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Digital Marketing in 2021

We’re seeing clearly in 2020”, “20/20 vision”, and probably most recently “hindsight is 2020”, were all cheeky marketing idioms everyone drove into the ground last year. Ironically, nobody could predict the upheaval 2020 would bring—including how we talk to and connect with our customers. 

 

Hubspot recently asked users in an organic Facebook post what they expect digital marketing and social media to look like in 2021, and the responses range from brilliant to downright hilarious. From predictions of a mass social media exodus to DIY zombie apocalypse survival tips (is it really that ridiculous?), users seemed to agree on one thing: in 2021, we’ll look at digital marketing in a way unlike any other.

Digital Marketing Growth Potential 

2020 completely changed the way we interact with each other. Many things that were never accepted as something done online, suddenly were. Since we’ve proven that we can now effectively connect with one another digitally, expect that to stick around. For many brands, not only does that mean continuing to work remotely, but it also means that many events, meetings, and seminars will now be offered more readily online. This enables more people to attend these events, with fewer costs and a greater ROI potential.  Forbes even wrote an article on the topic of what changes they predict will stick around post COVID; check it out here. 

Take Adobe Max as an example. Normally this design conference costs at least a few thousand to attend. Because of the pandemic, Adobe offered it online, free for registered Adobe users —no strings attached. The turn-out was so large it caused the conference website to crashed a few times. While they may not make a profit off admission fees, Adobe gave itself the potential to earn more revenue in additional licensing sales, or increased packages by allowing all users to attend and become more familiar with new and existing Adobe products. Someone who may have only purchased a license for one program may now license two, and so on because of the training they received at Adobe Max. This shows the accessibility and flexibility of an online conference can still be profitable.

 

Additionally, many businesses this year that also did not have an online shopping experience were suddenly forced to use e-commerce. Many integrated their online shopping experiences into their social media accounts. An article published on singlegrain.com, explains that many brands are turning to this as an option. Why? Two reasons. First, it’s relatively easy to use. Second, marketers believe it will ultimately shorten the sales funnel for the consumer by making products more readily available. Additionally, by keeping transactions all within a single platform, brands could optimize their conversion rates. Consumers didn't have to go to the website to complete their purchase. 

Personalization

According to a blog published by HubSpot. 80% of consumers say they are more likely to make a purchase when given a personalized experience. Plus, 99% of marketers believe that personalized marketing tactics build stronger consumer relationships and yield more long-term results. These experiences include things like remembering purchase history, suggesting favorite purchased items, and making suggestions of other things consumers may like based upon those experiences. 

 

We see this all the time with Netflix and Amazon, but expect many others to catch onto this trend. With the increased need for a personalized approach, marketers should tailor their content to engage users in a way that is meaningful to them—which may mean a more conversational approach—to do so they may need to take advantage of the tools and tech available to make this happen.

Artificial Intelligence 

Expect Artificial Intelligence (AI) to play a larger role in our daily lives and in marketing. AI is already a huge part of consumers’ lives. With the rise of personalized content, AI is key to making these experiences efficient to deploy. 2021 will be full of the “work smarter, not harder” approach for many. Plus, AI can solve many efficiency woes when it comes to automation and workflow. Thanks to AL, personalization can happen more efficiently. For example,  smart, personalized product recommendations and automated and personalized emails, are possible with AI.  

Inclusivity

2020 made a lot of us take a hard look into our brands to ensure we were doing right by our diverse body of consumers. Many brands announced new initiatives to proactively include diverse groups of consumers in their marketing through their imagery, targeting, and content appeal. In terms of user experience, brands and marketers are becoming hyper-aware of users’ unique needs.

From enabling dark/light mode viewing preferences to supporting multi-language features to being sensitive to users with disabilities, inclusivity will take on many different forms in 2021 to ensure that nobody is being left out of the picture.

The Bottom Line for 2021 

If you aren’t thinking about these things when it comes to your customers' digital experience, then you are at a severe disadvantage. Digital can be a little terrifying if you are new to it, but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. The costs that it takes to invest in digital media are significantly lower given its flexible nature. It’s learnable, trackable, scalable, and most importantly, profitable for many businesses.

 

We’re ProFromGo Internet Marketing. “Internet” is in our name. If you’re in over your head thinking about all the new changes 2021 will bring to the marketing landscape or unsure how to go about your marketing efforts, we’re here to help. Give us a call today to get started.

 

Danielle Matthews
About the Author
Danielle is VDG's Senior Art Director. Whenever she gets a minute to herself she enjoys binge-watching Netflix, reading, obnoxiously loud music, fishing, drinking obscene amounts of coffee, and probably being an all-around nerd.
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