No matter what business you’re doing, or what products and services you’re delivering, digital marketing trends can not be ignored. Not so long ago, a website and a Facebook page would be enough for businesses but now the digital world is changing so rapidly that it's hard to keep up. So far, as you can see in the market, brands and businesses can’t be successful without online presence. In addition, new innovations and resources will come to light in 2021 and push marketers to change to make sure their organizations are at the top.
1. Omnichannel Marketing
Omnichannel marketing is a multi-platform marketing practice, including email, mobile applications, social media, and of course the website blog. This approach enables organizations to attach more digital touchpoints to their customers, ultimately providing an improved user experience.
By delivering a smooth, consistent voice and clear brand message across all platforms, brands will achieve even better results. It is believed that omnichannel marketing drives much more interaction than a single-channel strategy. Better still, customer satisfaction, average order value, and frequency of purchase are all higher when a brand has several channels.
2. Video Marketing
Your company definitely should get on board by the end of this year if you’re still not using video marketing. This is because text-based content simply can not compete with the power of video, particularly when it comes to trying to promote and sell goods and services online.
Video marketing is highly engaging, particularly if it's live video. Live streaming is a strong digital marketing tool when integrated with influencer marketing. Whether it's a new generation of social media influencers or traditional figures, such as celebrities, athletes, and artists, having a live stream with an influencer that communicates directly with feedback is a major attraction for the viewer.
3. Good Content Marketing
Although there is a growing focus on nuance in content, content marketing continues to be a key component of digital marketing. While quality is still going to matter, but now there is more focus on context and targeting. As Google is creating a deeper, more nuanced understanding of online advertising, it means that advertisers need to think carefully about their target market and how they can customize content more specifically in the coming 2021.
Content marketing is going nowhere. That said, Google is getting smarter, giving priority to in-depth, reliable, up-to-date content that is closely aligned with the user's intent. Hence, companies need to keep this in mind when they build new content in 2021.
4. Voice Interaction
Thanks to Siri, Google, Alexa, and the host of other smart devices, verbal interaction with devices continues to grow. From this, we learn that people like to communicate, and that's the preferred way to interact. In addition, computers are finally catching up with the way people want to browse, shop and explore new items.
While it brings so many benefits, it somehow poses some interesting challenges. For example, it is very different to conduct a voice search than submitting a question, especially in the results. When a person conducts a text-based search, the results are shown on the screen one page at a time. But when someone asks the device to perform a search, and the device responds verbally, it can only make a few choices at most, and sometimes only make one choice.
Hence, always remember to write in a conversational tone if you’re trying to target voice search users. Also, use keywords that people would talk rather than type to create a better interaction.
5. Chatbot Domination & Messaging App Marketing
Chatbots are artificial intelligence (AI) software that serves as a virtual concierge to interact with users and help them achieve their expectations. Today, chatbots communicate with humans in a natural way, mostly through the use of text chat windows, but verbal interactions are also possible. As the system gathers more data insights over time, the AI learns more about consumers, making it possible to deliver a quality improvement service.
Some of the reasons that chatbots have become so popular is because they provide a 24-hour service with instant responses to customer queries and there is no need for breaks, vacations, or overtime pay. Hence, most of the businesses begin to integrate chatbots as part of their marketing efforts.
On the other hand, social messaging apps are not just about keeping in contact with friends and family. In recent times, businesses in all sectors have taken a huge interest in applications such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, and it's no surprise when you consider the possibilities – 1.3 billion monthly users are active on Facebook Messenger, sending more than 10 billion messages every month while there are 1.6 billion active users on WhatsApp, sending over 55 billion messages every day.
As messaging apps allow businesses to reach a wide audience with short, personalized messages, the majority of the online customers are likely to go back to the company's website if they have a live chat option. Hence, it is important for businesses and brands to take this channel seriously. In the next few years, you can expect to see a lot of marketing and advertising in messaging apps, including video and interactive content to engage users.
To sum up, things are changing rapidly in the digital industry as all of us can see. AI technology, video, voice search and immersive content will be among the most influential developments in 2021. And this is not the time for a company to stand still, as younger generations and more tech-savvy customers today want brands to connect with them in new and exciting ways that make the experience of the customer easier and more enjoyable.
So, it's time for you to dive in. Which of these digital marketing patterns are you going to pursue first? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.