Most Impactful Digital Marketing Trends For 2021

In an article that I wrote for Quadigy Blog, I had shared the list of the digital marketing trends that I think are dominant now in 2021 and will dictate the efforts of marketers around for the coming months. 

This article takes into account the huge difference that Covid pandemic has made to our lives and how businesses, people and the world in general will behave in post-Covid era. 

The pandemic has completely changed the way people search for, access, and utilize information, communication, products, and services.

I will use this opportunity to summarize the Top Digital Marketing Trends for 2021. Build your marketing strategies around these to tap into the potential of enhanced reach and consumer buy-ins. 

1. An explosion of user-generated (& short) videos and micro-influencers

This trend will continue to grow rapidly in 2021. For brands and marketers, these micro-influencers will continue to be the preferred low-cost alternative to TV and radio Ads.

2. New social media networks and user platforms

Related to the previous one, this trend of new social media platforms mushrooming all over will see brands and marketers experiment with many new platforms in an attempt to gain an early advantage. 

 

3. Core Web Vitals – The New Page Experience Update from Google

Figure out the areas of improvement and start getting your website in order so that you don’t end up losing all your website traffic to a bad user experience score!

 

4. Increase in selling on social media platforms

Social commerce or social-selling is not necessarily new but it has become all the more powerful as a means to market, sell and build brand loyalists in today’s Covid-19 pandemic era. 

2021 will see more and more social media marketplaces come up, allowing people to buy directly from their phones, through recommendations, shared products, etc.

 

5. Personalization and Hyper-targeting

Personalization (and hyper-targeting) in paid digital promotions and content marketing is a trend that will continue to grow in 2021.

The technological advancements made in AI and real-time data gathering is giving a lift to personalized, targeted shopping experiences as well.

In 2021, it will be very important for brands and marketers to target their audiences with data-driven and personalized messaging (as much as possible) and targeted campaigns.

 

6. The rise of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in Marketing

Some key areas where AI is and will be a disruptor are personalized communication (through chatbots and consumer behavior-driven content feeds), product/service recommendations, email personalization, and transaction assistance. Another key use is of AI-powered voice assistants – more prominently used by mobile users.

 

7. The acceptance of AR (augmented reality) in Marketing

AR Marketing still remains a novelty; been used by a few of the top brands such as Ikea, Facebook, Sephora, L’Oreal, Hyundai, Mercedes, and Uber.

However, as AR technology keeps improving, we will find more brands experimenting with it in order to provide something new to their consumers in terms of experience.

 

8. Brands that have values and can be trusted will have more loyal customers

The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 has been one of their toughest times for the modern world post World War II. Humanity has been tested in many ways in 2020, bringing values like Trust, Social Responsibility, and Humanity to the fore.

Brands that are seen to be making efforts for the world’s good, in general, are enjoying more respect and loyalty from their consumers.

 

9. Digital ABM with LinkedIn

Over the past few years, LinkedIn has become the best platform for organizations to test various ABM strategies.

Features like the Sales Navigator and InMail allows LinkedIn users to target accounts with highly personalized engagement. It also allows us to target multiple accounts with pre-planned offers, schemes. LinkedIn is also very useful when it comes to upselling new services/products or renewals to existing clients/customers.

 

10. Demographic changes to the digital audience 

Well, the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 has thrown the old systems awry. The world has shifted to the new reality of minimal contact (or contact-less in many cases) based existence.

This shift also forced a new demographic – the Baby Boomers to get used to the online world and even make their first online purchases (mostly out of necessity) for buying essentials and so on.

This development has presented brands and marketers an easy opportunity to access this new addition to the digital audience to engage and sell to them.

 

Final Word:

So, that's it! You have the top 10 digital marketing trends for 2021 – make sure that you figure out what’s relevant to your market and business and accordingly stitch together your marketing strategy. 

You may also read the complete article here

Not so sure about how to leverage some of these trends? Or are you looking for help in your digital marketing to meet your business objectives? Write to me.

 

Cheers!

 

 

How To Make LinkedIn Work For You

LinkedIn is among the most popular professional social network globally and I am sure you too have your published profile on LinkedIn. Well, in case you don’t have it, this is just the right time to have your LinkedIn profile; more so if you are always keen to connect with more and more people from your field of work. (image source: LinkedIn)

Ok, this is not a step-by-step guide to setting up a LinkedIn profile. This is more about tips and suggestions that will help anybody make the best use of LinkedIn for what it is actually supposed to do – the professional networking and helping you stand out or get positively noticed in your professional world.  

