New Year, new strategy: Five 2021 digital marketing trends

As we get closer and closer to drawing the curtains on 2020, we can’t help but think ahead to next year and what it will bring – especially to the world of marketing. 2020 has been a turbulent and unpredictable year for us marketers, but a year that’s taught many lessons too. So, what have we learned and how should it influence your 2021 digital marketing strategy?

From the increasing prominence of social issues to the boom in e-commerce, in this blog, we want to discuss how 2020 has impacted digital marketing and the 5 key trends that we think will surface as we head into the New Year!

Having a more ‘personal’ touch

Internet and social media users are only becoming more aware of online advertising and, in turn, that can make it a bit more like white noise when they do see it – especially when it doesn’t fully pertain to their interests. They know it’s there, but they don’t get anything from it and, oftentimes, it may just be an irritation they ignore and scroll past.

If digital users are going to be advertised to, they want it to be personal to them and their needs. In our 2020 Luxury Watch Industry Insights report, we touched on marketing to affluent millennial audiences (millennial audiences are currently the demographic with the largest purchasing power and, therefore, an important demographic for companies across industries) and discovered that they valued 3 main things when it came to being advertised to; simplicity, personalisation, and transparency.

In fact, Salesforce’s State of Marketing Report 2020 confirmed this, stating that: “As customers navigate a series of “new normals”, personalised, empathetic engagement has never been more important. Delivering messages and offers that resonate with an individual’s unique needs and expectations requires deep insights.”

Data and its use is something we will touch on, but harnessing that data to make digital experiences more personalised is essential – a personalised email header isn’t enough to cut it any more! And, in the same Salesforce report, it was highlighted that UK markers are reporting a 144% increase in AI adoption since 2018 – AI is a key way to harness that data and provide those personalised experiences in a way that’s cost and time-efficient.

So, whether it’s running Dynamic Ads to show users products and services they want or implementing a chatbot to help users get the information they need quickly, consider how your business could make experiences more personalised in your 2021 digital marketing strategy.

Creating rich experiences; both online and offline

This may sound broad and that’s because it is. More than ever before, customers want to be provided with an ‘experience’, not just a product or service. This could be anything from immersive online content to a physical place that a person can interact with, photograph, and share on their social media.

When it comes to offline experiences, in our yet-to-be-released Hospitality Industry Insights Report (subscribe if you would like access to this when it is released), we delve into the importance of experiences as visitor attractions, restaurants, and hotels make their plan of action for their 2021 digital marketing output. In it, we discovered that 40% of consumers under 30 are prioritising “Instagrammability” of potential destinations when travelling and 84% of millennials say that they are likely to plan their own trip/holiday, and what they do on it, based on someone else’s social posts.

The experience you provide will likely be their next post on social media, providing you with user-generated content and free advertising. So, in short, what you offer has to be ‘picture-worthy’. If you have a physical, brick-and-mortar location, do you have something you can take advantage of that’s picture-worthy? If you don’t, it may be time to think about how you can make your space or your business more attractive to the generations who want to post about their experiences. After all, with 80 million Instagram posts per day, there’s no shortage of content being created – make sure you can be a part of it.

However, when it comes to online experiences, think about how you can make your content and ads more immersive. With so many interactive elements, particularly on social media; like polls, Q&As, live videos, and even quizzes; there are so many ways to turn your digital content into an engaging experience for your customers and followers. This makes you look more connected to your audience, increases their investment in and retention of your brand, and makes your business more attractive to those pesky algorithms.

However, most importantly, internet and social media users want to be engaged and giving them the opportunity to have their opinions heard doesn’t only improve the users’ experience, it also feeds into that desire for personalisation and individuality.

Being transparent and connecting with your consumer’s concerns

Again, it may seem a bit broad but connecting with your audience, and what they deem important, has now become essential – as does being transparent enough to give a view to the ways in which you show that connection. As consumer audiences become more populated with Gen Z and Millennials, their beliefs are shaping the way we market. In particular, sustainability, community support, equality, and inclusivity are all high on the agenda for what younger, influential consumers want from the businesses they invest in.

In fact, according to Sprout Social’s #BrandsGetReal study, 66% of people said that it was now “important” for brands to take a stand on current issues. And, in our Premium Drinks Industry Insights Report, we also discuss how other studies have shown that 92% of consumers hold a positive image of a company when it supports a social or environmental issue. On top of that, consumer habits are already changing because of this! According to Accenture, 41% of shoppers “have shifted… their business away from a retailer that does not reflect how important [identity and diversity] is to them.”

These are all things we knew in 2019, however, with the COVID-19 pandemic and social justice issues throughout the year, the focus and need for this have only been heightened in 2020. And, the impact has been global.

The best way to connect with an audience that is increasingly focused on social issues is by showing you support them too. And, the only way to show that support in a genuine way is to be completely transparent with your audience and show that you are, in fact, giving back – not just claiming you care.

The accessibility of e-commerce

Another thing that the pandemic has propelled even further forward has been e-commerce; with businesses that previously had little to no online presence now having basically no choice but to catch up. The 2020 summer saw three months of sustained acceleration in e-commerce growth and, despite pandemic-related uncertainty throughout the year, the e-commerce sector is still forecasted to reach a new milestone of £114.26 billion in 2020 in holiday sales.

So, it’s no surprise that e-commerce is increasingly on the up after a year of everyone only really being able to frequently shop online. However, what may be a bit of a surprise is how much social media channels have cashed in on it.

For one example, in May 2020, Facebook announced that they would be pulling forward the launch of ‘Shops’ – a free, online store for businesses. Allowing small businesses with enough Facebook savvy to set up and maintain their own e-commerce platform through Facebook and Instagram; giving them the opportunity to make shoppable posts, run shoppable ad campaigns, and even go through the checkout process in some areas of the world. Now, you are able to Shop the products tagged on Facebook and Instagram posts, Stories, IGTV’s, and more. And, if Later’s predictions are right, this could also soon include Instagram’s new 2020 feature, Reels. We don’t see the shopping capability train slowing down any time soon...

If you’re a retailer and not already thinking about how to make your products more shoppable as part of your 2021 digital marketing strategy – we’d suggest you pencil it in for the New Year!

Increasing awareness of data and its use

Marketers are nothing without data to base their decisions on – you may have a hunch on what will work but without data to prove that it will or did, it’s nothing more than just a hunch. On top of that, data also has a basis in building audiences and encouraging a sales journey with things like lookalike/similar audiences and retargeting ads through social media and Google advertising platforms. Data truly is priceless.

But, tracking and storing that data correctly is just as vital. If you don’t use the data ethically, trust is broken between you and the consumer and, thus, that transparency between you is lost.

With more people online throughout 2020, people are conscious about safeguarding their data and are more demanding when it comes to knowing what exactly that data is used for. As we go into 2021, data ethics will become more important and a base-level of compliance probably won’t be enough to ensure trust from your customers.

Ahead of 2021, we would advise taking time to review your customer data and how it’s used – are there any changes you need to make?

Are you ready for 2021 or do you feel a little bit lost in the woods when it comes to building a plan? We are a multi-award winning digital marketing agency and we’d be delighted to help you with your 2021 digital marketing strategy. If you’re interested, get in touch to set up a free initial consultation with our digital marketing experts!