What are the new digital marketing trends for 2021? In the last year, the world has changed a lot and this sector has adapted to these new dynamics.
Digital Marketing is the branch of the marketing world that changes faster than the others. Therefore, it is important to keep up to date on all the new and different marketing trends that emerge.
2020 was a very strange year that forced us to stay at home. Some trends that were predicted before the pandemic have been completely redesigned. Others, instead, have been adapted to this new kind of world.
People have started spending a lot of time on social media, more than ever, and videoconferences has become a classic way to spend the day. In particular, the e-commerce sector has grown exponentially.
In the last (special) year, digital and social media marketing established itself as a fundamental tool for a business. Indeed, over 25% of marketers spends 90% of their budget on digital marketing.
But now let’s take a look to this new year and discover together the top online marketing trends for 2021!
- Live streaming events
- Purpose-driven missions from trusted brand
- UGC for a more participatory audience
- Emphasis on sustaintability
- Inclusivity and equality
- Voice and visual search
- Easy-to-consume content
Live Streaming Events
Due to the pandemic, physical events have been canceled and people remain at home. They can’t no longer socialize with friends, family and other people. This has led to an large number of live streaming events which can be from a brand, an online workshop or a live video from an influencer.
The views of live content on Facebook have increased by 50% during the lockdown period, while they have boosted to 70% on Instagram. The use of the new social network TikTok has spread to a large extent and this new trend will continue in 2021.
These kind of live streaming events, such as those of influencers, can build trust and a deeper connection between characters and their community.
Live streaming was already popular before 2020, but this format was the most successful during the lockdown period and it is likely that live contents will remain a stable format during the future years.
Purpose-Driven Missions From Trusted Brand
The goal for brands is to understand how they can integrate into the lives of consumers and enter the conversations that customers are interested in.
People are increasingly demanding transparency and trust from businesses. To achieve this, brands need to be consistent with their mission and vision. There will be a growing need for brands that do good actions.
Examples of this trend are the Hilton’s Hotel for Heros campaign in which the hotel provided free rooms for healthcare workers and Chanel’s contribution to the pandemic when they started producing face masks.
User-Generated Content (UGC) for a More Participatory Audience
The online consumers’ experience has never been more important than it is now. Customers want pleasant experiences with the brands they like. In this kind of context, User-Generated Content (UGC) becomes an extraordinary benefit for brands that want to connect with their consumers.
UGC can build and strengthen communities, make the brand recognizable and allow brands to meet customers in their places. The most important thing is that UGC helps brands produce tons of content without spending too much energy and money.
A trend for 2021 will be that this UGC will become increasingly important with the aim of building the consumers’ confidence. This can generate a good return in acquiring new clients.
An advice for brands for 2021 may be to foster a greater engagement with customers thanks to UGC like reviews, testimonials and ratings.
Emphasis on Sustainability
Sustainability has become an important focus for brands.
According to NielsenIQ‘s insights, 81% of customers think that companies should help improve the environment. Indeed, in recent years we saw that brands are moving towards a more sustainable future.
More and more often, clients are looking for companies that pay attention to the environment and it will be essential for brands to remain focused on these aspects also in 2021.
The pandemic has reinforced a demand for sustaintability by consumers who are considering their impact on the environment when they purchase something.
Sustainability is affecting all markets, from food to fashion to technology. Brands try to find ways to improve their sustainability, through partnerships, events or new production techniques.
The marketing team should focus on raising public awareness of the company’s sustainable activities and communicating the concrete results they have achieved.
Inclusivity and Equality
The Black Lives Matter movement has raised awareness of inclusivity which has been important in 2020 and is expected to be an important focus throughout 2021. Brands that will do not show inclusivity will be at a disadvantage.
The cultural shift towards inclusivity also affects buying behaviour.
According to the 2019 Diversity Inclusion Retail study by Accenture, 41% of consumers do not buy from retailers who do not reflect their views on identity and diversity and 29% can change brands from which they usually buy if they don’t show enough diversity.
People are trying to drive change, not only through campaigning, but also through their buying decisions. In particular, attention on racial equality has increased in 2020 and in 2021 consumers will expect more from brands on this issue.
Voice and Visual Search
Being stuck at home, with few conversation opportunities, people started to do researches via voice-activated tools like Alexa. But in 2021, not only voice search wiill increase, but also visual search.
Google Lens, for example, allows consumers to search for what they can see. This leads to some consideration for marketers: the focus will be on alternative text of pictures and sitemaps for images. Even from a SEO point of view, images will be more important.
Brands will have to make their product searchable by voice due to the fact that people use the voice search more.
Easy-to-Consume Content
Why was the podcast so successful in 2020? People search for easy-to-consume content and the podcast can be listened to on the go. Now, around 55% of Americans listens to podcasts and also advertisers are spending more on podcasts.
Handy and readily available content such as podcasts and newsletters, clear example of email marketing, will help brands connect them better with their audience.
2020 was really unpredictable and brands had to rethink about their activity to reach better clients at home. Digital marketing has been obviously a fundamental tool for companies. Those who follow the new online marketing trends will grow and be more efficient.
In difficult times like these, consumers expect brands to respond to crisis efficiently. Loyalty and trust towards companies become necessary. Brands that reacted well to the pandemic have earned trust from clients.
In 2021 we will see some 2020 online marketing trends that will continue, others will get stronger while others may disappear.
If you want know more, read our article on the best 10 tools for building and improving business’s online presence!
