Top 7 marketing trends in 2021
Today’s marketing world travels at breakneck speed, and in order to succeed in this industry, you have to stay ahead of the game. Throughout 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw consumers shift their shopping habits from in-person to online. This shift in consumer behaviour has led to a substantial change in the way marketers reach consumers.
The pandemic has significantly impacted the way consumers search for, access, and utilise goods and services. It is important that marketers stay with the times. In this blog we review and discuss the top trends in marketing for 2021.
1. Inclusive marketing
Inclusivity has never been as significant as it is today. HubSpot (2021) defines Inclusive marketing as “campaigns that embrace diversity by including people from different backgrounds or stories that unique audiences can relate to”.
While some inclusive campaigns try to break stereotypes, others simply aim to reflect or embrace people in the real world.
In 2021, we will see more marketing campaigns that include media and subject matters that cover a variety of cultural backgrounds, religions, race, etc., as well as representation for people with physical and learning disabilities.
2. Increase in brand-to-brand collaborations
Other successes like McDonalds’ collaboration with Travis Scott have encouraged some deep-pocketed organisations to have their marketing departments put a renewed focus on brand collaborations with celebrities in 2021.
Collaborations like this between corporate brands have proven to be largely beneficial to both parties, as these types of unexpected partnerships create a social buzz and allow for cross marketing by both brands to their customer bases which is a big advantage in today’s world where customer attention is more difficult to grab than ever.
These types of celebrity and brand collaborations often do not require celebrity endorsement fees, which is an additional advantage in an era of tightened marketing budgets.
3. Content is still king
Content marketing has become the marketer’s main tool for attracting customers and boosting sales. The marketing landscape is likely to remain this way for years to come.
Today, most businesses pay for content-related ads and invest to generate unique content or publish blogs. According to the Content Marketing Institute (2021), content marketing has helped 96% of top brands in building trust and credibility with their audience.
In the current marketing sphere, content should form the core of your marketing strategy. With a vast amount of information freely available everywhere, and to everyone, most businesses already know how to attract their customers. However, what is crucial is the actions they take. The main goal should not be to just provide people with content and hope for a positive reaction. Instead, it should aim to encourage prospects to share and engage with your content.
The content you generate unlocks the key that connects your brand to your audience. This connection is important to generate trust which will lead to loyalty.
4. Video advertising
n 2020 we saw an overnight obsession with TikTok amongst Millennial and Generaton Z users, video has truly taken marketing by storm. According to a study by Microsoft (2020), the average human being has an attention span of eight seconds. This makes it extremely difficult for marketers to capture the attention of their audiences.
Various other Social Media platforms also allow you to create short videos, for example, Facebook and Instagram. These videos can be anything from 10-seconds to three minutes, providing you with a sufficient amount of time to respond to questions, demo a product and more. Not only are videos informative and engaging, but they can also provide large chunks of information in a short time. Therefore, video advertising helps in demonstrating your offering in a better way than other ad formats, in turn leading to a higher conversion rate.
Furthermore, app developers have been updating their features and are focused on driving and creating customer loyalty by reducing the number of times consumers switch between various applications, especially where video is concerned. A great examples of this is Instagram’s new ‘reels’ feature. As these companies begin to promote these features, users get hooked on them, which makes it a great option for marketers to showcase their offering.
5. eCommerce will continue to boom
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many retailers and brands have transitioned to a permanent online operation. According to Forbes.com (2020), online spending in 2020 was up 77%. Another example of this is international ecommerce giant, Amazon, who according to businessinsider.com (2020) have recorded their highest eCommerce growth in more than 3 years.
There have always been several benefits to shopping online, with the convenience of it being the biggest drawcard for consumers. In 2020, though with the COVID-19 pandemic, shopping online is not only convenient but also the safest way to do your shopping. Consumers today have become very used to this way of life, and many of them only now realise the benefits to online shopping including the excellent customer experience. This only means one thing for 2021, eCommerce will continue to boom.
6. Social commerce
Similar to the popular omnichannel approach, social media marketing now offers users the opportunity to shop ‘in-app’. This in-app shopping has turned into a major trend among millennials mainly due to the convenience of it. Consumers today are becoming opposed to continue their search or purchase products when they have to switch between applications to make their payment. This is because users do not want to be disrupted, they want to engage with a brand and shop online all in one place.
It is a well-known fact that social media today is the largest and most beneficial platform for marketing online. Now, with the launch of Facebook Shops, Instagram Shopping and Pinterest Shopping Ads and Catalogues, social commerce will become one of the most influential marketing and commerce trends of 2021.
According to Smart Insights (2020), 55% of online shoppers now make their purchases via social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, and 71% of users turn to their social media for inspiration for shopping. Therefore, it is now of essence to offer your products and services and make them ‘shoppable’ on social media. As we see more organisations make the switch to digital to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be an essential tactic if you wish to remain competitive.
7. Voice search
The CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, revealed that out of the five searches conducted on an Android app, one is always a voice search.
Voice search is becoming so popular because it provides consumers with information at any given moment: while traveling and they do not have much free time, or when they can’t type, or even when they’re just too lazy to type. For consumers today, it is all about convenience.
Therefore, marketers need to start optimising their content for voice search. The best way to optimise content for voice search is to firstly, focus on phrases and longtail keywords. This makes sense since voice searches make use of a more natural language. The way we talk is completely different to the way we type.
Secondly it is to anticipate specific questions that are asked in a conversational tone, as people are inclined to ask their devices questions. A great example of optimising your content for voice is to start some of your paragraphs by asking questions such as why, what, where, and when.
While none of these trends are completely new to digital marketers, they are all gaining momentum and as the marketing world continues to transform in 2021, these trends will become critical to organisations that wish to remain competitive in their respective industries.
As the world continues to experience the lasting repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the business world will continue to transform digitally. It is now more crucial than ever to keep your marketing strategies current and focused on the changing behaviour of your target audience.