Watch Out for these Digital Marketing Trends of 2021
A lot of predicted digital marketing trends got diluted since 2020 was a blur. But having plunged into a quarter of 2021, businesses have gained a better ground in what will work and won’t want this year.
Last year was a big change for consumers with more shopping online than ever before, e-commerce sales booming, employees working from home, interacting on video conferences, and people’s social lives revolving around digital media. This has reformed how brands are pursuing their audience and how any digital marketing company in India should take things forward.
So, here are some key trends to consider in 2021:
Engaging Social Media
- The pandemic has brought about a consumer shift. More people are researching, shopping and even sharing reviews and interacting online. This demands brands to focus on their social media strategies and invest in more resources for the same.
- Survey shows that the social media marketing budget of businesses in USA will be increased to 23.4% of the total marketing budget.
- Engaging content, prompt responses and B2C interactions will play a major role in consumer retention which is a priority, especially in these chaotic times.
Google Listings and Local SEO
- It is a common preference to search for a business on google by the keywords related to service or product. If you want your audience to find you, then search engine optimization is important to pursue.
- With countries powering campaigns of going local and buying local, it is time for small businesses to get cracking on their SEO game. Google My Business listing draws your consumers to you. It provides them valuable information such as your business open/close days, your business hours and location maps.
Communicate Availability
- Consumer shopping behaviour has changed by leaps and bounds since 2019. The local or domestic lockdowns, curfews and bubbles have forced consumers to rethink where and what they buy.
- This is the perfect opportunity for small businesses and non-traditional brands to shine. By conveying to your target customers that you are providing an essential or non-essential product or service in their area, you can sell to those who would have otherwise given their business elsewhere.
- It is all about making things accessible and communication is key.
Voice Search on Google
- Despite not being a part of Google’s algorithm, Voice Search gives different results as compared to type search. Try searching ‘best digital marketing agency in India’ both ways and compare.
- Alexa, Google assistant and Siri are the new way for people to ask questions. More consumers are trying and adapting to voice search mediums. It is only fair that businesses start adapting as well. The more direct and interactive your content is, the better the SEO is for voice search. The content must sync with the types of voice search queries just like it is now for typed words.
- In the future this will only get more powerful, so why not board the train to the voice station from now?
Interactive Content Marketing
- Content is still royalty. Blog, newsletters, articles, press releases, docs and even infographics are all relevant even today and are a great value addition to the customer experience. Ofcourse, getting a better ranking and visibility through optimized content is a big bonus!
- By sharing creative content on your website and social media handles, you create a gateway for consumer interactions. Engaging them helps you learn more about them and better your brand. If your content is great enough to be shared by them, then voila! You’ve struck the right chord.
Enhanced Customer Experience
- Just as it is important to drive engagement, it is vital to create a unique and inclusive customer experience online.
- Making their reviews/testimonials part of your social media posts, having positive interactions, sharing empathy with dissatisfied clients, promoting motivational and positive content, etc all help your brand to create a safe zone for your customers to feel included in.
Employee Motivation
- While this may not be a marketing strategy, it impacts all your marketing strategies in a profound way. Stay at home orders, health crisis and work from home can take a toll on motivation and morale.
- It is important to keep your employees connected, break down the tasks effectively and set milestones. Especially for the management, tackling employee burn out effectively is a crucial undertaking.
And if your brand is yet to go digital, you should start shortlisting the best digital marketing companies in India soon. Elevate your customer experience and increase your sales by reaching your customers rather than wait for them to find you.