eCommerce sales went through the roof last year, as more people are spending their time on social media and the internet in general—leading to a significant shift in the way companies connect with their consumers and clients. Thus, online shopping has become the go-to for most consumers, making digital marketing crucial for a business’s campaign.
With that in mind, here are the digital marketing trends you need to consider in 2021 for continued growth and success.
The Rise of User-Generated Content
With more consumers shifting to online shopping, ensuring optimal customer experience has never been more crucial. Today’s consumers now crave enjoyable experiences with memorable brands and what better way to stick to someone’s forefront mind than involving them in the process?
The best way to achieve this is by providing generated content, such as encouraging them to post feedback about your latest products or letting consumers use a fun photo booth for virtual events and ask them to share their experience with your workshop.
User-generated content is an efficient and easy way for companies to build relationships with their consumers while earning social proof—and this marketing trend will likely continue to thrive in the new decade.
Livestreaming and Influencer Content
Because of the events last year, events were getting canceled left and right, with many consumers unable to attend in-person events. These restrictions have led to an exponential increase of individuals tuning into live streams, whether from a brand, influencer, or online workshop. Human-driven content such as influencer live-streams can build trust and tap into the ‘connection’ today’s consumers crave.
Social Media to Engage and Retain
Businesses need to be prepared and dedicate more of their time and resources to social media marketing in the new decade. That’s because more consumers are now spending their time online, including how they search for products, organizations, and brands. This shift has created new opportunities for companies and marketers to expand their reach with new audiences and re-engage with existing ones.
Goodwill and Purpose-driven Missions
More individuals are becoming brand conscious, with people flocking over brands that are transparent and good-willed. After all, it’s impossible for consumers to ‘connect’ with any business that they see as insincere. That’s why ‘connection’ has become pivotal for brands that want to remain trusted sources in the new decade—and a great way you can do this is by being attuned to why your business exists and who you’re serving.
You can emphasize your passion for the craft by helping out your community. Although consumers aren’t new to seeing brands doing charitable work, there will be a more prominent emphasis on this particular marketing trend this year.
All-in on Google Listings and Local SEO
If you own a physical establishment, the most crucial thing you need to do is check if all your local listings are updated and accurate on different online platforms. That’s because the Google My Business listing offers B2C businesses the chance to provide potential customers with detailed information about their establishment, ranging from services and location.
Improved Communication of Availability
The convenient availability of services and products is the top reason consumers are switching their brand allegiance nowadays. Businesses and marketers can meet this challenge in several ways, including increasing the days of inventory of ‘on-hand’ products or time-slots for services. For instance, with more individuals working at home and children learning remotely, most medical facilities have reallocated staff toward daytime slots than evening and weekend hours.
In other words, it’s best to be clear about what you can and can’t do for your customers and clients. So, for example, if you have high-volume items, consider placing banners on your website to indicate when they’ll be in stock. Finally, if you haven’t been collecting customer contact information, now’s the perfect time to create a subscriber list to help you become more proactive in notifying customers of availability changes.
Sustainability
As the issues around climate change and the environment, in general, become more prevalent, more than 81% of consumers are choosing companies and brands that are actively taking part in improving the environment. The figure shouldn’t be as surprising since many brands shifted towards more sustainable operations over the past couple of years, whether through the materials they’re using, packaging, or entire business processes.
The mission for a greener world continues. Many consumers are actively seeking brands that are purpose-driven and care as much about the environment as they do—making this approach a key for brands to reiterate their sustainability in the new decade.
In today’s digital world, the key to successfully engaging and retaining existing customers while generating more traffic, leads, and revenue is running a digital marketing campaign. The areas mentioned are where you should focus your attention and time in the new decade for long-term growth and success.
