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Marketing Trends in 2020 That You Should Know

Posted: 04 Dec 2019 08:30 AM PST

Marketing in 2020 is going to be challenging and exciting. Tomorrow's marketing trends will be shaped by the millennial market and huge leaps in technology. Businesses need to keep their ear to the ground for the latest trends and leverage them quickly. By staying on top of the major developments that impact marketing, you can drive business growth.

Let's explore three of the key trends that could arise in 2020 and guide your marketing strategies. 

AR and VR in marketing

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology are now commonplace in business-user interactions. These technologies offer immersive experiences to users and enable people to interact with your products. Adding AR and VR tech can also build brand awareness for your business.

Very often, just the buzz around AR and VR can spike interest in your brand, making it more memorable. By adding AR and VR content, you can boost engagements that lead to greater conversions. There are several helpful use cases that illustrate how virtual and augmented reality can benefit your business.

Today, tools like Google Lens and Apple's ARKit allow people to point their camera at an image and get data. Image recognition algorithms can identify an image, download information, and display it on a user's screen.

Augmented reality in the beauty industry allows people to try on makeup virtually to see how it looks. Brands like Estée Lauder, Lancôme, and Sephora have created AR tools that let people try lipsticks and nail polishes virtually. In this way, users can be more confident about buying a product.

Ikea has launched the Ikea Place app with AR tech that enables users to virtually place furniture in their homes. It not only helps users feel more comfortable buying furniture online, but it's also a fun experience.

Virtual reality is used to create an immersive experience for customers. It's already entered the real estate industry; buyers can tour a home without being at the physical location. It's also being used in the auto industry. Volvo, for example, used VR technology that allowed users to test-drive its XC90 SUV. It created significant buzz around the company and boosted traffic and engagement.

Such examples highlight how the adoption of AR and VR can boost engagement and drive conversion rates. These technologies facilitate interactivity with brands and help users get in-depth details about products. Buyers are more comfortable making purchases online because their doubts and uncertainty are removed.

There are many ways you can use AR and VR technology to tell your audience richer stories. It's essential to learn about these technologies early on and to incorporate them into your business. They're becoming more accessible and affordable, and can play a significant role in helping your business grow. 

AI and digital marketing

Artificial intelligence can power your marketing strategies to create striking customer experiences. AI supports data-driven decisions and improves business communication, lead generation and more. In 2020, AI will continue to feature significantly in marketing strategies. Here are several ways AI will support your business's marketing strategies.

Search functionality

For e-commerce businesses, AI can transform how people interact with products. For example, a customer could use an image-recognition solution to take a picture of an outfit. AI tools can retrieve similar or related pictures and display them. This allows users to get ideas about styling and accessorizing which can lead to more sales.

AI-powered computer visions can also support search actions. Users can find a product they want by uploading an image, and the AI tool can then find and display the product in a brand's catalog.

Sentiment analysis

Artificial intelligence can be used in sentiment analysis and social listening. Sentiment analysis attempts to understand the feelings that underlie a text. It helps you understand what the audience is saying about your brand.

You can use sentiment analysis to understand whether people have a positive, neutral or negative opinion about your brand. It can monitor social mentions and the opinions being shared on blogs and social media.

These features are valuable as you'll discover negative content sooner so you can step in and manage your brand's image. It can also assist with evaluating your customer support to help you understand how customers feel.

Greater personalization

You can improve your brand's engagement rate by using AI to create personalized experiences. Many publications use AI to deliver customized content based on a person's search history, location and interests. AI can help you create personalized product recommendations and content suggestions.

You can also use AI to automate advertising. It can help segment your email lists to a fine point where you can target them with highly personalized email marketing campaigns.

Chatbots

Chatbots are already popular and available on many websites as a way to provide quick customer support. They save time and helps users get the information they need fast, especially when the information they need can simply be retrieved from a database.

Chatbots can serve marketing goals by accumulating user interaction data and adding it to CRM databases. They can enable a 360-degree view of your customers, so you can communicate better and offer personalized services.

Social media marketing

Most businesses already know that social media platforms play an important role in online marketing. Content is the beating heart of social media marketing and is what drives engagement, traffic and conversions. When it comes to content, there are a few golden rules that help you connect with your audience

  • Create high-quality and informative content
  • Trigger emotional reactions through power words
  • Use a conversational tone
  • Focus on relationships, not transactions

Here are other practical things your brand can do to make an impact in 2020:

Work with influencers

There are people who have a significant number of followers in every business domain on social media. These influencers create detailed content that provides useful information. They are typically fair in their analysis of different brands and products and very often, their audiences trust their content. Your brand can leverage this by collaborating with influencers.