So, here we go:

1.       Have a complete profile.

Well, it’s not really difficult - we just need to follow the instructions and provide the data required for the profile to be complete. Ok, agreed that it can be tiring and boring as well if you have a lot to write about but then, it is Your Profile, so just do it!

2.       Have a professional profile pic.

This simply means that you put up a smart picture of yours preferably taken in your professional setting. You want to catch the eye of people in your profession and for the right reasons. Please remember, LinkedIn is not a dating site, nor a friendship platform!

3.       Ensure that your profile is concise, precise, and attractive to read.

The simple way to create an attractive profile is to keep it simple!

Ø  Use simple language all through your profile

Ø  Give a precise overview of what you do

Ø  Try avoiding giving out each & every detail of your work

       You will come across many a profile where people have almost published a work report that is best suited for appraisal meetings. Personally, I feel it is best to talk just enough to get people interested in my work…..not more.

4.       Have a One-Line resume as the Headline of your Profile.

There can be no better way to attract the right kind of attention and plenty of attention than to have a profile headline that lets people know what you do or what you are.

5.       Put your best foot forward.

A very good thing about LinkedIn is that it allows you to move the different sections of your profile up and down as per your liking. This feature allows you to place/highlight the best portion of your profile in the top section so as to gain maximum visibility.

For example: if you have received awards, organizational/industry-level recognitions, or have been felicitated, you can put them under the ‘Honors and Awards’ section and place the section up ahead. The way to do this is to click ‘edit profile’ at the top and then click and hold on the top bar of the section to move it and release it wherever you want that section to be.

6.       Be an active member of the groups that you join.

Being an active member of the groups help enhance credibility along with establishing your reputation as an expert in your professional field. Answer questions raised in the group forums, put up meaningful questions in forums, participate in polls, and give your comments and advice wherever applicable.

In addition to all these, make sure you keep updating your info, keep connecting with people through various groups….in short, keep networking!

Marketing Online – The Need to Be Careful

Today, the action in the online media is as important as what’s happening in print or television, or even more so, as I believe.  

The fact that it is interactive make it all the more powerful since now people who receive the message can do a lot of things with the message – they can become a firm follower of the message – giver, propagate, recommend if they are happy or turn away, send negative reviews, influence their circles to not to follow the message-giver.

 

It is not as if people on social media sites are there specifically to do this. However, it’s the inherent human need to converse, to be heard, to have a social standing, and to be an influencer that makes all of us talk. As marketing professionals or brands we need to make sure that our messages are tailored for them (targeted to the right audience) as they talk so that they invariably will talk about our messages (relevancy) & talk well if the message has been useful for them (value for them).

The key element for marketing online is to deliver the right message to the targeted section – but not in the conventional way of Talking to Them, but by Talking With Them!

Why Social Media Marketing?

Within Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, Pinterest, and Foursquare, I am sure we all will be able to connect somewhere right now! That’s the power of social media – we all are a part of it!

No wonder then, today, social media marketing is creating as much buzz as the most popular social media marketing campaigns. So, what’s this all fuss about social media marketing? I am sharing a few of the reasons, which I think are responsible for the rise of social media as a powerful tool for marketing.

Social Media is powerful

The unbelievable growth of different social media platforms has ensured that everybody is getting online and talking…well almost everybody (there are still many parts of the world without access to the internet).  People all the time, are exchanging news, sharing information and in turn, influencing their peer circles or getting influenced!

The most convenient Branding tool

Well, companies and brands are no different from people…now with social media branding is as simple as joining in the right conversation on the net, listening to people, being responsive to steer or keep the conversation flowing in a favorable direction, and adding value to the whole interaction!

Least Expensive means of Marketing

Whether you are selling products, services, or ideas or even soliciting help for social causes, social media offers the least expensive means of getting yourself heard and getting people interested.

Real-time feedback

One of the biggest advantages of social media marketing is the feedback that we get – it is fast, and real-time, which helps us know if we are going wrong with our marketing initiative.

You can always change course!

Yes, you got it right! The conversational nature of most social media platforms allows one to make corrections if the marketing strategy has gone wrong or a campaign is doing badly. Staying alert to what people are saying is crucial.

Well, these are my thoughts; I am very interested in knowing what you think; send in your comments and feedback - I would love to hear from you!