8 Digital Marketing Trends for 2021: What’s On The Horizon?
With every year comes the promise of a fresh start. However, no year has ever followed the utter chaos of 2020. A national health crisis, civil unrest, a polarizing election, and ongoing stress — not to mention murder hornets — has us all licking our wounds.
Many businesses have had to close up shop or drastically pivot their business model during this tumultuous year. But hope is not lost, and there are strategies and trends on the forecast offering a fresh marketing approach.
So, what’s on the horizon for digital marketing trends in 2021?
As we all trudge on toward another year of uncertainty, many businesses hang in the balance. Now, more than ever, marketers and small business owners need to take a proactive, hands-on approach. Because if you want your business to thrive in 2021, you’ll need to tackle digital marketing head-on.
And like this crazy year, digital marketing is often unpredictable. However, we have ample insights and data at our fingertips to gain access to consumer patterns and interests.
Ready to roll out the top digital marketing trends for 2021?
Consider next year your marathon, and training day starts now. Let’s begin.
Email Marketing Trends Prioritize Personalization
While personalization was a key trend for 2020, it’s even more crucial going into 2021. Why? The emphasis moving forward lies in streamlined buyer journeys.
An email is no longer a simple, short discount coupon during the holiday season. No, it’s a communication line that needs to provide a comprehensive user experience someone might encounter by visiting your brick and mortar or online store.
88% of consumers expect their favorite brands to accelerate digital business functioning due to the pandemic, according to Salesforce.
Make it personal
As people adopt a socially distanced life, they don’t want to compromise their buying habits and behaviors. So, if your brand isn’t digitally optimized, chances are they’ll shop elsewhere because they want an enjoyable experience.
Spending is up, online engagement is skyrocketing, and companies need to rise to the demand to reach customers on their level. How can you make it personal?
Segmentation trends
Email segmentation remains crucial if you want to keep your newsletter out of the trash folder. Continue personalizing email content based on data like spending habits, localization, and age demographics.
Segmented email lists built on personalization by telling specific demographics in your broader audience that you’ve got hand-picked content for them.
Treat your email campaigns as independent sales funnels by fleshing them out with high-quality design elements like compelling imagery, infographics, and easy-to-read copy.
You can easily do this with our free email campaigns tool. Simply create a campaign, customize the email banner, import your mailing list, test out and send the campaign.
From there, you’re ready to reach your audience in an intimate, personalized way that concurrently fosters connection and sales.
Social Media Marketing Trends for 2021
Social media is an active realm where things change daily. What social media marketing trends can we expect in 2021?
For starters: you can no longer ignore TikTok.
TikTok
TikTok has erupted as a social channel offering explosive growth and high engagement. Why is it so resonant? Because the visual storytelling format reaches farther than a simple advertisement or stagnant social media post.
With high engagement rates (29%) and low market competition with only 4% of U.S. marketers using the app, now is the best time to dive headfirst into TikTok.
Did I mention it’s the most downloaded app of 2020? The app has massive business potential, but you’ll need to learn how to leverage it to your advantage.
Here are some TikTok marketing tips to carry into 2021:
Download the app and see what’s trending. What types of videos are viral? Observe and think about how you can recreate your own variation of trending videos.
Keep a finger on the trend pulse. A TikTok trend can ignite within 24 hours. When that happens, you want to jump quickly and upload your video while the content is trending. Find the hottest trends on the FYP (For You Page) and Explore page.
Find your niche. There’s something for everyone on TikTok, from pet videos to kitchen hacks to gardening tips to fitness accounts and beyond. Find your niche and start sharing content that resonates with your audience.
Tell a great story. Start your video with a hook to grab people’s interest. A great way to do that is with a tutorial. Simply record your video, add text, and walk viewers through the steps needed to enact the task.
Be authentic and candid. There’s a place for polished, highly-produced videos, but it’s not on TikTok. Instead, use the platform to flex your brand’s personality and identity.
The golden rule for social media these days is to keep things candid. We’ve all been through a lot this year, and people don’t want smoke and mirrors; they want human interactions from their favorite brands.
Deliver, and you’ll see an uptick in user engagement that converts to sales and consumer loyalty.
Instagram Reels
Since TikTok changed the social media game this year, all other social networks are adopting its model. Instagram Reels adopts the exact format of TikTok videos.
In fact, you can create Reels and share them to TikTok and vice versa. Because they operate in the same way, follow the approach we outlined above. And just like that, you’ve got two pieces of content to share on two separate channels.
Source: Instagram
Organic search comes to Instagram
In November, Instagram announced that it would be keyword search-friendly. That means that you no longer have to rely on hashtags, location, or usernames for people to find your business account because they can now find you through organic SEO.
