The marketing world moves faster every year, bringing new trends with each change of the calendar. If you’re part of the digital marketplace, you’re one of countless businesses competing for space in an evolving battleground. Many companies are turning to full-service digital marketing agencies to handle their online presence. We’re DM Collective, a digital marketing collective based in Calgary and serving the Alberta metro area.
How We Can Help
We specialize in services including SEO, web design, digital advertising, social media management, and developing a comprehensive online presence.
The Edmonton marketing world in 2020 is a competitive place, and every business needs a detailed strategy to stand out. DM Collective in Calgary, Alberta is ready to deliver digital marketing services for your company. Read on to discover everything you need to know about the top Edmonton marketing trends of 2020.
Edmonton Marketing: 6 Trends for 2020
Greater Advertiser Targeting
The days of putting out a large blast of ads hoping to get views on a popular social media platform are behind you thanks to advertising micro-targeting. Studies show that most people disregard ads that aren’t relevant to their interests, so companies are getting better at researching their target audience.
Once a business knows who is most likely to be interested in their product, they know where to advertise and what approach to take. One of the most effective advertising techniques is to not let your audience know they’re seeing an ad.
How It Works
People search out great content on the internet, and many of the most effective ads are designed to look like content. Sponsored articles on blogs relevant to your customer base’s interests are a great way to raise awareness and attention.
Studies show that while a majority of readers ignore ads, tailored messages and relevant content boost purchase rates to over one-third. Algorithms are making it easier to ensure your customer base only sees the ads they’re likely to act on.
Automation Is the Future
Great customer service used to mean having on-staff agents for interaction with potential and existing customers, fielding questions and responding to complaints. This was effective, but not time and cost-efficient for growing companies. That’s why many companies in the Edmonton marketing field are turning to chatbots and other automated systems.
How They Work
Chatbots are pre-programmed software with hundreds of answers to commonly asked questions for your business. Studies show that most customer service queries fall in a few categories, making it easy to process and resolve many questions without the help of a human behind the computer screen.
For questions without a response in the chatbot, the program will refer the person to call back during business hours or connect them to someone on staff.
The ideal chatbot is courteous but businesslike, cutting down on the chatter and awkwardness that can sometimes come with talking to a customer service representative. They can also be programmed in multiple languages to account for the market’s growing diversity.
The Growing Mobile Marketplace
Many older companies started their digital marketing strategy when the desktop was king and are finding themselves left behind due to an old website. Over half of customers now surf the internet and make their purchases on mobile devices, making a mobile-friendly website essential. Part of any 2020 digital marketing strategy should include making sure all parts of your website are mobile-friendly.
What It Involves
A mobile-friendly website should have easy-to-read text with buttons that are responsive and set apart from other functions. The landing page should have minimal features and guide people visually to the points you want them to focus on. This includes the purchase link and any other key content or informational links.
Many companies are also communicating more through mobile. If you have a private messaging system for customer service, many companies are using WhatsApp, WeChat, or Facebook Messenger for easy communication.
Personalization Is Key
Using algorithms to study the behavior of potential customers is a popular and occasionally controversial technique to target likely buyers. The centralization of internet use among a network of major websites owned by tech conglomerates allows companies to collect data on those customers’ search history and social media activity.
This allows major ad networks like Google, Facebook, and Twitter to create personalized advertising outputs for each of their visitors. While some platforms have courted controversy for selling user data to outside customers, the majority use this technique effectively to advertise partner products to interested parties.
How It Works
A popular example is showing advertising for attractions in a certain city after a visitor has searched for hotels in that area. Rolling out an ad campaign with Twitter or Google is worth the investment because, thanks to their algorithm, you get thousands of tailored ad campaigns.
Changes In SEO
Search engine optimization is one of the oldest techniques in digital marketing, but it’s evolved significantly since the early days that focused on keyword use. Combining search engine data with individual customer profiles allows the algorithms to boost results for websites that viewers are likely to be most interested in.
Microtargeting is a way to let more than one site get the benefit of being the top hit. Google and other search engines have become savvier at separating real search engine optimization from attempts to game the system. That’s why it’s especially important for clients in the Edmonton marketing field to have a solid strategy. Many agencies boast of their SEO strategy, but too many still rely on discredited techniques that could get your ranking penalized by Google.
Transparency and Trust
Customers are becoming savvier by the day, and one of the biggest things they’re demanding from tech companies is greater disclosure on how their data is used. It’s easy for a company to switch things up after a failed marketing pitch, but it’s less easy to rebuild trust.
That’s why the most effective digital marketing companies are being more upfront with their strategy and how they approach customers. Having a full-service digital marketing agency like DM Collective handling your strategy is a good move because you have experts in digital ethics at your disposal.
How It Works
When you work with us, you get access to a full suite of the top statistical tools and you have the authority to decide what is released to the public. Greater communication with the public about your marketing strategy makes it easy to establish your core values with the customer and open yourself up to constructive suggestions.
Let DM Collective Conquer the Edmonton Marketing Field for Your Company
Staying current in the fast-paced world of Edmonton marketing is critical to keeping ahead of your competition. No matter what field of business you’re in, you’re competing for a slot in the crowded digital marketplace and one smart move can send you to the head of the pack. That’s why many top businesses are turning to the experts in the field.
Contact us at DM Collective in Calgary, Alberta today. We’re serving clients in the Alberta metro area and beyond with full-service digital marketing support, including one-on-one consulting and a centralized dashboard for all your functions.