Make no mistake, we live in a time where digital marketing trends and technology moves fast. This means that consumer interests and behaviours are hard to predict. With 2020 well and truly out of the way, it’s time to look ahead to see what we can expect from this year.
Read on to discover our top six Digital Marketing trends for 2021 that will help your business not just to survive but thrive this age of innovation!
Given the current climate, customer experience has never been more important! Your followers want enjoyable and relatable content that gives a lasting impression – they crave it. After all, they want proof before buying a product or a service as no one wants to make the wrong decision.
How will user generated content help enhance your customers experiences? Well, it simply ticks all the boxes when it comes to connective content. UGC has become an effective way for brands to strengthen relationships with their customers and provide social proof.
Following the Government’s latest lockdown announcements, stay at home orders mean that consumers are unable to attend in-person events or experiences. This has led to an increase in the use of live streams. Whether it be a branded live stream, a video from your fave celeb, an online workshop or a handy how-to, video content marketing is on the rise.
In fact, live viewings on Facebook spiked by 50% during lockdown periods, while viewings on Instagram shot up by 70%. TikTok also took off in 2020 – with the prediction that it’ll grow even more during the course of this year. If these stats tell you anything, it’s that live streams are definitely one of the key digital marketing trends to look out for.
A new era of sustainability is rising. Did you know that 81% of consumers feel that businesses should contribute in ways to help improve the environment? Looking for a better lifestyle, these consumers are searching for options that are healthier for them, their homes and the environment as a whole.
Over the past year we’ve seen a shift in brands moving towards a more sustainable future, whether it be through the use of materials, their processes or packaging. The hunt for a greener planet is on and consumers are actively seeking those brands who are purpose-driven and conscious about the environment. We’d certainly like to hope this is a digital marketing trend that will continue to increase over the coming years!
Need to find out a fact, set a reminder or trying to remember the lyrics to a certain song? An increasing number of consumers are searching via voice-activated tools like Siri, Google and Alexa. As of now, you can hum, whistle or sing a melody into your Google Assistant, with the use of Hum to Search.
But it’s not just voice search that is a top digital marketing trend for 2021, but we can also expect other creative search methods to rise to the top – like visual search. How much easier would that be?
Especially given the current climate, a number of brands are introducing shopping in VR – which lets customers take their shopping experience outside of the store by visually displaying a product in front of their very eyes (well… screens). Shoppers are able to view products in 3D before deciding the buy them. We predict that over the next year or so, visuals will become increasingly important in the SEO game.
A recent report from Hootsuite notes that “the smartest brands will understand where they fit into customers’ lives on social media, and they’ll find creative ways of fitting into the conversation.”
Another key digital marketing trend for 2021 is transparency. It’s almost impossible for customers to connect with brands who come across as insincere or uneducated. Why would they want to invest in or buy from a brand they can’t trust or don’t believe in? We’re no strangers to seeing brands doing good things, take Gymshark for example.
2020 also saw people leaning on easy-to-consume, bite-sizable content – such as podcasts, video clips or newsletters that land directly in subscriber’s inboxes. In fact, podcast listenership in the UK has been increasing year-on-year, reaching an estimated 15.6 million listeners last year alone. Advertisers are spending more on podcasts too, which hints to their continued success in 2021.
Convenient and readily available content like podcasts, video clips and newsletters will help brands connect more closely with their customers and provide a more intimate way to stay in touch.
Interested in learning more about our predicted Digital Marketing trends for 2021? Or maybe you need help with your online marketing strategy? The team at Super Digital can help with just that! To find out more about how we can grow your business, contact us.