Digital Marketing Trends to Add to Your Strategy in 2021

With a pandemic still ongoing and the exchange of flyers and paper newsletters at a standstill, there’s no time like the present to rethink your digital marketing strategy. 2020 brought a year of change, particularly in the marketing industry where eCommerce sales skyrocketed along with internet and social media usage.

The introduction of new social media platforms like TikTok transformed the way businesses now communicate to potential customers and the increase in working from home meant more time spent scrolling.

At Pace, our relationships with longstanding clients allows us insight into their marketing challenges and expectations. We’ve condensed these insights into six considerations for your digital marketing strategy in 2021.

1.     Diversity and Inclusivity

2020 was a year of drastic change. With history-making movements that demanded racial justice, climate action and LGBTQI awareness just to name a few, inclusivity will be one of the biggest focusses this year. We have seen drastic shifts in consumer behaviour when it comes to standing up for what is right (and rightly so!). According to Social Media Today, 41% of shoppers have been recorded shifting towards businesses that share their beliefs and 29% have discontinued making purchases altogether from companies that lack diversity.

It’s important for businesses to join the conversation, support these movements vocally and do more than post a visual to make consumers happy. Inclusivity means speaking up on these issues, supporting other businesses by donating or even volunteering staff time to make a difference.

2.     Environmental Sustainability

Everyone knows how important it is for businesses to minimise wastage, remain sustainable and even support, or give back to companies dedicated to saving the plant. If you’ve waited until 2021 to implement these initiatives, listen up because it’s no longer okay to be irresponsible.

81% of consumers believe that businesses have a responsibility to contribute to protecting the environment. Not to mention, every time we print paper or flick on a light switch, we are contributing to the extensive list of environmental damage that is being causes globally. This is what makes being mindful of business purchasing decisions so vital.

As a result, consumers now hold these expectations as a minimum and are much less likely to buy from a company that isn’t actively environmentally conscious. The difference here is actively. Being environmentally friendly or recycling when you can, is no longer enough. Consumers are demanding change so it’s imperative that businesses listen.

3.     Automated Intelligence

We saw it coming from a mile away, but Siri and Alexa aren’t backing down and can no longer be ignored. If the Gen Zers weren’t already screaming no-touch automation, a pandemic really sealed the deal. Even approaching the end of a pandemic, the need for automation isn’t going anywhere soon. Having operated remotely for over a year in some countries, readily available technological advances will be key.

Incredible tools like Google Lens have taken this even further than voice control and began incorporating visual searches. This allows consumers to Google anything around them with their camera alone, something that will make marketing visuals all the more valuable.

4.     Content convenience

We’re a society built on convenience whether we like it or not. If we want something, we want it now and that fact has only continued to become true. Content like podcasts and email newsletters are essential ways to provide supportive and easily accessible content, consumers don’t have to go searching for.

Email newsletters aren’t a new strategy, but we have seen an increase in consumers wanting more from their relationship with a brand. Consumers want to know more and feel more as purchasing has become about experience almost as much as it is about the outcome of the purchase itself. Access to content should never be further than a click away.

5.     Customer experience

Going hand in hand with convenience, is customer experience. Customer experience is a double-edged sword given you can use your marketing strategy to enhance this experience but also use it (good or bad) to allow customers to do the marketing for you. Sound simple enough?

The latter involves user-generated content (UGC). UGC reassures customers they are making the right purchasing decision and allows loyal customers to form communities. Use of a hashtag, forming a Facebook group or just encouraging sharing are all ways to show off what you can do, from the perspective of someone external.

6.     Influencers and live-streaming

It’s no surprise that in the face of a pandemic, live streaming gained popularity. Events are limited and we are no longer socialising the way we used to. What’s left when it comes to getting that customer experience we all love so much? Live streams and influencers.

Human-driven content is the closest to ‘normal’ we can get and done right, it’s one of the quickest ways to gain consumer trust. While live streaming may have surged throughout a lock down, we don’t see that coming to an end any time soon. For products, live stream with some details about your product, how it’s packaged or why you do what you do. For services, what can your service bring to consumers that they don’t already have? Interact with customers online like you would in person. Have fun with it! 

To enhance your digital marketing strategy this year, I would recommend evaluating and analysing how much of the above 6 trends you are utilising, if any, and map out ways in which you could explore these further.

Sources:

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/7-digital-marketing-trends-of-focus-for-2021/592857/