Influencers can provide a human touch where brands are often faceless and impersonal. There are many ways you can get reach out and win over the support of an influencer:

  • Invite them to use your product for free
  • Create an affiliate marketing strategy with a membership site
  • Offer discounts to their audience

While working with influencers is not new, the approach is what matters. Focus on building a relationship and a loyal brand following as a way to grow long-term.

Create video content

Visual content creates more views than any other content format. Posting videos to your social media pages can boost engagement significantly. You can add videos and images to a popular feature available on all social media platforms today: Stories.

You can share an image or a short video that stays for a limited time period, like 24 hours. It creates the fear of missing out (FOMO) which compels users to take action and buy immediately.

You can also create interactivity by adding hashtags and polls to get users to engage with your stories. When users interact with your content, they play a part in its co-creation. This helps you build a relationship with your audience, which leads to brand loyalty.

Try to focus on interactivity, emotional connections and authenticity in your content. By offering value and engaging with users you'll have successful social media campaigns.

Boost your marketing strategies in 2020 with top trends

With the new year at hand, it's beneficial to watch out for trends that can help improve your marketing strategies and grow your business.

Technological advances are happening faster than ever in the AR, VR and AI spaces, and there are many applications that can have a profound impact on your business's success. It's also important to leverage social media and the many features it offers to reach your audience. By staying on top of the major marketing trends of 2020, you'll see a welcome boost in business growth.

5 Ways Machine Learning Is Leading to Smarter Manufacturing

Posted: 04 Dec 2019 07:00 AM PST

Artificial intelligence (AI) and its subsets are benefitting tons of fields, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one that's taking more advantage from them than the manufacturing sector. Major companies around the world are heavily investing in machine learning (ML) solutions across their manufacturing processes and seeing impressive results.

From bringing down labor costs and reducing downtime to increasing workforce productivity and overall production speed, AI – with the help of the Industrial Internet of Things – is ushering in the era of smart manufacturing. The numbers speak for themselves; recent estimates predict that the smart manufacturing market will grow at an annual rate of 12.5% between this year and next.

It certainly makes sense. Numerous businesses are already experiencing the advantages of ML in several ways and working with QA testing services to refine what they are getting out of it. Here are some examples of current implementations.

1. General process improvement

One of the first things that come to mind when thinking about ML-based solutions is how they can serve daily processes across the entire manufacturing cycle. By using this technology, manufacturers are able to detect all kinds of issues on their routine methods of production, from bottlenecks to unprofitable production lines.

By combining machine learning tools with the Industrial Internet of Things, companies are taking a deeper look into their logistics, inventory, assets and supply chain management. This brings high-value insights that uncover potential opportunities not just in the manufacturing process but in the packaging and distribution as well.

A great example of this can be found in the German conglomerate Siemens, which has been using neural networks to monitor its steel plants in search of potential problems that might be affecting its efficiency. Through a combination of sensors installed in its equipment and with the help of its own smart cloud (called Mindsphere), Siemens is capable of monitoring, recording, and analyzing every step involved in the manufacturing process. This dynamic is what some people call Industry 4.0, a trademark of the smarter manufacturing era.

2. Product development

One of the most widely adopted uses of machine learning involves the product development phase. That's because the design and planning stage of new products, and the improvement of existing ones, are tied to a multitude of information that has to be taken into consideration to yield the best results.

Thus, ML solutions can help in gathering consumer data and analyze it to understand demands, uncover hidden needs and detect new business opportunities. This all ends up in better products from the existing catalog as well as new ones that can open new revenue streams for the company. Machine learning is especially good at reducing the risks associated with the development of new products, as the insights it provides feed the planning stage for more informed decisions.

Coca Cola, one of the biggest brands in the world, is using machine learning for product development. In fact, the launch of the Cherry Sprite was the result of the company's use of ML. The company used interactive soda fountain dispensaries where customers could add different flavors to the base drinks of its catalog. Coca Cola collected the resulting data and used machine learning to identify the most frequent combinations. The result? The detection of a large enough market to introduce a new beverage nationwide.

