Ask anyone what the year 2020 meant to them, and you are bound to hear the words “unpredictable” or “unusual” in the description. And that is barely a surprise – as far as game-changers go, this year was admittedly the biggest. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we did everything – from education and work, to lifestyle and shopping, and beyond.
Digital marketing, of course, has been no exception to this. Not only did 2020 see most, if not all, of the predicted and anticipated trends go out the window, it led to companies and agencies to have to “pivot” in record time by changing their marketing strategies in record time. Online shopping going ultra-mainstream, social media browsing increasing manifold, working and studying-from-home becoming the new standard, and video conferencing becoming the go-to way to communicate led to a massive change in the dynamic s of interaction between brands and their customers.
While the pandemic continues to spread even in 2021, we are more prepared than before to figure out what the trends are as we proceed further into this year. Below are 7 key online marketing trends dominating thus far in 2021.
1. Influencers and Live Streams
The phenomena of using influencers to market products and services are nothing new. In fact, many companies today have dedicated influencer marketing divisions, and some are even known to base their entire operations on this. However, with people being isolated due to stay-at-home orders, and attending in-person events and socializing with family and friends going out of the question, people’s digital footprint ended up being bigger than ever before. Social media in general and live streams in particular have gathered immense popularity. This is mainly because of the fact that live streams offer a level of personal involvement that is closest to in-person interactions.
There has been a massive upward growth in the number of live-stream viewers as people are virtually up to see all kinds of things – be a live-stream of their favorite celebrity, a brand showcase or even an online class. With COVID-19 still not out of the picture, it is safe to say that this trend will indeed continue throughout this year – to say the least. Marketers, must therefore, make sure to tap into the benefits of this as long as it remains a top trend.
2. Brand Transparency
In an era big giant brands and companies have come under the fire for years of shady activities, people are now emphasizing on seeing transparency in the brands that they use. Simply offering the assurance of genuinty is not enough – brands need to go the extra mile to connect with their customers and show their authenticity.
Add to that the current turbulent times means that brands which aim to remain trustworthy and relevant will need to get creative and find new and novel ways to flourish. A great example in this regard is the #HotelsForHeroes campaign by Hilton, which offers free rooms and room services to medical workers. Such an act demonstrates how an otherwise niche luxury service can adapt to the needs of the people in an emergency situation.
3. User-generated-Content
In the recent years, the axis of marketing has shifted from being seller-centric to buyer-centric. These days, a superior customer experience is crucial for any brand to achieve success and profits. When it comes to customers, the top things they expect from a brand they like is personal connection, social proof and the assurance of having made a profitable purchase. User-generated content (UGC) is the one element that checks out in all of these departments.
Such content, which includes user testimonials, review photos and videos, and even unsponsored reviews on social media is touted gives brands the element of reliability, since they literally portray the customer point-of-view. UGC already has a history of helping brands establish a feeling of trust among their customers, and 2021 will see this trend continue to evolve.
4. Sustainability Will Thrive
Since the last few years, people in general have become more aware of the things they consume, and have begun to add more emphasis on the carbon footprint of the items they consume. Brands have been seen to respond to this need by tweaking their processes – from changing their packaging and systems to using recycled materials to make their products.
A trend that has evolved steadily over the years, and there is no reason for it to slow down during 2021. And to make sure that people know about their eco-friendly initiatives, companies need to invest in marketing to demonstrate their positively-changing values.
One of the best examples in this regard is The Ocean Cleanup, which recently unveiled their first product that was made fully from waste plastic collected during the Great Pacific Garbage Patch event. They explained the inner working of their brand using TINT, and further added that the revenue they would generate from the products they sell would circle back to fund their cleaning and conservation campaigns.
Inclusivity Will Be Important
Beyond the coronavirus, one of the biggest highlights of 2020 was the issue of inclusivity – or perhaps the lack of it. Taking a departure from the pandemic, movements such as Black Lives Matter are highlighting the hidden issues within the larger society.
According to a study, this awareness toward the issue of inclusivity is causing a shift in purchasing behavior. As many as 41% of shoppers left retailers that they felt did not reflect the ideas of diversity and identity, while 29% was willing to let go of brands that did not show any kind of inclusivity.
Developments resulting from such an identity-driven way of thinking are definitely going to stay. Any brand that can be vulnerable with its consumers, and can show them how authentically involved they are when it comes to matters of inclusivity shall thrive due to having created a between connection with their customers.
Visual and Voice Searching
The use of visual and voice-activated mediums such as Google Lens or Alexa has already been steadily growing since 2018. 2020, however, saw an explosion in the number of consumers turning to voice and visual based searches. The reason for this explosion could be many – people being stuck at home, being isolated and lacking opportunities for conversation, and even turning to the technology because it was easiest to use and readily available.
The one thing we know, however, is that this high number of alterative search users is not going down anytime soon. In fact, as of writing this article, every 1 out of 4 homes in the United States own at least one smart device of this kind.
With search mediums beyond text taking the center stage, marketers will need to seriously amp up their SEO strategy. Simply sticking to textual and on-page SEO will no longer bear the same results.
Compact Content
2020 saw a sharp rise in all kinds of home deliveries – from raw materials to smart devices to delivery of readymade food. But the trend didn’t just end there. Bite-sized, easy-to-consume media content like short podcasts, curated lists, and email newsletters saw an immense increase in popularity as well.
This is basically a behavioral shift within people – and one is will be here to stay. It will only be fair to assume that businesses which can create such type of content for their consumers shall stay ahead of the competition by creating a more personal and intimate connection with their consumers.
The unusual nature of 2020 essentially displaced the trends that were being anticipated – many trends never saw the light of day, while other new ones emerged. Yet, many of the current trends ended up being modified. All of this meant that brands had to get creative in marketing themselves – while maintaining the connection and the humanity quotient.
While 2021 so far seems to be somewhat stable-but-somber, one can only expect for the above-mentioned trends to continue as we move further into the year.
