Digital marketing trends for SMEs in 2020

The last decade has seen plenty of change in the field of digital marketing. But what will the new decade bring?

The 2010s are almost behind us, a decade that has seen the UK and the wider world changing significantly. In the midst of that, technology and marketing have certainly come a long way.

Owners of SMEs might see this as an opportunity to take stock themselves. After all, many firms did not even exist a decade ago and those that have been formed and succeeded will generally have done so because they have kept up with the latest in marketing and technological developments.

But what might the 2020s bring? That is a difficult question to answer for a whole decade, but the developments that appear to be emerging as the 2010s fade into memory should give some indication of the direction of travel, even if other, as yet unforeseen developments might emerge later in the decade.

The key for every firm is to be ready for change, because the rules and players of the game will certainly do so.  

Mobile internet

The huge growth of mobile internet has been a major feature of recent years, due to the advancements in smartphone technology.  

•          According to figures published in 2019 by Statistica, over 70% of consumers in the UK used smartphones to access the internet in 2018.

•          Smartphone ownership has risen among all age groups

•          Smartphone ownership reached 96% for both the 16-24 and 25-34 age groups

This continuing upward trend has meant firms have needed to have mobile friendly websites as a key feature of their user experience. There is no evidence of the upward trend in smartphone use ending soon - although it will eventually reach saturation point - so mobile-friendly websites will be more of a priority than ever in the 2020s.

Voice search

What may change through smartphones is the use of new technology to search for content. Those producing content marketing material may in particular need to make it suitable for voice search.

•          According to ComScore, voice may account for as much as half of all search in 2020.

•          This may mean more detailed context may be best suited to voice search

•          Good SEO may become even more important in matching voice searches with content

•          Snippets placed in ‘position zero’ on search engine ranking pages to match voice searches could be particularly successful

Will content still be king?

The fact that content may have to respond to voice search instead of typed enquiries and be placed on mobile friendly platforms will surely not change its significance.

• Its essential qualities remain the same:

•          It generates awareness

•          It is more editorial than advert, creating greater trust

•          Well-optimised content can still achieve a strong ranking through SEO   

•          Video is of increasing importance in SEO and in attracting readers, but as this can be embedded in content that will not prevent news and blogs still having a prominent place

•          Other linked elements could include augmented reality

For these reasons, content is likely to go on playing a very large role in digital marketing.

Why can we expect search engine algorithms to change again?

Early in the last decade, search engine algorithms changed dramatically to encourage more readable material. Spammy articles stuffed with keywords, or content of low quality that had popular keywords inserted without relevance were penalised by Google and others in a move designed to filter out a lot of low-grade content.

There is no reason to think search engines will not go on being tweaked in response to new developments, although exactly how will be a decision for them. From the perspective of digital marketers, however, it is important to stay abreast of developments in order to ensure that their optimisation methods remain up-to-date and are adjusted when required.

BeUniqueness will be ready

As a cutting-edge digital marketing agency, BeUniqueness will be in the look-out for changes and new developments in the years ahead. Just as so much of what we do now is very different to the techniques commonly used even a decade ago, we expect lots of change in the 2020.

With this in mind, you can be sure that we can go on helping you find the best package for your needs as markets, technology and your own firm all change. 

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