2020 was a year like no other, with current events dramatically impacting every business and shaping digital marketing trends.
Interestingly, some of 2019 digital marketing trends are still trending: personalisation, chatbots, video marketing, influencer marketing or micro-moments – you can read about these trends here.
What will 2021 bring?
Digital transformation
Coronavirus has forced brands to adopt their product and services as well as their marketing tactics. “Digital transformation” has become a popular buzzword since March 2020, and companies of all sizes are investing in the migration to digital platforms, including e-commerce, chatbots, email, apps, artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, omnichannel marketing and augmented and virtual reality. Brands that embrace evolving technologies to create a more seamless customer experience will be in a leadership position post-pandemic.
Consumer behaviour
Marketing has witnessed significant shifts from how Covid is changing consumer behaviour, with many changes possibly permanently altering our industry.
Brands started to invest in the research to better understand how the pandemic has impacted its employees, customers and industry and utilise those insights into their 2021 marketing strategies. For example, virtual events have seen explosive growth and are likely to become a “new normal” in the future as they are more accessible and opened for new audiences.
We saw a big increase in consumption across mobile, social media and video, so brands should modify their media mix appropriately for the 2021.
Furthermore, consumers started to ask brands more and more to focus on value, authenticity and social awareness. Brands that will adjust their communication and content will generate greater loyalty and minimise the negative impact of the pandemic.
Influencer marketing
Consumer brands have historically used social media influencers to present authentic advertising to appeal to prospects and customers. The pandemic strengthened the impact influencers have on the purchase of products, due to a limited ability to shop at stores.
Social media use dramatically increased during the pandemic and this trend will be lasting. A recent study found that 40% of people reported that they purchased a product online after seeing it used by an influencer on YouTube, Instagram or Twitter. As a result, there is an opportunity for brands to utilise social media influencers more now than ever.
Influencers can speak on a more personal level and give their honest opinion that resonates more with their followers compared to normal brand advertising. We expect influencers to gain even more popularity and followers and businesses to use influencers more than ever before.
Personalised content
Content is everywhere – videos, blogs, emails, social media, etc. In order to get your content to stand out from the “noise,” you need a marketing strategy that is personalised to your users. From calls to action to the copy of a landing page, the content you use needs to be hyper-targeted to the exact customer you’re trying to reach, or it will go unnoticed. In 2021, marketers will need to customise customer communications and experiences based on their preferences, interests, and behaviour. Creating and using buyer personas can help you craft content that directly appeals to each customer segment – increasing engagement and loyalty and boosting sales and conversions for your business.
One way to create engaging, personalised communications is to leverage machine learning. However, brands shouldn’t forget about consumer trust and treat consumers’ personal data with respect. When a relationship between a brand and their customers is built on trust, people are more open to sharing their personal information, which in turn can support marketing automation.
Relationships
Did you buy something online during the lockdown only because you wanted to help out a business you know? Did you order food just to support your favourite restaurant, even when you had something to eat at home?
Every brand wants such loyalty and to build more honest relationships with customers. Brands were always looking for new ways to exist in their customers’ eyes not only as a product manufacturer, but also as an important entity. They can do it through adapting their marketing efforts to the changed consumer behaviour, influencer marketing or personalisation. It will all help to get close with your customers and build relationships with them in the future.
How are you adapting your digital marketing to changing behaviours in 2021?
