Are you sitting down? You might want to before reading this.
About one in 12 businesses close every year. Meanwhile, only 50% survive beyond five years. As crazy as these numbers sound, your company doesn’t have to become part of this statistic, though. Since COVID-19 hit, about one in four businesses have increased the use of online platforms to reach customers. It’s important to learn how to adapt with the times. With the right marketing strategy, you can boost business instead of falling behind.
Here are the 10 marketing trends I believe you need to succeed in 2021. With these tips, you’ll get ahead of the competition (always a good thing) to reach new customers. So with that I’ll say if you’re ready for a successful year, well, let’s jump in right now.
1. No-Click Searches
Search engine optimization (SEO) allows businesses to boost their search engine ranking. A higher ranking will help more consumers find your business online. You know this and I know this. But it’s not enough to develop a strong SEO and content marketing strategy. Instead, it’s essential to remain up-to-date with SEO marketing trends like no-click searches. About 14 million search queries (12.29%) have a featured snippet in the search results. Featured snippets display as brief answers to help users find the information they’re looking for. These snippets can appear as summaries, Q&As, bullets, and other formats. In other words, users no longer have to click on a website to find the information they need. In some cases, the Google Assistant will read the information in the snippet for a voice search as well. Learning how to appear for these no-click searches can help you get ahead of competitors. It can also ensure consumers recognize you as a go-to source of information.First, make sure to update your keyword research. Look for long-tail keywords and phrases. You might notice many of these queries are phrased as questions. Provide readers with a quick summary of what they’re looking for at the beginning of a post. Then, go into more detail within the following paragraphs. Structuring your posts with featured snippets in mind can help you get in front of more consumers.
2. Ad-Blocker Blockers
As you consider these digital marketing trends, take a look at your website. How are you making the visitor’s life difficult? A negative user experience (UX) could cost you clients. In fact, 80% of online shoppers won’t use a website after having a bad experience. Another 44% will tell friends about the bad experiences they had online. A negative UX could impact your brand’s reputation. Does your website prompt users to turn off their ad blockers? Blocking ad blockers is another way you could frustrate visitors. Try replacing on-page ads by looking for creative ways to advertise to your target audience instead. For example, you can use influencer marketing to reach new leads.
3. Visual Searches
Consumers can now take or submit photos to prompt an online search. As image and video searches become more popular, new SEO digital marketing trends are developing. First, make sure to always include alt text in your images. The descriptions you use should remain relevant to the image. Write for the user, not the search engine. Add images to your sitemap as well. When you upload images, make sure to add the target SEO keyword within the file name. Using high-quality images can help, too. Low-quality stock images, on the other hand, might fail to entice shoppers.
4. Local SEO
Nope, local SEO isn’t new. But I will say this: It’s becoming more important in the wake of COVID-19. Many consumers search Google to find local businesses. With many businesses closed, consumers need to confirm business hours, locations, and other pieces of information. Local SEO can help you draw consumers into your shop, allowing you to make a sale. Google also updates its search algorithm throughout the year. If you’re focused on making your marketing digital, it’s important to keep up with the trends. Using old tactics, on the other hand, could cost you potential sales and we certainly don’t want that.
5. Customer Segmentation
You don’t have to focus on a broad target audience to bring in customers anymore. Instead, customer segmentation is key. Segmentation allows you to create a personalized approach for each audience group you’re targeting. Each group has their own distinct wants, needs, and behaviors. Understanding your customers will help you forge stronger connections and lasting relationships.
6. Interactive Content
As people click around and explore your website, your search ranking can improve. Low engagement, on the other hand, can cause your ranking to drop. Interactive content is a great way to get people to engage with your website. Consider different formats like polls, surveys, contests, quizzes, calculator widgets, and more. Make sure these pieces of content improve the user experience by helping customers, too.
7. Inclusivity
There’s a big focus on equality this year. People don’t want to see homogenous content that excludes marginalized groups. Take a look at the photos and videos you post or feature on your website. Do you include people of different sexualites, races, genders, and religions? What about people with disabilities? Support equality and you support your customers.
8. Social Media e-Commerce
Don’t forget your social media marketing strategy! You can now use your social media posts to help consumers find your products and checkout. That’s right; you can streamline the buying process for your customers using shoppable posts. You can use social media e-commerce to generate more sales. Make sure to avoid these social media marketing mistakes in the meantime.
9. Influencer Marketing
Who do your customers turn to for recommendations? Teaming up with an influencer can help you connect with a new target audience. Make sure you look for an influencer who suits your niche. They can create contests and giveaways to help you draw in more customers.
10. Virtual Events
It’s difficult to host in-person events, but not impossible to to reach a wide audience. Marketing trends like virtual events are becoming more popular. They’re also low cost, which can help your ROI. Focus on bringing in engaging, informative speakers and creating high-quality content for your audience. Otherwise, they might struggle to see the value in your virtual events.
Boosting Business in 2021: 10 Marketing Trends for Streamlined Success
It’s a new year for new opportunities! With these 10 marketing trends, you can stand out from the crowd and reel in new customers. Put these digital marketing trends to use and generate more leads than ever with these tips today. Need help improving your digital marketing strategy for the year? And all you need to do is one simple thing:
Explore our capabilities today to get started.