2020 has been a year where marketers were forced to step up their game. They had to find creative ways to reach more of their audience despite the many unprecedented restrictions. So, let’s find out the digital marketing trends of 2021 and how you can take advantage of them.

1. Personalization

 

Personalizing your marketing pitch will definitely widen the reach of your audience in 2021. This includes content, emails, and many more.  It allows your company to stand out from the rest. Creating a unique experience for your target audience will create a deep impression and help you stick to their minds longer.

One great example is the Coca-Cola campaign in 2014. The buyers were encouraged to find names that were significant to them. They were also prompted to share the experience on their social media using the #Shareacoke. 

This campaign did not only have a strong call-to-action but also connected to the buyer on a personal level.  Furthermore, in a survey conducted by Marketo.Inc out of 2,200 respondents, 63% expressed that they get irritated when brands only make use of generic advertising. 

Meanwhile, 79% stated that they will likely interact with the brand if the promotions are tailored to how they have previously engaged with the brand.  This includes coupons, emails, discount offers, social media, website notifications, and more.

2. SEO

If you were wondering if your SEO or search engine optimization efforts are still worth it this 2021, YES it definitely still is! So don’t ditch your SEO. Just remember that it isn’t just about articles, blogs, backlinks, and keywords. 

It also includes optimizing your robot exclusion protocols, improving your website metadata, and appropriately using tags. With how Google is constantly improving its algorithm, you will continue to see an increase in zero-click searches and voice searches. 

So, try to answer full questions related to your business. This can come from the results of your keyword research.  Doing so eventually helps your rank on SERP and increase domain authority if Google can continually pull up answers from your site. In effect, it will help boost your brand awareness for frequently showing up on the first page of SERP.

3. Content Marketing

Boost your digital success with a revamped content marketing strategy this 2021. SEO and content marketing go hand in hand. So this 2021, it is crucial for you to create even more quality content.

Unique articles are quickly indexed by Google. So the more in-depth the article the better for your SEO. Another trend that has been on the rise lately is content communities. 

Over the past year, we have seen a significant increase in slack communities where information is shared and created by anyone in the community. Many marketing teams have used this channel to widen their reach without costing much.

4. Deep Learning

 

With the rapid growth of the digital industry, you can get any information on demand. There is a saying that goes “information is power”, but what do we do now when there is so much available information. How do you filter which ones are useful? 

Deep learning is a form of machine learning where algorithms function much like a human brain. It learns by repeatedly going through large amounts of data. This is used in scientific research, transportation, and many more. 

Now, organizations store large amounts of data that is collected by them or their partners. Marketers use deep learning to enhance the experience for a specific customer. This is called customer data analytics. 

The use of deep learning substantially simplifies tasks that only analysts can do. In fact, many businesses have already started to create their own client data platforms.

5. Artificial Intelligence and Chatbots

Thanks to the growing popularity of Alexa and Siri, many have become comfortable with using chatbots. Plus, with the advancement of technology, it has become hard to tell if you are interacting with one or a real human. 

Additionally, many companies have already seen the benefits of having automated marketing software where personalized marketing campaigns are easier to deploy. In fact, a study conducted by research and markets revealed that the market share of marketing automation will be 13.9% or about 6.4 billion USD by 2024. 

Automated marketing will help companies focus their digital marketing efforts and spending, grow their marketing channels, and lower their expenses.

6. Influencer Marketing

 

2020 has been a hard year for everyone including marketers. However, this led to creating plenty of innovative approaches to reaching target customers. Last year, influencers have been a crucial part of the success of brands. 

They can be celebrities but brands have seen the advantage of using ordinary people as brand ambassadors. Usually, influencers have their niche platforms where they can help spread the word. 

Modern consumers see celebrity advertising as a transaction, while they view influencers as an authentic connection with the brand. A study conducted by MuseFind last 2018 shows that 92% of consumers would believe what an influencer recommends more than celebrity advertisements.

7. Conversational Marketing

 

Conversational marketing has slowly been rising and is expected to pick up this year.  Now, you might immediately think of chatbots but it’s more than that. It can be forms, emails, and even the interactive elements of your website.

Brands have to continuously find effective ways to interact with consumers. Rather than the usual which is clicking on banners and viewing videos, IP messaging is used to include rich media like audio and video files, pictures, and other formats.  

The great thing about using it is that it is consumer-centered. Your customers can select why, when, and how often your company contacts them. This gives lesser space for intrusive and aggressive advertising. Plus, it allows a two-way conversation with a user where they select available actions.

8. Video Marketing

 

Because of the pandemic, many businesses have realized the importance of video marketing. With that said, video marketing has also evolved in 2020. One example is the rise of real-time video shopping and auctioning. 

Although live video content is the least used channel, it has proved to be an effective method to reach consumers. Studies have forecasted that the market size will grow to 20.4% in seven years which is about $184 billion by 2027.  

You will also expect companies to repurpose videos and cut them into shorter segments so that they can post on other social platforms. Longer form videos that are about 10 minutes or more and transcribed blog posts can be used for SEO. Meanwhile, shorter ones can be used for memes, GIFs, quote cards, vertical videos, and more.

9. Messaging Apps

 

One potential marketing channel you can take advantage of this 2021 is messaging apps. Billions of messages are sent across multiple platforms including Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and WeChat, with more users than Youtube and Facebook combined. 

Social messaging apps have huge untapped potential for digital marketing. In fact, in a study conducted by ICMI, over 46% of consumers would most likely interact with a brand that has live chat. Messaging apps, if optimized correctly, can also give your company more presence digitally.

10. Social Commerce

With the exponential growth of eCommerce during the pandemic, social media platforms have added plenty of e-commerce features within their apps. An example of this is Instagram where they added a feature last March 2020 that allows you to complete the purchase within the app itself. 

Over 500 million people use Instagram stories daily which can become your potential customers. Brands have used shoppable posts, product stickers, polls, 360-degree videos, AR ads, and other interactive posts to make shopping easier for both sides. 

Rapidly evolving digital marketing trends are something all digital marketers have to deal with. You must constantly find ways and create strategies to cater to the ever-changing needs of the consumer to have an edge over other marketers.

So, if you ever need any help with marketing your brand, collaborate with us! We at RipeConcepts create efficient and cost-effective digital marketing strategies that will bring your brand to your audience.

Digital-marketing , Trends