3. Quality control

When put to good use, machine learning can improve the final product quality up to 35%, especially in discrete manufacturing industries. There are two ways in which ML can do this. First and foremost, finding anomalies in products and their packaging. Through a deep examination of the manufactured products, companies can stop defective products from ever reaching the market. In fact, there are studies that talk about an up to 90% improvement in defect detection when compared with human inspections.

And then there's the possible enhancement of the quality of the manufacturing process. Through IoT devices and ML applications, businesses can analyze the availability and performance of all the equipment used in the manufacturing process. This allows for predictive maintenance, which estimates the best time to attend to specific equipment to extend its life and avoid costly downtimes.

General Electric is one of the biggest investors in the quality control department, especially in everything related to predictive maintenance. It has already created and deployed its ML-based tools in over a hundred thousand assets throughout its business units and customers, including the aerospace, power generation and transportation industries. Its systems work to detect early warning signs of anomalies in its manufacturing lines and provide prognostics with long-term estimations of behavior and life.

4. Security

Since all of these machine learning solutions rely on apps, operating systems, networks, cloud and on-premise platforms, the security of the mobile apps, devices, and data being used is a must for modern manufacturers. Fortunately, machine learning has an answer in the Zero Trust Security (ZTS) framework. With this technology, user-access to valuable digital access and information is heavily regulated and limited.

Thus, machine learning can be used to analyze how individual users access certain protected information, which applications they use and how they are connecting to it. Delimiting a strong perimeter around the digital assets, machine learning can determine who accesses what and who doesn't but can also detect anomalies that can quickly trigger warnings or actions.

Unfortunately, the use of zero trust architectures and frameworks isn't precisely a standard for the manufacturing industry. On a recent survey, only 60% of respondents said they were working or planning to introduce Zero Trust approaches into their digital landscapes. 

5. Robots

Finally, some of the most well-known collaborators for manufacturers are getting smarter with machine learning: robots. The use of artificial intelligence in robots allows them to take on routine tasks that are complex or dangerous for humans. These new robots surpass the assembly lines that they once were relegated to, as their ML capabilities allow them to tackle more complicated processes than before.

That's precisely what KUKA, a Chinese-owned German manufacturing company, is aiming at with its industrial robots. Its goal is to create robots that can work alongside humans and act as their collaborators. And, in that sense, the company is bringing its robot – LBR iiwa – into the fold. This intelligent robot is equipped with high-performance sensors that allow it to perform complicated tasks while working beside humans and learn how to improve their productivity.

KUKA itself uses its robots in its factories, but there are other major manufacturers that do so as well. BMW, the famous auto brand, is one of its biggest customers, and one of the businesses that's already finding that robots can reduce human-related errors, boost productivity and add value throughout the entire manufacturing chain.

Some closing thoughts

Saying that the manufacturing industry is a technically-advanced sector is probably obvious up to this point. For decades, manufacturers have been early adopters of all kinds of technologies, from automation to robotics, and sophisticated digital solutions. So, it's no surprise to learn that manufacturers around the world are already investing in machine learning solutions to empower their processes.

The results of said adoption are already here. Increased productivity, reduced equipment failures, better distribution and the introduction of enhanced products are but just a few of the perceived benefits of using machine learning in manufacturing. And while we are far from the widespread adoption of these solutions, the path is already paved, and numerous companies are leading the way to a smarter way of manufacturing the products we use.

5 Ways Automation Can Help Your Business Grow

Posted: 04 Dec 2019 05:00 AM PST

  • Automation lets business owners accomplish repetitive tasks or gather large quantities of data. 
  • Advanced AI systems merge these benefits by gathering data and using it to improve and streamline workflow. 
  • 40% of large businesses automate at least one business process, while twenty-five percent of small business owners report using automation. 
  • Businesses that use automation can improve customer support, generate more leads, improve rapport with consumers and gather data for future campaigns. 

Are you thinking about adding automation to your small business? If so, you're not alone. Automation has a variety of excellent uses that make it a top tier tool for marketers, CEOs and customer support. There's a reason that 40% of large businesses completely automate at least one of their business processes. 

When we talk about automation, we are referring to a system that can perform repetitive tasks with little room for error. Generally, this system will either work off of manual programming, also known as "set it and forget it," or makes use of artificial intelligence and can grow and improve based on repetitive interactions. 

