The year 2020 bore testimony to brands and marketers stumbling to survive unpredictable events. Quite interestingly, the effects of the global upheavals of 2020 will be present in the digital marketing landscape of 2021.
Brands will face a whole new concept of customer behavior. Most notably the ecommerce sales went through the roof, and people spent a considerable amount of time on social media platforms. In other words, there has been a significant shift in the way brands used to connect with their consumers.
With the evolution of virtual platforms replacing in-person experiences, digital advertising has come a long way. So in 2021, will content still be the king? What are the types of media on which brands should invest? How would marketers engage, convert and retain customers?
When the context is about digital marketing, it is never too early to start researching and planning. So here are some trends in digital marketing that you should look out for to get the most out of your campaigns.
Social Media Evolves As A Top Channel For Buying
Social media channels will evolve as a top channel for buying. Earlier consumers used to focus on social media platforms for product discoveries. However, in 2021, social media platforms will make it simpler for buyers to purchase goods without having to leave the platform.
Quite impressively, 2021 will also be the year of growth of social commerce. In short, retailers and brands have to adapt to these platforms with new rules. On the other hand, brands will have to allocate more resources and funds to social media marketing.
During the course of the pandemic in 2020, marketers were busy reaching out to customers through social platforms to retain them. This trend is likely to continue in the future where brands would communicate through social websites.
What’s more, the pandemic has also increased the total amount of time users spend online. Hence, this shift in customer engagement presents new opportunities for marketers. Even the small-scale organizations have to step up their game in designing new social media marketing strategies.
Mr. Animesh Sharma has been playing a very important role in empowering people with the new trends. His company Digitalwala is a catalyst in leveraging the power of social media marketing. Mr. Animesh Sharma is empowering people and businesses by providing a wide array of digital marketing services that help businesses move forward.
The popularity Of Google Verified Listings For Local SEO Will Rise
For local businesses belonging to technicians and helpers, 2020 was a year to forget. However, in 2021, the ideal way forward for them is to create a digital presence. By opting for a Google My Business profile, they can make a robust presence in the local listings.
Furthermore, the GMB profile would ensure a better chance for the local businesses to appear on the top search results. With a GMB profile, small-scale companies can even respond to queries and provide feedback.
In case you don’t know, the GMB listing provides invaluable information about the working hours of local stores. On the other hand, it is vital to ensure a geographically-defined service area within your local listings.
This would help your business to appear in the “near me” searches initiated by users. Creating a GMB profile also keeps your listings updated. Your customers would be well-aware of any changes in your operating hours and promotions.
Emphasizing On Micro-Moments
Well, the rise of smartphones is responsible for shortening our attention span. In other words, we tend to decide in an instant- what to eat? and where to go out for dinner? And it goes without saying that as a brand, you have to focus appropriately on micro-moments.
To comply with this new and swift decision-making process, brands have to capture the attention of the readers. Furthermore, micro-moments have a close association with customization and targeted promotion.
To get the most out of micro-moments, you have to be present on the platforms where your customers are current. It is also crucial to invest in short advertisements to better capture the attention of the users.
Buyers Will Want To Purchase From Informed Brands
As a brand, you should always remember that customers nowadays are more informed. This implies that they are more likely to buy from a brand that stays informed and updated. So it is quite imperative for brands to evolve beyond the age of customization.
Brands have to adapt to the new trend of personal commerce where consumers will have complete freedom in co-curating their experiences. Also, modern-day customers expect brands to understand their buying behavior and help them with suggestions on what they should buy.
On the other hand, if you collect customer data, you should use it properly. Consumers expect that you should provide them with product suggestions in the future based on the data collected by you.
The Prominence of Voice and Visual Search will Rise
Well, the rise of technological advances like Google Home and Alexa are already disrupting the innovation space. These types of devices are responsible for creating a boom for voice search. This trend has always been rising, but it would be crucial for a digital marketing agency in 2021.
Note that voice queries need a different SEO strategy than local SEO. It is important to note here that voice search is not a component of Google’s SEO algorithm. But due to the popularity of voice assistants, it is still dictating search results.
In case you don’t know, optimization in voice search can render your business with the opportunity to beat your competitors. But optimizing voice search is not simple as you have to focus on different features.
From natural-sounding language to targeting keywords with long tails, you have to consider various aspects. However, it is not just a voice search that will prevail in 2021. Brands should also anticipate the rise of visual search to dictate their rankings.
Let’s cite the example of Google Lens in this regard. With Google Lens, consumers can initiate search queries based on their visual experience. This implies that marketers and advertisers will give to focus more on alt-text and sitemaps for pictures. What’s more, it is essential to revamp your website to support voice and visual search.
Customer Segmentation Will Be Responsible For Retention
Well, this is again one of those upcoming trends where marketers have to provide due attention. Brands will have to shift from the traditional practice of organizing small quantities of large campaigns for general audiences.
They have to adapt to the practices of a large number of small marketing campaigns that will target particular audiences. Customer segmentation implies grouping your users on the basis of traits and behaviors.
And when there is proper segmentation, you can customize your content to suit their needs better. For instance, you have to send different varying newsletters to other customers. Customer segmentation also provides you with more significant insights so that you can fully market to them.
Also, remember that satisfied customers will always recommend you to their friends and family members. So you have to provide your loyal customers with the latest changes. Communicating frequently via emails and newsletters would help you to target them more effectively.
Significance of Interactive Content
The significance of interactive content is more of a practice than a trend. However, this trend will surely stay relevant in 2021. As a brand, you should always remember that interactive content plays a decisive role in improving user experience.
It also plays a key role in promoting engagement among your target audiences. And if you already have enough quality content on your website and social media profiles, focus on adding interactive elements. Interactive elements like polls, quizzes, surveys, etc., can be wondrous to your brand.
These types of elements can also increase the number of time users spend on your website. The inclusion of interactive features also improves your rankings in SEO. On the other hand, interactive content is an integral component of personalization.
As you would be allowing your users to provide their opinion, they feel a more personal connection to the brand. You can use the data collected from quizzes and polls to determine user preferences.
Automation In The Bidding of Google Ads
With automated bidding tactics, Google can assess large chunks of data. What’s more, it will have the ability to adjust the bids in real-time. It is one of those strategies which would greatly help in maximizing the campaign-goal-based outcomes.
The primary step in an automated bidding strategy is to rely on that strategy, which complies with your business model. Note that automated bidding is available both for display and search ads. Well, the concept of automated bidding dates back to 2016. However, significant tweaks, especially in the last year, imply that it would be quite popular in 2021.
Conclusion
Brands in 2021 will have to think long while formulating digital advertising strategies because of the unpredictable nature of 2020. Well, we can safely say that 2021 would be the year of consistent digital engagement and transformation. Let’s hope that 2021 will witness the use of technology and marketing strategies that would either make or break brands. Consider the trends mentioned above to outflank your competitors and engage your customers like never before.