal pages may soon become the content to share on our business pages. Putting a face and authentic voice to your brand are key. Some great ways to capitalize on this trend is to 1. Really understand what your brand stands for, 2. Create content that is truly personalized for your audience 3. Authenticity. Account based marketing is on the rise, and it makes perfect sense with people expecting a more personalized experience.
 
 
The Downgraded Value of Likes, Tweets and Page Views
Likes, follower counts and page views aren't going anywhere — they just won't be a central strategy any longer. The trend to deemphasize basic metrics has existed for some time now. Instagram’s decision to hide likes further pronounced the trend.
The new measurement of reach will be a challenge to predict — how can you assess if people are responding when you start a campaign?
Look for analytics solutions that can correlate metrics to determine behavioral value. Some techniques have long existed — you can review Google Analytics reports to see what traffic arrives consistently. But now data can be exported into tools, allowing calculations on how text is clustered, where social media activity is correlated to sales, and if platform data can be used a variable in a regression model or as part of machine learning experiment.
 
More voice search adoption
Voice search has started to pick-up pace and just as predicted few years ago 50% of online searches will be voice-based in 2020.
 
Beside using smart speakers like Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana or Google Home to answer users questions and play music, brands can leverage these devices to provide voice-service for their customers.
 

 

By now you've probably heard and/or seen the new AdWords UI that Google launched at the end of last year. I'm SO excited about the updates because they both save time and increase reach. Efficiency + effectiveness = Thanks Google! Below are 4 of the updates that will make your marketing life even better. 

1. A/B Testing
A/B testing on AdWords was a big old pain before this update. It usually involved writing multiple campaigns or ad groups and launching new tests. 
The new experience allows you to quickly A/B test search network ads at scale. You can apply copy to thousands of ads easily AND see results if they're statistically significant. 

2. Improved customer matching
Customer matching is one of the most powerful tools that Google offers. The ability to load a customer list and target people when and where they are online is such a great way to drive web traffic. As of late 2017, it's even better. You can now upload files that include things like phone numbers and mailing addresses to even better match to real users. 

3. Custom intent audiences
This might be the most exciting AdWords update. With custom intent audiences you can create even better custom audiences BEYOND affinity and demographic targeting (for the Google Display Network). This works in 2 ways- 1. input data-like keywords, topics and URLs to tell Google what intent related searches or pages showcase buying behavior or 2. let AdWords auto-create an intent audience for you based on machine learning (so cool). What a great way to reach specific audiences with specific messages. #gamechanger

4. Google Surveys 360
What a great way to get feedback from your customers! Super easy to use, super easy to learn what's working with your audience. With Google Surveys 360 you can:

• Create a survey
• Find a specific audience sample across the web
• Generate results quickly