From traffic managers to PPC experts to performance marketing experts and consultants – much has changed in the scope of work we do and what performance marketing entails. Nowadays, performance marketing experts and consultants’ job does not just involve campaign operations management on the PPC networks. We also do digital analytics, SEO, A/B testing, website and mobile app optimization, provide consultancy on developing creative solutions based on the data gathered, and implement new technologies to improve our clients’ digital presence. In 2020, I expect the following three trends to boost the demand for performance marketing experts and consultants:
Growth of performance marketing consultancy services
In 2019, we worked as consultants on a number of projects for companies that have in-house advertising teams or even cooperate with other agencies on the operating level. Performance marketing consultants will be expected to contribute, more than ever, in creating the entire digital strategy – from establishing goals, choosing channels and setting up analytics, to developing creative solutions and websites, and providing recommendations for further growth of one’s digital presence. I expect 2020 will also bring a significant increase in demand for performance marketing training from companies developing their in-house teams, particularly in the segment of digital analytics.
Everything will be tested
These days, A/B testing is no longer the job for developers but performance marketing experts, due to the development of technologies and tools. The tools available at present enable simple launching of A/B testing, without further involvement of developers, as seen in the case of, for instance, Google Optimize, Optimizely and VWO, among others. More than 95 percent of the A/B testing we carried out in 2019 produced positive results and contributed to the effectiveness of the campaigns implemented. We tested everything, from the change in communication, and arrangement of various elements on a website, to building completely different landing pages for campaigns, the latter still being one of the biggest stumbling blocks with many campaigns. I expect that in 2020 we will be even more substantively involved in personalizing communication to specific website and mobile app user segments. Moreover, testing will become the must-have component of any performance marketing strategy. The more you test, the more you know about your users, communication and platforms used.
Focus on CRO (conversion rate optimization)
By combining digital analytics, user feedback, SEO, A/B testing and digital advertising, we can take care of our clients’ digital growth and development more straightforwardly. It is only through experimenting, regular changes and optimization of websites and mobile apps that we can distance ourselves from our own instincts and advance. Ultimately, if you have users who are dissatisfied with a website or mobile app UX, your digital business will not develop further. As in any branch, those who innovate, profit. CRO is the one thing forcing you to constantly work on optimizing user experience based on gathered data, which is one of the directions that can take you to innovativeness on competitive markets. Take, for instance, the world of ecommerce, which is developing well and experiencing growth even in Croatia. There aren’t many big players on the market; however, new players are constantly emerging – relevant on either the local or the European level. Any ecommerce platform, which decides to scratch below the surface in terms of digital analytics, and delve into user experience personalization, will obtain the desired business results more easily. Seeing as the international players are already making considerable investments in CRO, the time is right to do the same if you wish to take a more concrete step forward and innovate. Besides, the greater the conversion rate, the more you will make in revenues.
