We picked a few of our biggest insights from this year to help you plan for 2020 and beyond.
#1 THE CONSUMER JOURNEY IS SHWOOPY AF
What was once a linear consumer path/funnel has become dynamic and reciprocative (shwoopy), with different trends across industries, and ultimately unique to each consumer. The full range of consumer behaviors is vast and complex, and marketing to the average will lead to average results.
Your consumer is not average, and neither are we. Advertisers must market to the full range of behaviors. Our M.O. is to increase our data signals, insights to impact, and ultimately conversions.
“Marketers often think of search as a lowerfunnel channel. But people are just as likely to search early in the customer journey for deals, ideas, and inspiration.”
Google Insights, 2019
As the media landscape evolves, so does our media mix, so that we make sure to use the right medium to send the right message to the right people at the right time. To get to those “right” decisions, we rely on data. Lots of data. And of course, our trusty Conversionomics to help us manage it all.
#2 WE ARE BECOME MACHINE
Machine learning isn’t really doing anything different from what you would do. You could sort through heaps of data if you had the time. But that’s just it – once a machine gets good at sorting data, it can help you do it on a huge scale in no time at all.
A machine can also help you make really accurate predictions. Once machines have learned how to identify patterns, they can help marketers look at datasets and make predictions about new or future data. An algorithm can even tell you what data might be a better predictor, so you can adjust your measurement strategy.
Big Data, Machine Learning, and AI are playing an increasingly larger role in digital marketing. Use your team to innovate, plan campaigns and tell compelling stories, while using machines to do the math.
Here are our major keys to consider when maximizing machine learning:
- Define your machine learning marketing goal upfront
- An algorithm is only as good as its data
- Assemble a diverse team with the right mindset
#3 ROLL WITH TOURIST BUYING PREFERENCES
No one can win in a fight against consumer preferences. Forty-eight percent of experience bookings are happening once travelers arrive at their destination, meaning your job isn’t over once they check-in. Marketers need to embrace the consumer trend and market tourists heavily on mobile devices once they are in-destination.
