As 2021 fast approaches, now is the perfect time to start drawing up a digital marketing strategy for the new year. As you’re probably well aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the amount of time people spend online and boosted sales on e-commerce sites. This means that the digital marketing landscape is fiercer than ever, with many businesses taking the opportunity to develop sophisticated virtual platforms, work on search engine optimisation (SEO), and get to grips with new technologies.
To help you keep up with this disorienting landscape and enhance the profile of your brand, we’ve put together a list of the top five digital marketing trends for 2021.
1. Interactive content
Interactive content marketing has been around for a few years, but it is only just starting to get the recognition it deserves as an effective tool to drive leads and engagement.
What is interactive content marketing
It’s simple, really. Interactive web content is any form of content that requires the active participation of consumers rather than simple passive engagement. Good examples of interactive content include quizzes, surveys, games and polls.
What are the advantages of interactive content creation?
Unlike traditional forms of online content such as blog posts and white papers, interactive content is much better at holding the attention of users. According to some compelling stats, 96% of web users who start quizzes on Buzzfeed finish them. This is an amazing completion rate considering the shortening of user attention spans and the fact that most web users fail to read anything other than the headlines of online articles.
It is also worth noting that interactive content can be very shareable. A fun and light-hearted quiz, for example, could prompt users to post their results on social media, encouraging their followers to engage with it too. If you’re lucky, the content could go viral and seriously boost your brand exposure.
2. Omnichannel marketing
According to a recent study, businesses that use an omnichannel marketing strategy enjoy an engagement rate of 18.96%, an impressive figure compared to the 5.4% achieved by single-channel strategies. If you’re yet to get on board with this digital marketing trend, make sure you do so in 2021.
What is omnichannel marketing?
Unlike multichannel marketing, which involves sending the same message out across a number of channels to reach as many potential customers as possible, omnichannel marketing involves sending messages to customers through several channels that interact with each other and the customer. This allows companies to respond to the needs of individual customers throughout the journey of a given campaign.Why you should be using omnichannel marketing
Omnichannel marketing is very sophisticated, updating customer data as they continue to engage with a given brand. This allows companies to offer individualised experiences that appeal to the individual needs and desires of customers, significantly improving the chances that they will eventually purchase goods and services.According to a recent study, businesses that use an omnichannel marketing strategy enjoy an engagement rate of 18.96%, an impressive figure compared to the 5.4% achieved by single-channel strategies. If you’re yet to get on board with this digital marketing trend, make sure you do so in 2021.
What is omnichannel marketing?
Unlike multichannel marketing, which involves sending the same message out across a number of channels to reach as many potential customers as possible, omnichannel marketing involves sending messages to customers through several channels that interact with each other and the customer. This allows companies to respond to the needs of individual customers throughout the journey of a given campaign.
Why you should be using omnichannel marketing
Omnichannel marketing is very sophisticated, updating customer data as they continue to engage with a given brand. This allows companies to offer individualised experiences that appeal to the individual needs and desires of customers, significantly improving the chances that they will eventually purchase goods and services.
3. Conversational Marketing
What is conversational marketing?
Conversational marketing is a fairly broad strategy that involves creating a dialogue between a brand and its existing and prospective customers. Some good conversational marketing examples include the use of mobile notifications, text messages, Livechat tools, or social media retargeting to spark up conversations with customers. Many companies also use artificial intelligence (AI) to automate these conversations, at least in their initial stages.What is the aim of conversational marketing?
The point of conversational marketing is to resolve queries quickly and add a friendly touch to your relationship with customers. This should lead to improved customer satisfaction rates and higher conversion rates. Businesses who use AI tools will also save money by reducing the need for support staff to deal with customer interactions.What is conversational marketing?
Conversational marketing is a fairly broad strategy that involves creating a dialogue between a brand and its existing and prospective customers. Some good conversational marketing examples include the use of mobile notifications, text messages, Livechat tools, or social media retargeting to spark up conversations with customers. Many companies also use artificial intelligence (AI) to automate these conversations, at least in their initial stages.What is the aim of conversational marketing?
The point of conversational marketing is to resolve queries quickly and add a friendly touch to your relationship with customers. This should lead to improved customer satisfaction rates and higher conversion rates. Businesses who use AI tools will also save money by reducing the need for support staff to deal with customer interactions.4. AI in digital marketing
How AI helps in digital marketing
There are plenty of ways to leverage AI to improve digital marketing campaigns, including generating new content quickly and efficiently, automating PPC advertisements, providing helpful customer support, or sending targeted automated emails to customers. However, what has proved the most useful application of AI in marketing throughout 2020 is machine learning. Machine learning in the digital marketing sphere involves the analysis of historical data drawn from audience responses to advertising campaigns or from company interactions with customers. During the machine learning process, algorithms will generate insights into the success of your communications, taking into account aspects such as your special offers, targeting, and content. From there, you can use the insights to hone your marketing strategy or even define a special rule that instructs the algorithm to complete certain actions such as sending retargeting emails.How AI helps in digital marketing
There are plenty of ways to leverage AI to improve digital marketing campaigns, including generating new content quickly and efficiently, automating PPC advertisements, providing helpful customer support, or sending targeted automated emails to customers. However, what has proved the most useful application of AI in marketing throughout 2020 is machine learning. Machine learning in the digital marketing sphere involves the analysis of historical data drawn from audience responses to advertising campaigns or from company interactions with customers. During the machine learning process, algorithms will generate insights into the success of your communications, taking into account aspects such as your special offers, targeting, and content. From there, you can use the insights to hone your marketing strategy or even define a special rule that instructs the algorithm to complete certain actions such as sending retargeting emails.5. Voice Search Marketing
With 27% of the online population around the world now operating search engines by speaking directly into their mobile devices, it is vital that marketing professionals get to grips with voice search marketing.
With 27% of the online population around the world now operating search engines by speaking directly into their mobile devices, it is vital that marketing professionals get to grips with voice search marketing.
Accounting for voice search in digital marketing strategies means thinking about the differences between spoken language and written language and incorporating this into your SEO strategy.
A few voice search SEO tips
To ensure that your website is picked up by search engines in 2021, try the following tips:
• Consider what kind of phrases a person might come up with when searching for your products with their voice. If you’re struggling, Answer the Public is a useful tool designed to come up with some keywords for voice search.
• Tailor your keywords towards local content, as many users of voice search use it to find services in their local area. “Near me” is a very common phrase that should be included in your internal links, title tags, and anchor text.
Start preparing for 2021 today!
As you can see, there are plenty of dynamic marketing strategies available to help you weather a tough economic landscape and even make 2021 hugely successful. Start planning today to ensure your company remains competitive and climbs up the rankings of major search engines.
