It is safe to say that 2020 was a rough year for everyone. The pandemic forced millions into quarantine, and thousands of businesses are struggling to survive. The sudden lifestyle change forced many businesses to reorganize and reconsider their marketing. As 2021 begins, you enter a new year where the marketing landscape has seen a major shift. Here are the most important Marketing Trends which you must implement and can’t ignore!
Take advantage of social media tools
With most of the world moving online, it has become easier to hold a captive audience over social media. In 2021, take advantage of the different social media tools. This can be immensely helpful for your mobile marketing strategy since most people check their social media on their phones.
From Instagram stories to the recently added Twitter fleets, social media sites have different ways to connect and reach your audience. Even YouTube has its own version of stories with reels. These tools are cost-effective ways for you to get more engagement and increased traffic to your site. This is a particularly good way to connect with the Gen Z and millennials.
Integrate AI into your marketing strategies
AI is slowly but surely becoming a major force for the business world. It may be a relatively new technology now, but it has limitless potential to help your marketing. Stay ahead of the curb by integrating AI into your marketing and systems. You can use it to compute a large amount of data in a short amount of time and give you real-time analysis on where you can improve.
You can make the most out of your marketing budget with AI helping you predict new opportunities. You can also implement AI into your ad buying and selling, make the process quicker and smoother. Marketers can also use AI to better the search results beyond keywords to offer a wide range of product recommendations.
Influencer marketing
As assignment help Australia says, using celebrities as part of a marketing campaign is an age-old tactic, but a new trend is emerging in using influencers to market a product or service. These influencers do not have to be famous stars; they can be YouTube content creators, TikTok stars, or Instagram influencers. These people also do not need to have millions of followers (though the more, the better). They can have hundreds of thousands to just a few thousand.
The beauty of influencer marketing is that you do not have to limit yourself on whom to pick. Just reach out to personalities you feel could do well in your marketing strategy and work with them for the desired content. Their posts can make for better engagements across social media with the help of their loyal fans.
Advocacy marketing
These days, it is not enough for you to just market a brand. People are also looking to see what your brand stands for and what you believe in. Advocacy marketing is there to help your brand feel more socially responsible. Do not be inauthentic if you go about this route because faking advocacy can get your brand easily blacklisted in many consumers’ minds.
Pick certain advocacies that you want to focus on, whether it be the environment or education. This will help build a positive reputation amongst your audience that not only is your product great, but the brand also stands up for a great cause. The key here is to find the advocacy that matches well with the brand to make for a great campaign.
Video production and content
With most people spending most of their time at home, physical shopping has become a less attractive option. Most people have instead gravitated towards online shopping. With that being said, consumers still want to see the products they may buy. This is where video content and production comes in.
Most people would rather spend time watching a video or looking at a pretty visual instead of reading a long description. Assume that your audience’s attention span is not that long. As they scroll on their phones, they should be attracted by an eye-catching and informative video that sells the brand or product well to the point of purchase.
Make your marketing interactive
In 2021, text alone to market a brand is no longer acceptable. Your audience will just swipe along without giving it a second thought. Using interactive marketing is a great way to attract the consumer’s attention. It is dynamic, engaging, and offers an immersive experience. Your ads can become interactive quizzes or polls that users can participate in.
If you are marketing a video game, your ads could be short playable demos that show a teaser of the game with a link to buy the game. Interactive marketing will be the toll you need to get and retain the attention of your audience. This works best when marketing is kept simple, genuine, and as natural and free-flowing as possible.
Let your customers do the marketing for you
A new trend that has gained steam as of late is one that will arguably give you the biggest return on investment. This is organic marketing through your customers. Instead of making your own content, let your customers and users make the content for you. You can even give them the product for free, and they will be the ones to market it themselves.
This works best on sites like YouTube and Twitch, where streamers and YouTubers play games to a wide audience, which builds up name recognition for the product. Your brand ends up growing through natural hype without even having to pay for it.
Conclusion
2021 is sure to be a year of change and surprises. As the world transitions to a new normal, it is clear that the old marketing methods may not work anymore. Now is the time to innovate and meet the audience where they are. Whichever trend you decide to follow will ultimately depend on your situation and what you feel is the best way to reach your target audience.
