Top 2021 Digital Marketing Trends to Generate More Leads
2020 was full of unexpected surprises, to say the least. A global pandemic, political uncertainty, calls for social justice and more historic moments forced businesses and nonprofits to reevaluate how they communicate with their audiences. They also encouraged businesses and nonprofits to reposition their brands and offerings to remain relevant in a quickly changing world. We kept these factors in mind to develop our list of top 2021 digital marketing trends for you to maximize your business efforts.
Take advantage of lessons learned in 2020 to get a headstart on your 2021 business and marketing plans. Incorporating these top 2021 digital marketing trends into your strategies can give you the edge you need to generate more quality leads, overcome unforeseeable obstacles and succeed in style.
1. Short Videos
As in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic will force people to spend lots of time indoors. The more time people spend inside, the more time they will spend watching short-form videos for amusement.
TikTok’s rapid growth strategies, the launch of Instagram Reels and Snapchat’s new redesign are engineered to take full advantage of this shift in user behavior. TikTok for Business launched in 2020, and marketers around the world are getting on board with this new platform thanks to its popularity among younger audiences.
Fun and creative short videos can enhance audience engagement, convey your brand message and add a personal feel to your business or nonprofit. Make sure to create storyboards and a script before you start filming, however, so you can pack a memorable punch in just a few seconds.
Fact: The average Gen Z has an attention span of 8 seconds, so you need to learn how to make the most of every moment in your short videos to achieve success across social media platforms.
2. SEO
No matter how things go in 2021, search engine optimization (SEO) will remain one of the most efficient and effective marketing strategies available to businesses and nonprofits.
Having said that, it can be frustrating when search algorithms are constantly changing (we’re looking at you, Google!). When algorithms change, your page rankings and SEO efforts may lose their ground.
Search engines are taking customer and user experiences into consideration when ranking pages under their new algorithms. Metrics include load time, content stability and interactivity. As such, SEO marketers will be paying more attention to enhancing user experiences on their websites instead of just on and off-page SEO.
2021 Digital Marketing Trend Tip: Add a clearly defined geographical area to your local listings page, like Google My Business, to show up in local searches more often.
3. Segmentation
Are you seeking cost-effective business and marketing tips for 2021? Here’s one of our favorites: Take care of your current customers and keep them happy. Your customers are further along the marketing and sales funnels, making them more beneficial to your business than prospects you haven’t met.
Happy customers that tell their friends about your products or services are more effective than any other form of marketing. We call this “word of mouth.” Existing customers are also a great source for gathering honest feedback, and they can help you identify issues that can help you strengthen your business.
Segment your customers so you can deliver thoughtful messages to them featuring the exact products or services they need. Targeting also makes your marketing budget work even harder for you.
4. Interactive Content
More businesses will be using interactive elements to boost engagement on their websites and social media pages. These interactive elements provide value to your customers, giving you more opportunities to engage them and learn more about their needs.
One prime example of interactive content is a mortgage calculator you might find on a realtor’s website. The calculator provides real value to website visitors and helps you learn more about their goals. Use information gathered from your interactive content to refine your business and marketing efforts even further.
5. Content Marketing
Content marketing is going to be major in 2021 as more people seek entertaining and educational resources on the web at home. Quizzes, polls, surveys, assessments, games, interactive videos, podcasts, contests and more will gain popularity, so start incorporating them into your 2021 content calendars.
Successful contests can do a lot for your brand visibility and reach in just a short period of time. Launching referral-based contests can expand the visibility of your brand even further.
As mentioned earlier, video content will remain popular in 2021 as well. Consider developing fun product demonstrations, Q&A sessions and client features to invite audiences into a brand experience that’s uniquely yours.
6. Employee Engagement
Due to the pandemic, employees are feeling even more disengaged when it comes to their jobs and employers. Layoffs, job uncertainty and work from home policies have impeded efforts to strengthen employee engagement.
Employees working from home are distracted and the excitement of working from home has waned. As a business owner, you have a duty to connect with your team, keep your employees inspired, and provide your customers with the best service possible.
Host video-based happy hours, game nights and more with your employees to get some much-needed face time with your team.
Employee Advocacy Tip: Maximize your brand’s content marketing efforts with employee advocacy, where employees share your blog posts, infographics, videos and more with their personal network. Executing a successful employee advocacy strategy is easier than ever with LinkedIn Elevate — learn more here.
7. Voice Search
More people are using Google Home and Amazon Alexa to play music, listen to the news and order products, creating a huge demand for voice search. Half of the people who have internet access worldwide are using voice search in some form.
Consider exploring marketing and advertising opportunities with podcasts, media brands and online retailers to reach consumers who are relying on voice search.
8. AI-Powered Chatbots
Artificial intelligence can turn your chatbots into smarter tools that mimic the responses of real people. How? They’re able to figure out how to answer questions in a natural manner, even when those questions haven’t been programmed.
Chatbots will handle more than three-quarters of customer service inquiries in the near future. Since chatbots are cheaper than human labor, you can cut business costs and provide better service when you program your chatbots with customer behaviors and preferences in mind. You can finally reclaim your weekends!
Next Steps
Maintaining a progressive and agile marketing strategy is critical to your business’ success in 2021 and beyond. Make sure to carefully evaluate your customers’ unique needs and adapt your communications approach to provide them the quality service they deserve.
We’ll help you apply these 2021 digital marketing trends to meet your business goals
Our digital marketing, lead generation and website design team helps businesses and nonprofits of all sizes anywhere in the world. Complete the form below or send us an email to learn how we can strengthen your lead generation and communication methods with timely and effective 2021 digital marketing trends! Searching for more resources? Check out our Small Business Marketing Kit for expert marketing tips from our team.
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About The Postcard Agency
The Postcard Agency connects businesses and nonprofit organizations with their target audiences through dynamic marketing and public relations strategies. Crafty and creative, the agency reinvigorates local and national brands with imaginative and results-driven campaigns. A winner of the Gold dotCOMM Award for website design, the digital marketing and public relations agency has also been named a Top Marketing Agency and a Top B2B Company and Marketing Agency by Clutch, an acclaimed ratings and reviews platform. Jonathan Ochart, CEO of The Postcard Agency, regularly shares marketing and public relations insights for business leaders with the media, including NBC, AARP, Texas CEO Magazine and Voyage Magazine.
