Marketing Trends For 2021
2020 was challenging for everyone in the digital industry. With so many businesses competing for the spotlight in such challenging times, there were plenty of memorable campaigns.
But, with the new year now in full swing, it’s time to reflect — which means looking at existing and previous business strategies. What did you achieve in the past year? Is there anything you would do differently? What trends of 2020 influenced the way you executed your strategy and will plan it for 2021 and beyond? And what can you use to build your strategy for 2021 and beyond.
Let’s discuss marketing trends for 2021. Predicted to be game-changers in the digital industry, they’re something you might want to keep in mind for your own digital strategy. Here at Buzzbar, we are all about business growth and are always on the lookout for new techniques and strategies that fuel our client’s business goals. So with that in mind, first let’s start with the basics. What are marketing trends? And why are they important?
Marketing Trends — Fad Or Future?
The digital marketing landscape is forever changing. Unfortunately, digital marketing doesn’t come with a rule book, and everything isn’t always guaranteed to be a success like you envisioned. Every year new strategies and techniques shape digital marketing plans and help businesses get in front of the right audience at the right time — these are marketing trends.
A marketing trend is a technique, or sometimes a technology that changes the direction of a strategy to benefit both businesses and consumers. It means businesses can be more specific when it comes to finding their target audience and can connect them in a better, more natural way.
Stay top of your game by keeping up with the current do’s and don’ts of digital marketing. So,what trends will be popular this year? We have composed a list of some top-notch marketing trends that we think will be paving the way to business growth and success throughout 2021, you’ll be a digital marketing guru in no time!
The Rise Of Content Marketing
Content is key to any successful campaign. It tends to be overlooked, but when produced well and put in front of the right people at the right time, it becomes one of your most useful assets. Remember, getting your content noticed is a marathon, not a sprint!
People tend to want results quickly, normally opting for a route like paid ad strategies. When it comes to content creation, there are no shortcuts! Research is vital, not only topic research but where will you put this piece of content so that people see it?
Take a business like HubSpot for example. They’re constantly updating their blog with helpful, educational content that can aid in taking their readers’ knowledge to the next level. Alongside this, they provide an abundance of free tools and resources to help upgrade your marketing efforts. By adapting to this strategy, they ensure that they get in front of the right people who need them, at the right time.
Creating educational, helpful content to steer your audience in the right direction will show you are genuine and build trust. With content taking the lead this year, it allows for a more streamlined campaign, with more focus on building customer-to-business relationships. Throughout 2021 we predict to see a surge in organic content across all channels.
Social Media Becoming A Buyer Platform
What was life like before social media? It’s now a part of everyday life for most of us. Because of this, it has become a staple part of marketing strategies worldwide. And it comes as no surprise after boasting a jaw-dropping 3.96 billion users in 2020 alone. With such a huge amount of users, it’s a great tool for businesses to connect with their target audience. Although, this hasn’t always been the case.
Social media was initially created as a platform for people to connect, and it wasn’t long before businesses saw its true potential. Since then, social media giants like Facebook, Tik Tok, and Twitter have created ways for businesses to advertise successfully on social media and monitor their success. Paid adverts were just the beginning, custom design options mean you can make your social media ads unique.
Social media advertising has come a long way, and the amount of people buying on social media is on the rise. Mainly, social media users are on their phones, so most adverts are based around that. You can now create ads on mobile that allow a consumer to click a call to action that will open up your website in the social media app. Users can then scroll through your content and look around your website, without even having to leave their social media app.
This form of advertising is changing the way social media is used and how consumers purchase goods. Before online purchases entailed visiting a website, adding items to your cart, and then a lengthy checkout process. Now, you can buy stuff through a simple advert seen on Facebook. Because of this, we predict that social media will become just as important as a website for certain industries. As consumers are given more options to buy products through social media, the demand for websites will slowly decline.
Virtual Events
Marketing and businesses were plunged into a whole new world in 2020. It saw a lot of people adjust and have to adapt to the new normal of remote working. Because of the current climate, events and networking where marketeers and business owners usually thrive were put on hold.
But the power of online technology has managed to fuel a solution. Business owners who wanted to network and still have physical interaction with customers started bringing their real-life events online. Online events have many benefits, it allows people from around the world to connect without the need for travel, and they’re easier for people to fit in with their schedule.
Because of this, online events are thriving. And with the complications of 2020 still present (with a hopeful end in sight) they’re more popular than ever. This is a trend we can see continuing in the near future and is a great way to stay in touch with consumers. It’s more personal, and there are plenty of resources to keep your users engaged like video content and podcasts. Even when in-face events can continue, virtual events will still be useful and more accessible to everyone.
For some inspiration, here are some podcasts we are loving at the moment
Machine Learning Taking The Lead For Analysis
Sifting through data is the best way to pinpoint what is and isn’t working in your marketing activities. Data is value, and data insights are what help build your marketing campaign. Without it, it would be a guessing game.
The only down-side to data collection is that sifting through it can be time consuming. In order to speed up this process, machine learning is now able to sift through the data for you and pick up the bits that you want it to find. It saves a lot of time and allows you to report and implement your findings, rather than spending time looking for them. As such a valuable asset, we believe this is a trend that is only going to become more popular as time goes on.
3 Tips To Takeaway
Nothing Is Ever Set In Stone
Marketing is always shapeshifting depending on audiences, new products and new techniques. One thing to remember is to don’t be afraid to experiment, and don’t get stuck in hold habits. The key to smashing marketing trends is to always be open to new things, and be ready to learn.
Stay Proactive
When it comes to keeping your customers happy and interested, being proactive is key. Responding to your audience in a timely manner and using personalisations such as their first name will show them you care, and that you’re there to help.
Focus On What Your Audience Want To Know Rather Than Pushing Products
The general rule is focusing 80% of your content on topics and surrounding interests, and the other 20% speaking about your products and services. Pushing your services in customers’ faces can be off-putting and come across spammy, be natural and focus on what they want to know as a consumer.
Implementing Marketing Trends — A Recap
These trends are just a few ways to boost your marketing this year. Providing a great user experience, being proactive, and connecting with your audience are just a few other ways that you can smash your marketing campaigns. Success across your social media, your content, and other digital strategies doesn’t happen overnight. Consistency is key, social media can take a while to build a follower base that you can engage with regularly. But with regular, fresh content and putting your business out there, growth will begin to pick-up. To create a successful campaign across all channels, tying these trends together is going to be a key factor.
Originally published at https://blog.buzzbar.co.
