What are the 5 Biggest Ad Trends expected for 2020?
Because advertising operates on razor-thin edges and staying ahead of the curve is critical, many agencies have embraced the move to more complex technology more quickly than other industries. As we move into 2020, here are five trends quickly being adopted by some agencies that may be a good fit for the rest of the industry.
1. Focusing on outsourcing vs in-house marketing
A common worry when it comes to advertising trends is that outsourced talent won’t be as capable as in-house staff. While your employees will have a better idea in general of your company vision, advertising agencies are moving to outsource with great success for a few reasons.
- It’s easy to be proud of your in-house staff, but outsourced talent can be equally strong at the specific task you’re looking for. In many cases, it will be the right idea to outsource a task or process to get the full attention required for it.
- In-house staff is already pulled in a million different directions. Even if there someone on staff who is already a great fit for the job, taking it on could mean a distraction from already-assigned work
- Tracking an additional process in-house can be a difficult task to add to the day’s reports. Outsourcing the work means it can be easily quantified and graded, allowing you to easily keep track of the progress.
2. Why companies should focus on SQL vs MQL
Advertising Agencies have always relied on target demographics when choosing who to advertise to. One important distinction is SQL vs MQL. Marketing Qualified Leads (MQL) have expressed some sort of interest in the product being advertised, while Sales Qualified Leads (SQL) are in many cases are ready to buy. Working with SQL tends to generate greater returns on advertising investments since those leads are further along in the sales process. Devoting time and effort to working with SQL specifically is an easy focus change for advertising agencies to convert more clients.
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3. GDPR compliance. Lead Pilots LinkedIn automation
Implemented in May 2018, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a European Union law regarding the data of all EU citizens. In addition to potentially sensitive information like their health data and National Identification numbers, the GDPR governs the usage of data as general as the user’s name or occupation. Many companies are struggling to make the change to GDPR-compliant marketing so ensuring that you’ve successfully transitioned is a great way to get a leg up. Automation through certain third-parties like Lead Pilots will ensure that GDPR guidelines are followed.
4. Setting up Google Goals to track conversion and attribution
In order to successfully measure lead conversion and ensure everything is categorized correctly, it’s important to make sure everything is correctly tracked. Google Calendar now supports an automated goal-setting process to set goals and allot time to achieve them. It’s a great way to confirm that time is being spent where it makes the most sense. After a few months of tracking work hours and the results that come from them, you’ll have a better idea of where to put your effort.
Google Analytics also provides tracking and goal setting for B2B lead generation.
In Google Analytics, destination goals equate reaching a particular webpage with a conversion. Common examples include a prospect landing on a thank you page after booking a demo call. To create a destination goal, designate the final page URL or domain URL structure in the Destination field.
5. Lead attribution and pipeline building via Active Campaign (or other CRM)
Leads are the lifeblood of any company. No matter how good your copy is, you’ll need to get it in front of potential clients who are likely to respond. Active Campaign (or another CRM) will allow you to analyze your lead sources and continually improve your pipeline process to turn them from potential leads to customers. As agencies move into 2020, the edge in the advertising field will go to those who automate and optimize their processes further.
The Bottom Line
Advertising is a stressful industry—even if you’ve done everything correctly, it can take time to see results. As these five trends are being adopted by more and more companies, those that embrace them are more likely to succeed. No matter what niche of the advertising industry you’re in, the new year is a great time to look at these trends and see what you can adopt into your own business plan.