Business owners use automation in both of these ways to generate more leads to their business, improve their customer support, gather analytics data, and much more. Here are five ways you can use automation for explosive business growth. 

Streamline customer support

The growth of online sales prompted businesses to improve their customer support channels. If someone buys a product from your store, they expect to have the option to talk to a representative if they want to know about the status of their order. Additionally, customer service is an excellent way to generate new leads for your business. Imagine if someone landed on your website and had some questions, but didn't have the option to contact you. They would leave and never come back. 

There's a misconception that automated chatbots replace human workers. The truth is, businesses need a live chat team to help with complex problems or issues that a robot can't solve. The good news is you can use chatbot technology to automate some of the common questions that consumers ask on your website. 

For instance, if someone created an account for your website, but lost their password, you should program a chatbot that helps these consumers retrieve their login information. Tasks like these are considered repetitive and can benefit from the addition of automation. Your support team will have more time to spend with consumers that have complicated problems, which translates to improved customer satisfaction and retention. 

Robotic order processing 

One of the most significant issues new business owners face when their company starts to grow is order processing. It's nearly impossible for a handful of people to keep up with the orders of hundreds of customers every single day. 

Luckily, robotic order processing is an option that will scale up with your business and help allocate tickets to the right department. For example, if you sell clothes on your website, the robotic order processing program can look at the products ordered and send a list of clothes for the order to the appropriate departments. 

This technique will help you free up time and send packages out faster. Amazon's two-day shipping is forcing business owners to come close to that goal for a satisfactory experience. There are far too many consumers who would instead go to Amazon and buy a similar product if it means they get it three to four days sooner. Automated processing can help you improve your order speed and accuracy. 

Target consumers using on-site behavior

Small and large business owners alike are using automation on their website to track consumer behavior for personalized offers. Netflix and Amazon are two big players that come to mind. Both of these organizations track the things their customers buy or watch to build custom lists of products or movie suggestions. 

You can use this tactic with your business, even if you don't have a SaaS business or massive e-commerce storefront. Business owners with just a couple of products use automation to track the way consumers interact with content and better understand what pages they browse. The artificial intelligence system computes this data and makes split-second decisions about offers for the consumer. 

Let's say you have an online pet store. Not only can you use automation to market cat products to consumers that viewed products in that category, but you can target those same consumers based on the content they are viewing on your site. For example, you can program your AI to show a link to your puppy-pampering giveaway if someone browses one of your articles about dogs. This system is a blend of artificial intelligence and manually programmed automation. 

Auto-reply and personalize email marketing

Email marketing is one of the most effective tools you have as a marketer. Traditionally, the ROI for email marketing is a staggering 3,800%. In other words, you could see a $38 return for every $1 spent. 

Automation can help you make the most of your email marketing campaign by auto replying to consumers when they message you via your contact form. Consumers expect a response almost instantly, even if it's not a direct answer to their question. In fact, contacting someone within one hour of them emailing your business makes it seven times more likely that you can convert that person into a lead. 

Email marketing is centered around personalization, which requires you to gather information about your prospects before and after they sign up for your mailing list. You can ask your new subscribers to highlight the topics they would like to see more information about in the future, or use an AI that classifies consumers based on how and when they use your site. 

The added benefit of automation is that you'll have the option to send out personalized emails even as your business grows. Email marketers tend to have the same problem as the order department once their company gains traction. Automation can take some of the pressure off of your marketing staff, which frees up time for them to make stellar content. 

Gather data for future campaigns 

Finally, you can use automation to gather data for your future products, marketing campaigns and development cycles. There's a wealth of information available from users on social media, polls and surveys, and customer feedback forms. All of this data can be hard to handle and track if you're trying to tally every response manually. 

Automation allows business owners to gather this information in real-time, which helps them make smart decisions without busting out the calculator. Google Analytics and email marketing software use automation to track data. The repetitive task in this example is counting. The systems you'll use will depend on your personal preferences, type of business and long-term goals. 

There are countless ways you can use automation to grow your small business. As you start to scale up, you'll find more ways to merge automation and AI on your website and throughout your various social channels. 

We expect to see more people use automation to grow their business, generate additional leads, and track consumer behavior on-site. Business owners are excited at the prospect of making their business easier to navigate, personalized and backed up by a well-rounded customer support team. You can expect to see automation as a central pillar in improving UX and personalization for years to come. 

 
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