We all know how difficult 2020 was on all of us due to the pandemic including many business industries. Even the biggest and well-known companies have lost sales, closing branches to avoid bankruptcy. While things are slowly getting better, many people still stay at home to stay safe from the virus, with governments also implementing restrictions for an uncertain period.
Because of all this, businesses are now finding even more creative ways to market their brand, with competition being at its peak! This is where digital marketing comes along, which can help gain visibility and engagement, thus bringing more customers and sales in.
What can you do to get in the game and begin marketing your business even better in the digital world this year? Read on as experts like the SEO Hobart Company show you all about the importance of SEO among other strategies you can follow!
Marketing Your Business Online This 2021
Digital marketing is a major part of modern consumerism, now more than ever! And while many marketing principles do stay the same every year, the tools and a few strategies used to achieve success will vary greatly. As digital advertising and artificial intelligence is improving, they now play crucial roles in business’ marketing.
So, what should you know and what can you do to keep up with the digital marketing trends as the new year is here? Check out these ideas:
What Trends to Review
There are many trends you should review and focus on! This can help you harness the latest marketing trends and apply the latest innovations for more success. Technology innovations are drivers of digital marketing trends, so watch out for changes in the following:
- Digital platforms such as Facebook Inc, Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp, Google, and Amazon.com Inc
- Martech vendors, with more focus on marketing cloud players with big R&D budgets such as HubSpot, Oracle, Salesforce, and those with larger user bases targeting SMEs such as Mailchimp
- Independent standards bodies such as World Wide Web Consortium, IETF, Living Standard, and WHATWG
While trends depend on economic factors, 2021 is different when it comes to marketing investments. This is why low to no-cost methods of marketing growth is vital!
Authentic Content Marketing is Key
For small businesses on a tight budget, it’s crucial to provide authentic content, which is a very powerful marketing tool.
Start off by adding a blog to your site if you haven’t yet. This allows you to create interest in your products and services as you establish your brand as one of the thought leaders in your industry. Write about topics known to interest your customers and target audience, which builds brand awareness, along with customer loyalty.
When you show that you care more about your viewers than sales, it builds trustworthiness. Plus, you can get discovered even further if you implement SEO with your blog posts, such as backlinking to authoritative sites and using the right keywords.
Whether you plan to post on social media, on your blog, or even an email blast, make sure that you balance out the interesting, relevant content while highlighting your offerings.
Chatbot is in Demand
According to a survey from Salesforce, up to 69% of US consumers prefer using chatbots when they engage with brands, as it gives them the quick response they want. Unfortunately, many small businesses don’t use this technology.
This is a sign to start NOW! With a chatbot running your site, it can answer the basic questions 24/7 without having to hire a huge customer service team or hassling yourself to answer the same questions daily.
AI-powered chatbots can be for customer support and expand contact strategy with the controlled message. Make them conversational and lifelike for people to appreciate the personal voice for better customer satisfaction. Plus, your chatbot can gather, analyze, and provide important data to help you improve your business’ customer service and current marketing strategies.
Voice Search is Becoming Popular
Mobile devices and voice services are being used more and more, such as Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. With that in mind, voice search is where you can stand out among your competitors. If you have an online business, then you can increase your chances of being discovered when ranking for voice search.
To do this, you can adjust your content strategy, being more conversational and answering questions with simpler terms. Rank for longtail keywords on questions customers and your target audience would have about your industry or the products and services you offer.
Prioritize Social Media Marketing
Of course, social media continues to be crucial for your success in digital marketing. This year, expect to see more companies concentrating on one-on-one communication with their target audience and customers using social media. They will also be using social media platforms as their brand’s representatives, their living embodiments!
Two-way communication using social media will be a huge trend this year if it already isn’t (spoiler: IT IS!). Join now by engaging with your customers on social media, which will have you appear more authentic, opening a channel for you to listen to customers.
Social media isn’t just about posting what you have to offer, but to interact with them to gain their trust and interest!
Consumers Will Want New Brands
The pandemic has affected in-person shipping, which is why using digital spaces to find and nurture customers became an even huger hit nowadays. This pushed many businesses to change their online presence, appealing to a wider range of consumers and target audiences.
With more consumers shopping online and looking into new brands, it’s time to act quickly. New brand discovery is at its highest, with businesses focused on building relationships with new customers by using their own channels, such as email, web, and mobile. Doing this will give you more control over the customer buying journey from the beginning to completion of the transaction, so you can use your customers’ data to deliver the best experience they need.
User Experience Grows in Importance
Today’s customers now expect engaging, user-friendly, and seamless online experiences, whether it’s in e-commerce shops or websites. That’s why you should expect and start focusing on creating a smoother and more engaging UX, emphasizing both personalization and speed.
Users love engaging content they can relate to and that speaks to them. That’s why it’s best to create marketing strategies that will reel users based on their page experience.
But besides content, make sure that you also look into your site’s speed, visual stability, security, and mobile-friendliness!
Wrapping It Up
Digital marketing trends and innovation in marketing is always a very popular topic, especially at the beginning of the year. And for good reason, reviewing the new and improving digital marketing industry will help marketers discover opportunities to increase their sales and grow a better reach.
Hopefully, this article on digital marketing gave you an idea of what to implement for your future marketing strategies. If you haven’t started whipping up any game plan for your online presence, it’s time to start NOW!
Do you have questions or want to share tips and experiences on digital marketing this 2021, share your comments below, I would love to hear all of your insights!
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Author: Joel House is the founder of Joel House Search Media. Having helped hundreds of businesses in Australia and around the world with his Digital marketing Services. Joel House is one of the famous experts of providing SEO Brisbane Services