Digital Marketing in 2021: What are the Top 5 Trends Every Business Needs to be Aware of ?

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Digital-Marketing-Trends-2021

Digital marketing channels are set to supersede traditional marketing channels in terms of importance to businesses in 2021. With all businesses vying to upgrade their communication strategies, there are some market trends that no business should avoid.

The businesses that won’t adapt their digital marketing strategies as per these trends will find it increasingly difficult to grow their customer bases or optimize their customer experiences.

Top 5 Digital Marketing Trends

1. AI-Powered Digital Marketing

Artificial-Intelligence

Presently, many businesses use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to facilitate different stages of their digital marketing efforts. For instance, in the last three years, AI-powered chatbots have become extremely common in most business websites.

In 2020, over 90% of business websites and apps use these chatbots for customer service purposes.

Do users prefer chatbots over human representatives? Most don’t. Unlike human operators, AI-powered chatbots can provide 24×7 customer support, handling thousands of customer requests simultaneously.

Similar AI-powered tools are set to help businesses create detailed marketing campaigns in 2021. These AI-powered tools will –

• Establish communication between customers and businesses

• Analyze customer data such as behavioral patterns of each user on the business website (e.g., time spent browsing specific categories of products)

• Track sales 

• Predict demand based on customer analyses

• Reduce workloads for employees, freeing up their time for more complex tasks 

By the end of 2021, experts expect at least 60% of all marketers in the world to use AI-powered tools while drafting marketing strategies.

2.  Enhanced Focus on Customer Experiences

Customer Experience

In the super-competitive market of 2021, low prices, discounts, or exclusive deals won’t be enough for businesses to attract online orders. The 2021 customer will crave high-quality shopping experiences. So, each aspect of digital marketing strategies needs to be customer-oriented. For instance, businesses that sell directly via their apps will need to provide hassle-free checkout experiences to ensure customers don’t have to wait too long for their orders to process.

No discussion about customer experiences will be complete without mentioning social media networks. Businesses need to ramp up their marketing efforts on these platforms as more and more users are using these platforms to discover new products, services, and brands.

To provide smooth customer experiences, businesses must also consider that over 51% of the global population uses mobile phones to browse the internet for shopping purposes. Almost 70% of all product-related searches are made on mobile devices. Hence, creating mobile-friendly sites or apps is not a luxury in 2021 – it’s a necessity.

Since most businesses are already investing heavily in mobile marketing, businesses need to capitalize on small details. For instance, ‘voice’ searches are becoming extremely common. Be it via Amazon’s Alexa or via a smartphone – more users are searching for products and services using the voice search features. To make the most of this unique trend, businesses must start using voice search-friendly keywords on their websites.

3. Video Is Still the King

Video

2010-20 will be remembered as the decade when videos became more important than text or audio in the field of digital marketing.

Most modern-day customers prefer watching videos about a product before finalizing a purchase. In 2021, video content will continue to be the pillar for digital marketers.

The average consumer will turn to businesses that invest in high-quality and informational videos. Any video that offers ‘perceived value’ will attract customers.

4. Targeted Ads

Targeted Ads

Isn’t the concept of targeted ads quite old? Yes. But, in 2021, programmatic advertising will enable companies to target more specific audiences.

For instance, real-time bidding is a process in which websites, search engines, or social media platforms can acquire advertising inventory on a per-impression basis. AI-powered tools automate ad purchases. A consumer who just viewed ‘headphones’ on a website will be immediately bombarded with more headphone advertisements. Hence, businesses will target specific audience members with products that they’re most likely to acquire.

From instructional videos to Instagram stories – Video content of all kinds will help businesses make both direct and indirect sales in 2021.

5. AR and VR Experiences

augmented-reality-and-virtual-reality-trends

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality technologies will transform how businesses communicate with customers. Expect life-like interactions on sales websites. For instance, some businesses are creating virtual stores that customers can visit from anywhere in the world. Although AR and VR technology is still not ‘perfect,’ 5G deployment will give way for ultra-realistic ‘AR’ shopping experiences.   

Final Conclusion

Decide your business goals and get yourself updated with these top digital marketing trends. Will continue updating you throughout the year about the latest online marketing trends.

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