So far, the digital marketing trends for 2021 seem to revolve around two distinct, but almost contradictory concepts. First is a general humanisation, addressing real issues and tailoring content to suit the individual (as opposed to mass appeal) for more personal engagement. Second is a much more mechanical and technical optimisation, fine-tuning the behind-the-scenes areas like SEO and how you structure campaigns—the nitty-gritty that your satisfied customers don’t see.
What are the key digital marketing trends for 2021 that your business needs to consider to engage and retain current customers and generate more traffic, leads, and revenue?
We’ve identified five areas where savvy managers should invest their time and resources this year. If you don’t know where to start, start here — because these industry trends might prove the best bang for your business’s marketing buck.
1. Social Media Goes Through The Roof
Organisations should be prepared to dedicate more resources to social media marketing in 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, marketers are increasingly making customer retention a priority. This will continue well into 2021 and beyond. The situation has dramatically increased the amount of time people spend online which includes how they research products, brands, and businesses.
For a relatively low cost, a good social media marketer can develop a content plan, make regular posts, monitor and drive customer responses, and attract new business. If your small business has been putting off adding social media services to your marketing mix, now’s the time.
2. You’d Better Have an SEO Strategy
If you own a small business, THE most important things you can do is ensure your local listings are verified and kept current on various search platforms. That’s because for B2C businesses that draw customers primarily on a local level (think gyms, offices or car dealerships), the Google My Business listing provides valuable information about your hours (many of which are in constant flux due to COVID-19), services, and geographical location.
One tip to implement today: ensure you have a geographically-defined service area within your local listings as this will help your business show up in “near me” searches. That’s because many search engines (especially Google) prioritize relevance in their search algorithms.
One look at the front page headlines shows the significance of inclusivity in our current time-and-place in history. Greater numbers by the day, especially younger audiences and groups, want to see a more optimistic depiction of equality in the content they consume and the brands they purchase from.
3. Make Your Content Interactive
Adding interactive elements to your website or social media is a great way to provide value for visitors, get them to engage with your brand, and learn more about them. For example, suppose you are an estate agent, add a simple but effective mortgage calculator to your website. You’re now offering value to your visitors while also learning more about them based on the data that they enter into the calculator. This info, in turn, can help you refine your personas and offer-targeting.
4. You MUST Be Inclusive
One look at the front page headlines shows the significance of inclusivity in our current time-and-place in history. Greater numbers by the day, especially younger audiences and groups, want to see a more optimistic depiction of equality in the content they consume and the brands they purchase from. Or more accurately, they don’t want to see the same homogeneous content we’re accustomed to from previous decades.
In 2021, digital marketing includes media and subject matters that cover a variety of races, sexualities, religions, etc., as well as representation for people with physical disabilities and learning disabilities. This includes the content for your imagery and videos, but also the topics you discuss in social media and blogs, or even the line of products you offer.
5. Sustainability: Loud and Proud
Just like the digital marketing trend of inclusivity, people in 2021 are similarly passionate about environmentalism. They want to make sure the brands receiving their money are just as concerned for planet earth as they are.
With 81% of consumers strongly feeling companies should help improve the environment, what we’re seeing is a popularity boost for sustainable and eco-friendly brands, especially for younger consumers. This goes well-beyond the market for green products—every brand can benefit by broadcasting their sustainable practices.
Where do you go from here?
While these digital marketing trends don’t represent a complete list, there’re a great place to start when planning your 2021 marketing strategy. Taken in concert, most CMO’s and marketing managers could improve their chances just by shifting more resources to social media and local search, adding more personalised and interactive content, and improving the engagement within their customer-facing teams.
These five key trends can help you increase your site traffic, generate more leads, and grow sales, all while retaining your hard-earned customer-base. They are also critical to help you understand digital marketing trends and how they will impact the larger competitive landscape.
