5 Digital Marketing Trends to Watch Out for in 2021

The pandemic has brought massive changes in digital marketing. Businesses are now experiencing significant transformations in how they interact with customers. Even for companies that had a digital marketing strategy in early 2020, a lot has changed.

One of the factors affecting operations is the change in customer behavior. With more people spending time online, there has been an increase in providers. Additionally, customers are becoming more aware of online expectations. Due to this, buyers are now making more informed purchasing decisions.

The stiff competition implies that businesses now have to work a lot harder. They need better strategies to attract, convert, and retain buyers. And as we look forward to better days, here are five digital marketing trends to watch out for in 2021. 

1. A Focus on the Top Position with Featured Snippets

There’s no doubt that every business wants better visibility. Every company is targeting the good clicks that come from appearing in the top positions. The position comes with lots of benefits. There are more customers and better conversions. 

Luckily, Google offers ranking opportunities through organic results and featured snippets. With organic results, you compete with other sites based on SEO scores.

When it comes to the featured snippets, things work a little differently. The focus is on your answer to user queries. If your content answers questions in an organized and simpler form, you can hit the top position.

The good thing about this position is that it appears above all other results. It’s also easier to click since it is at the highest rank. Also, its placement displays authoritativeness and expertise. This further boosts your performance. 

For a business, this means more traffic. It’s also a long-term boost to your digital marketing platform. This is especially so if you maintain the position for some time. 

For the most part, maintaining the top position involves checking out these factors.

  • You need to build relevant links to your website.
  • You must be concise and clear when answering questions.
  • Incorporate questions from long-tail keywords phrases.
  • Use headers, bullets, images, or table structure to format your content. 

All these strategies require constant effort in your digital marketing solutions. For example, when building links, you need to collaborate with high-authority sites. Sites with better domain authority guarantee better rankings. 

For most businesses, hiring a digital marketing agency delivers better results. Look for companies that can offer good link-building outcomes and be consistent with their promises. These digital marketing specialists have the expertise to drive relevant traffic to your website. 

2. More Interactions with Live Streaming

live streaming

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Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are experiencing the most growth. They have been attracting massive crowds, with live streaming being their biggest advertiser.

With more people selling online, going live boosts conversion. The primary benefit of live streaming is that it is interactive. You market a product and get first-hand feedback on your offer. 

It’s also convenient since you and your visitors work at the location of choice. More importantly, live streaming gives you a wide variety of product advertisements. You can include texts, pictures, and videos to boost engagements. 

Even better is the analytics tracking. Live streaming allows you to see the number of people who joined your event. You can also see their behavior and engagement. With these numbers, you can assess what works and what needs to change in your next event. 

3. Growth in the Voice and Visual Technology

voice

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More consumers are embracing voice and visual search. They are reaching out to Google and Alexa to find information online. They are also getting answers from Cortana and Siri.

In 2021, embracing visual and voice technology promises better conversion. This is especially important if your audience prefers personal assistants. It also works if your persona uses voice-activated devices. 

What’s important is positioning yourself correctly. First, create content that is fit for the Answer box. Your content structure should answer the ‘how’, ‘who’, and ‘what’ questions. 

It should also have a CTA. The CTA should include the ‘when’ and ‘where’ answers. For instance, if a visitor asks for a phone number, Google should deliver it. 

Embracing smart technologies opens your business to a larger audience. To ensure you are on the right path, keep these in mind;

  • Understand your audience and questions they may ask.
  • Know your keywords.
  • Target the Answer box by optimizing technical SEO.
  • Create content that’s fit for text, voice, and visual search. 

4. A Boost with User-Generated Content

Consumers tend to lean more on authenticity. A brand that other people recommend always seems like the right choice. In most cases, they select products with real people marketing them.

User-generated content leans more on real people’s experiences. It involves users or influencers stating their stand on a product. It’s more like traditional word-of-mouth marketing. People spread the word about your products. 

For a business, UGC enables you to reach a larger audience. It also shows brand loyalty from people sharing your content. Also, it builds a community. People with similar interests can come together to create support groups.  

Additionally, user-generated content gives you fresh content regularly. It’s also cost-effective. It fits both established and emerging markets.

5. Embrace Brand Activism

For the longest time now, businesses have been keeping off activism. There was less talk about affiliations to social, political, and environmental groups.

Then came 2020; this is when we saw a shift in brands’ interest in social inclusivity. There was more talk about culture and a leaning on equality. More businesses took a bold step in openly supporting nonprofit organizations. 

For the first time in years, the BlackLivesMatter movement got recognition. Despite the risk of losing a generation of customers, businesses supported the group. 

What the brands realized is that people don’t just want a good product. They also want to connect to a brand that feels socially conscious. They want to support a brand that caters to everyone. 

In 2021, brands have to understand the importance of diversity. Consumers are looking to interact with businesses that reflect inclusivity for minority groups. They want to stay in a place where everyone belongs. 

Conclusion

It is no secret that digital marketing is changing. There’s more input in voice and visual technology. There’s also a focus on user-generated content and brand activism. All of these contribute to the evolution of the market and how digital marketing can be more effective.

As a business, you should never stop looking for upcoming opportunities. Keeping up with these trends will position you ahead of your competitors. It will also set you up for long-term success.


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