2020 was a year of unprecedented circumstances, with many marketers transforming their approach due to the changing events. People spent more time at home, ordering services and products online and browsing social media, so marketers had to focus on this. According to IBM’s US Retail Index Report , eCommerce experienced a boom during 2020, and this is projected to continue throughout 2021. So what are the top 10 digital marketing trends to look out for? Let’s take a look…
We will cover:
Google SERP and SEO
For many years now, being listed as high up on Google Searches as possible has been beneficial for many brands. Using phrases that are Search Engine Optimized and tailoring your content to meet Google’s standards is vital to move further up the list. A new feature from the search engine is the ‘featured snippet’ in which Google quotes sections of a website in an attempt to answer the user’s questions without them having to enter a website. The challenge for marketers is to offer enough ‘snippets’ of information to rank in this section but limiting the information so that consumers still have to click on the website and engage with the content.
Voice Search
Artificial Intelligence
Content
It’s not enough to tell the customer about the product. How you can engage your customers depends truly on the stories you tell. By telling the right story, you activate an emotional response. The world is comprised of stimulus and response. The stimulus that creates the strongest emotional response, in turn, creates bonds and trust. Brand trust results in increased conversions.
Creating stories within adverts and interactive ads allow consumers to connect with a brand, meaning that they are more likely to invest in it.
Video Marketing
Customer Journeys
Customer journeys refer to the way in which a customer encounters your brand, how they interact with it, and how this leads to a purchase. Tracking customers’ journeys can lead marketers to discover where they should focus their marketing to turn interest into sales. It also can help identify what marketing strategies are leading to purchases, and are therefore effective, and which are not. This allows marketers to tailor their content accordingly.
Omnichannel Marketing
Gaining popularity in 2020, omnichannel marketing describes the strategy of marketing through a variety of different platforms such as email, apps, social media, and blog posts. This in turn, means that a consumer received a strong brand message and is frequently reminded only of a company. The best results for omnichannel marketing come from a clear, consistent message being delivered in many different ways. Studies have shown that delivering the same message over three or more platforms can lead to a 90% higher customer retention rate and a purchase rate 2.5 times higher than single-channel marketing.
1:1 Personalized Marketing
Chatbots
Although chatbots are already popular with many online brands, their popularity is only set to grow. Based on AI technology, chatbots can reply instantly to site visitor messages, increasing engagement. Studies have shown that around 63% of customers prefer messaging an online chatbot when engaging with a brand. These bots meet customer’s expectations and reply quickly, leading to better customer service and experience by answering simple questions that website visitors may have. This can lead to an increase in conversion.
Automation
About the Author:
