Fueled by an increasingly savvy and skeptical consumer and technological innovation, digital marketing is shifting at an accelerating rate.  This rapid change makes traditional digital obstacles—everything from lead generation to website traffic—more challenging. In fact, 76% of people think marketing has changed more in the past two years than it did over the previous fifty.

Consider some of these digital marketing statistics from 2020:

• More than 85% of marketers are satisfied with the mobile experiences they provide, but almost 50% of consumers aren’t.
• More than 60% of consumers started using voice search in 2020.
• eCommerce customers who abandon their shopping carts are almost 3X more likely to complete their purchase if they receive many reminder emails vs. just one.
• Websites featuring video have an average conversion rate of almost 5% compared to less than 3% for sites that don’t have video.
• Content marketing costs about 60% less than traditional marketing—and generates on average 3X as many leads.

Digital Marketing In 2021

Of course, every business is different, with different customers, different goals, and different marketing challenges.  That being said, nearly every business that wants to increase the reach of its brand—and add to the bottom line—needs to be aware of these digital trends that may have a strong impact on your goals in 2021.  

1. More virtual events:  The explosion of COVID-19 has forced everything from schools to political events to go virtual.  This year, businesses will become proficient in staging and managing brand polishing virtual events to maintain proactive communication with their target audience.
2. The rise of interactive communications:  Another result of the pandemic, some consumers have felt  isolated, alone, and somewhat powerless to control their lives.  In such an environment, webinars will be less attractive than presentations  that allow participants to ask questions and make comments in real-time.
3. It’s all about the customer:  Thoughtfully aligning the work of marketing, sales, and customer service teams to enhance customer experience (CX) is nothing new.  However, this year more marketers will use tools like customer relationship management (CRM) systems, audience segmentation, and personalized messaging to put their customers squarely at the center of every marketing decision.
4. Artificial intelligence (AI) may replace A/B testing:  AI and machine learning are advancing exponentially.  As machines become better able to predict consumer behavior, A/B testing may be viewed as (at least in some instances) neither effective nor cost-effective.
5. Digital spend is on the way up:  Lockdowns have hurt traditional businesses, putting a greater onus on marketing teams to deliver.  Both B2B and B2C businesses will respond to this new challenge by increasing digital marketing budgets.  As brands begin to implement post-COVID transition strategies, those who pivoted to a conservative ad spend will start to return to normal or even higher.
6. Content marketing will become more “conversational:” Content marketing isn’t going anywhere (because marketers understand it works), but it will be characterized by a new emphasis on authentic exchanges which empower consumers to register their feelings earlier in the customer journey.
7. Omnichannel marketing will increase:  Budgetary constraints will move marketers to get the most bang for their marketing buck.  That means more businesses will look to launch omnichannel marketing campaigns in which digital standards like social media, email marketing, SEO, sponsored ads, and content marketing will be managed more effectively to complement one another.

Effectively leveraged, a sound digital marketing strategy can help you reach your principal marketing goals and take your business to the next level. To learn more about the ways our digital marketing services can help you achieve your top marketing objectives, contact us today.