You’ll want to pivot your posting strategy to include keywords in your caption copy. Instagram keyword searches will primarily focus on “general interest topics” within Instagram’s guidelines. So, instead of long-tail keywords that perform well on search engines, focus on buzzwords in your niche.
For example, instead of a particular keyword like “easy home workouts for beginners,” widen the lens to a more generic keyword like “exercise routine.”
Social media shopping
With shoppable posts and Facebook stores hitting the scene, people can now shop your product line without ever visiting your website. Have you noticed brands flocking to this trend as of late? It’s for a good reason. In 2020, users spend an average of about 2.5 hours on social media.
Considering they’re already logged in and active, companies will want to capitalize on this activity by getting products in people’s news feeds and Stories.
Add product tags where applicable to make posts shoppable.
Flesh out your Facebook store with products, descriptions, and product tags.
Treat each social media store as a fully-functioning online store for one-click purchases and checkouts.
Create a posting schedule to keep shoppable posts flowing and sales coming in. At PosterMyWall, social media scheduling is easy. Simply link your social accounts, create your designs for each platform, and start scheduling posts!
Small Business Marketing Trends
With the global economy in peril, is digital marketing worth it in 2020? With distractions at every corner, it’s easy to let content marketing slide into your peripheral. Take care not to, because it’ll only be to your detriment. Because the fact is, people still want to shop, and online spending is up 30.1% from last year.
Even with limited funds and resources, small businesses can hop on emerging marketing trends that’ll give them a leg up on their competitors.
Small business marketing checklist for 2021:
Freelancers and gig workers will get you farther. Small businesses limited on funds and resources can benefit from contract workers on a gig basis. There are about 57 million freelancers in the gig economy, meaning you’ll have no problem finding affordable talent. Without the overhead costs of benefits, you can expand your business for a minimal investment and see high returns by bringing in a contracted expert.
Business continues to migrate online. Despite fluctuations in lockdowns and reopenings, roughly 42% of the workforce is now remote. That means you’ll need to set up business systems and sales funnels online to adapt to the times.
Digital pay is the way. Societies progressively lean toward cashless across the globe. Make digital payment easy with options like Apple Pay, Venmo, PayPal, Google Pay, and Square.
Sustainability matters. Consciousness for the environment is more crucial than ever before for 70% of consumers, according to BCG. Show them you care by enforcing sustainability best-practices like carbon-neutral shipping options, minimizing plastic during production, using green energy for manufacturing, and of course, recycling.
The key is to take a new approach to marketing in 2021 because, let’s face it, we live in a new world.
Augmented Reality Will Reach Through The Screen
Rather than being an armchair shopper, people can bring the armchair through the screen to see if it matches their living room décor.
Augmented reality (AR) is no longer an abstract futuristic proposition; it’s now. Unlike virtual reality, which plants users into a matrix-esque alternate world, AR takes their existing reality and embeds specific components into it.
And it’s already happening all around us with apps like Pokemon Go, L'oreal's Makeup App, and the Ikea Mobile App.
Marketers project an AR boom going into 2021 since people are spending so much time at home. With the apparent risks of shopping in-store, offering an AR experience removes any doubts about purchasing.
If someone finds themselves stumped between a black sofa or a tan one, AR technology enables them to place both versions into their home to make the decision easier. Offering a digital landscape for people to interact with is an excellent way to strengthen the connection with your audience.
Plus, it’s just downright cool, and people like cool.
IDTechEx predicts VR and AR technology to reach a market value of $30 billion cumulatively.
How will you bring your product into their homes? Find a way, and you’ll get a slice of that multi-billion dollar pie. Spoiler: it tastes good.
Co-Branding Offers Double The Impact
Starbucks and Spotify. Taco Bell and Doritos. Walmart and Instacart. These are just a few examples of co-branding done right. When two separate entities join forces with a united goal: magic happens.
Co-branding is a marketing technique where two brands come together to promote a new offering. This collaborative tactic broadens a brand’s exposure, delivers a unique new product or service to a collective audience, and creates buzz people want to get in on.
While the concept of co-branding isn’t new, it’s vital in these unique times. When people see two brands they love come together; it creates camaraderie and community.
We’ve faced unprecedented challenges this year. Co-branding offers a tandem solution to the dynamic obstacles people face in this shaky climate.
Cause-Based Marketing and Brand Activism
Change isn’t stagnant, and neither should your brand be when it comes to diversity, inclusivity, and cause-based marketing. As challenging as 2020 has been, we’ve learned collectively that a one-size-fits-all marketing approach doesn’t work.
