Article

Denny Smith
Denny Smith 26 November 2020

Digital Marketing Trends in 2021

In this article, we present the most significant digital marketing trends that will continue to intensify in 2021, substantiate them with statistics and advise you on which trends are highly relevant to which industries.

The Most Important Trends in Digital Marketing for 2021

In particular, the growth of the digital marketing industry is breath-taking and has for years been unbroken. How efficient individual measures can be here is repeatedly shown in various studies. It only takes a few months, if at all, for a trend to take hold globally, thanks to the fast flow of information across the internet.

1. Digital marketing trends: Shoppable Instagram posts

The first shoppable post published on the US version of Instagram in 2017- companies that post photos on the social network can tag them: targeted pop-ups that show information about products in the posted image. The respective product price can show and through which the user can then also get to the store. This function was made available globally in March 2018.

Businesses have been able to turn their Instagram pages into shops themselves since then. Products can be visible per image, individually or several at the same time, and followers are more quickly informed about new products. A checkout feature inside Instagram was made available after only a short development period. Users are able to shop on the social media platform directly, so they no longer have to leave it.

2. Digital marketing trend: Voice search SEO tactics

For several years, voice search has been propagated as the future of internet search. A voice search study found that approximately two-thirds of all smartphone users conduct a voice search at least once a day.

Above all, the growing trend behind this should draw the attention of companies: because voice search may become a new standard in the future, for which websites should optimize. In contrast to written search queries, in voice searches, whole sentences are often "entered." The better search queries can be answered by a website, the sooner it can pick up voice search users.

3. Digital marketing trend: Facebook shops

This digital marketing trend is practically in the lead - above Instagram's shoppable posts and represents a predictable step: it will also be possible to purchase items directly on the Facebook platform in the future.

This function is already known as the Facebook Shop in the English-speaking world, especially in the USA: Ecommerce store providers such as Shopify or WooCommerce have already entered into cooperation agreements with Facebook. There users can shop via the social network and only when payments process in the actual ecommerce store.

4. Trend in paid digital marketing: Smart bidding in Google ads

In google ads, Smart Bidding uses machine learning to increase the rate of conversion, that is, to enable more users to click on the ad. To do this, Google uses users' historical search behaviour and context-related data (such as location, time, a device used, and others) to predict the probability of a conversion. If the data collected indicates an increased chance. Google ads will automatically increase the bid when the ad is placed.

5. Digital marketing trend: Chatbots

When you visit a web page and a small chat window opens up in the lower right corner shortly afterwards, a friendly contact person will say " Hello! How can I help you?" This would most likely be a so-called chatbot. Chatbots can provide easy answers to simple questions written in the chat window, but with slightly more complex queries, they often fail.

In the long term, artificial intelligence is intended to remedy this: the program continuously learns from contact with real people and should automatically be able to answer more and more questions. This will be competition for tasks such as customer advice and support, that was previously reserved for human beings.

6. Digital marketing trend: Augmented reality

For example, anyone who has had a beard projected onto their face has already become associated with the AR (augmented reality) digital marketing trend. Even if it is the only way to make the principle more popular: This idea has been around for a long time.

For example, in the furniture trade, AR can be used to use the smartphone camera to virtually place pieces of furniture in the room, so that customers can get an idea of how the new product will look in its four walls.

7. 'Evergreen' digital trends : Video marketing

For years, videos have become the trend in digital marketing: they have become an essential part of the client journey. After all, with moving pictures, a lot can be said in a short time. It is why the use of videos is continuing to grow in digital marketing.

Video Marketing is Successful

88 % of businesses that use explanatory or product videos report a positive ROI (return on investment) from their marketing. That alone could be a reason for video marketing to perform. There is more:

  • 95% of video-using businesses say it has led to a better understanding of their products.
  • 43 % state that since using explanatory videos, fewer support requests are made.
  • When they wanted to know more about a product or service, 96 % of internet users watched an explanatory video.
  • 84 % of users claim that a branded video convinced them to buy a product or service.
  • Twice as often as any other type of digital content, users share videos.

Videos are used online for quickly gathering information, consuming news or easy for entertainment. Ideally, at the same time, commercial videos can do all of this. If you look at the statistics, you will see that purchases can be inspired by a well-made advertising video and you can assume that the better presentation of the product also provides a more accurate idea of the offer and that the viewer will remember this better.

Video Marketing's Latest Trend: Live Streaming

Also, under coronavirus conditions, live streaming is the new magic word for staying in close touch with customers. If you answer customer queries occasionally in the live stream, digitization of customer service and customer care, so to speak, is probably enough.

It is best to announce the live stream on your channels with the highest number of visitors several days in advance with a targeted marketing campaign to ensure proper insurance, depending on how much you plan to create a targeted advertising campaign.

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