Oh to have had a crystal ball in January, right? What changes would you have made to your business structure? While hindsight is 20/20, the current climate during the pandemic has made many things extremely difficult to predict.
When will business operations go back to normal?
When will things fully open up again?
Is this all going to last much longer?
While these questions might be a little too unpredictable for someone like me, who does not have a medical background to fully understand all these things, I have seen so many things happen over the past few months, during the pandemic, that have really opened my eyes.
And you have too. And I’m not talking about the around-the-clock news footage, either.
You have seen entire companies go completely to a work-from-home model in a matter of days.
You have seen time fly by at crazy speeds…even though you are not leaving your house.
You have seen your 75-year-old grandmother invite you to a Zoom call from her own account.
So with that said, let’s take a look at some of the business and marketing trends that we are seeing currently, that we predict will outlast the pandemic, and become the new normal in our post-coronavirus world!
1. Video Calls: More companies will continue to utilize video calls with a higher skill level, in order to connect with clients and potential clients. The advanced usage of these tools, as well as the quick adaptability of those who never considered themselves “tech-savvy”, is on the rise. Video provides perks that written content channels do not: body language. We foresee that having video calls will enhance customer experiences across multiple industries.
2. Working From Home: Many companies may also shift to at least some remote days for their team members (if they never have done this previously). For some companies feeling the constant financial pinch in the post-pandemic environment, this will be a cost-effective way of scaling back while not reducing quality.
3. Social Media Communication: As everyone is trying to keep in touch remotely, we foresee more companies continuing to highlight their business’s activity on social media. Companies who were not that social media savvy previously, are now learning the ropes faster and finding the value in the interaction. Many online marketing teams are creating content specialized for social media as a way to connect with their existing customers. Not to mention the opportunities social media provides for customer service.
4. Increased Recorded Video Content: Since there are no in-person conferences, in-office meetings, or networking events – people have turned to video more than ever before. The result? A predicted hot trend for 5 years finally lives up to the hype. Also, people who were afraid or reluctant (too busy, etc) to adapt video technology are now leaning into it successfully. The possibilities are endless when it comes to video: you can include it in your email marketing pieces, post it to social media, add it to your website… and more. This is why so many successful content marketing strategies have included video in their content strategy for years.
5. Increased Live Streaming Content: Another increase has been in live content being streamed. Whether it be podcasts or live video streaming, people are jumping on board. This is another case of people having extra time to look into this, and then having the necessity to learn, in order to continue to engage. This will not change. I’ve mentioned above about how some of these trends will improve customer relationships with companies – and this is another one. Seriously, your customers can comment while you’re live streaming, and you can have a conversation with them in real-time. Literally priceless.
6. Rise of Online Advertising Channel Usage: People are now, more than ever before, looking for (and requesting) other forms of online advertising aside from the typical Google or Facebook Ads. They are now adventurous enough to look into geofencing, geotargeting, IP retargeting, and more. Marketing campaigns that utilize these avenues are benefitting from hitting their marketing goals.
Now we could go on, but these are the main large predictions that we have as our “Big Trends in 2020” and beyond. As time progresses, we will add more to this list. Whether you’re the CEO, Chief Marketer, or Marketing Strategist for your company, and you are currently seeing any of these trends, let us know how you are utilizing them for your own business. If not – let us know and we can help you get started!