People want to know your brand’s core beliefs, values, and stance on important issues like the environment, human rights, health concerns, and inclusivity.
Brand activism cultivates trust and good faith in your company and shows people that your business has heart. In turn, waves of traditionally marginalized groups will support your brand.
In fact, 71% of buyers care more about brand values in 2020 than they did in 2019. On that upward conscious swing, it stands to reason that brand activism will only continue to gain traction.
Plus, it’s flat out moronic to sidestep brand activism and inclusivity, considering minorities have significant buying power worth almost $4 trillion.
Showcasing your brand’s beliefs will humanize your brand and create a deeper connection with your audience. It’s what companies large and small, from Nike to your local mom and pop shop, are doing to make a difference. In 2021, it’s time to stand up and stand by your brand values.
Source: Nike
High-Quality Content Is More Important Than Ever
Substandard content isn’t going to cut it in 2021. People are smart and savvy to click-bait and fluff. And Google isn’t going to serve it up, either. Plus, people are consuming more content than ever before.
Just look at the stats from this pandemic media consumption report by JP Morgan:
Facebook use increased by 50% in March.
Voice and video calling doubled during the same period.
Group calling increased by 1,000%
There were 15.8 million new Netflix subscriptions in Q1 of 2020.
If it’s content they want, then get ready to deliver. But don’t serve up half-baked content because it’s not going to get you far.
Marketers and small businesses are in an ever-evolving battle for consumer attention. Sure, we know people want more content from their favorite brands, but the hamster wheel content grind takes time, money, and consistency — resources hard to come by in these crazy times.
What’s the solution? To focus your content marketing on, well, creating high-quality content. Rather than investing your efforts into promoting products and services, push your content marketing campaigns.
How can you ensure your content is the highest quality possible?
Focus on quality over quantity. Sure, consistency is key, but there’s no point in posting aimless fluff because it’ll only hurt your company’s reputation. If you have to share less frequently in order to make your content stellar, then do so because the content you share will do more for your brand than the alternative.
Content marketing offers open communication with your audience and tends to be less sales-y. That’s why 77% of companies use content creation to reach customers. While a product page is a direct route to a sale, it does little for nurturing your audience. Content marketing offers rich, relevant value; it’s the scenic route, and people dig it.
Be authentic. If there’s one thing you take away from these 2021 marketing trends, it’s to prioritize transparency and authenticity. The general public has endured collective trauma, and they want honesty now more than ever. Write content that’s empathetic, truthful, and transparent.
No-Click Searches Dominate SERPs
Featured snippets were one of this year’s most prominent marketing trends. Piggybacking on that trend is the projection for no-click searches in 2021. But wait, isn’t the entire point of content marketing to attract visitors to your site?
Somewhat. There’s a bigger goal, and it’s to land in position zero, the coveted search engine real estate reserved for thought-leaders and authority figures. If marketing is swinging the proverbial bat, then hitting a home run is landing in Google’s position zero, also known as a “featured snippet.”
What’s the big deal about position zero?
When one of your website’s pages or blog posts makes it to the top of SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), a box appears at the top of the page enclosed with pertinent information from the page. Instead of the regular snippet, which has a meta title, description, and URL, position zero displays images, headings, and relevant information to answer the user’s query without requiring a click.
Here’s an example of a position zero pulled from my query, “how to do long division:”
Notice the step-by-step numbered list? I don’t need to click to the site because the process is right there in the featured snippet. Of course, I’d probably want to see examples and photos, so I’ll end up clicking through for more details.
While it seems odd to dissuade users from clicking through to your website, it’s a nod from Google telling everyone that your content is the authority, which goes much farther than a single click.
Want to make it to position zero? Here’s how:
Write content focused on ranking for long-tail keywords. How-tos and informational guides are great options.
Include your keyword in subheadings with a detailed, concise answer beneath.
Be sure to include a table of contents or a bullet list for Google to display in the featured snippet.
Final Thoughts: Be Prepared For Anything
We’ve covered the top digital marketing trends for 2021, and now it’s time to put them into play. Toss that old marketing playbook out because most of it won’t work anymore. We’re living in a complex new world where news breaks on the daily and anything is possible.
While that adage didn’t quite bode well for 2020, we’re all going into 2021 wiser, more prepared, a little jaded, but altogether tougher and smarter.
Staying current on emerging marketing trends will prepare your brand for inevitable curveballs.
With all the changes and unexpected events happening, you might swing and miss, and that’s okay. Keep swinging the bat because there’s nothing like the crack of a home run to bring new momentum and growth to your business.
Now get out there and make it happen, because 2021 is yours!
