6 Digital Marketing Trends to Watch in 2021

It’s no secret that every online store uses digital marketing to reach their target audience, make more sales, and grow their business. With a tight competition and more businesses are going digital because of the pandemic, it’s safe to say that it’s no longer enough to have an average digital marketing strategy. 

If you want to stay ahead of the competition, you need to be proactive in identifying hidden opportunities in the market. Doing this allows you to stay on top of trends and set yourself apart from your competitors. 

The COVID-19 outbreak changed the world in unpredictable ways. It accelerated the rise of a digital economy, which changed consumer behavior, and businesses have responded by changing marketing strategies. 

As we kick off the new year, it’s the perfect time to review the top trends of this past year and identify which changes will have a lasting impact on the trends of 2021. 

Below are the six digital marketing trends that you should consider when making your digital marketing strategy for the new year. 

6 Digital Marketing Trends to Try in 2021

• More Inclusivity in Content and Ads
• Sustainability and Environmentalism 
• Location-Based Marketing
• Position Zero and No Click Searches
• Increased Use of Marketing Automation
• Visual Searches

1. More Inclusivity in Content and Ads

More and more people, especially the younger generation and marginalized groups, want to see more inclusivity from brands they support and content they consume. Or more accurately, they want businesses to publish content that honestly reflects the diverse communities in today’s society. 

According to Shelley Zalis, CEO of the Female Quotient, people are more inclined to consider or even buy, a product or service from brands whose advertising positively depicts equality or inclusivity. It means that people are more culturally aware and sensitive to gender bias, racial discrimination, etc. 

In fact, according to Accenture, “twenty-nine percent of all shoppers, and still more diverse ones, are likely to switch to a retailer that reflects the importance they place on inclusion and diversity.”

In 2021, you will see more media involving subject matters that contain a variety of sexualities, religions, and minorities, as well as representation for people with learning and physical disabilities. 

Your digital marketing strategy should aim to decrease cultural bias by featuring diverse voices and role models in your ads and content. 

2. Sustainability and Environmentalism

People are increasingly becoming more conscious and passionate about living a sustainable life and saving the environment. In 2021, you’ll see more and more consumers becoming mindful about their purchases, choosing to buy from brands that are sustainable and eco-friendly. 

According to a study conducted by IBM and the National Retail Federation, over 70% of the 19,000 people they surveyed from across the world are willing to pay a premium for sustainable products and eco-friendly brands. It shows that consumers worldwide care about environmental issues and sustainability, and they expect businesses to take part in addressing them. 

Consider changing your packaging to a more sustainable or eco-friendly one. You can also communicate your sustainability through your content and branding to make it a part of your identity. 

3. Location-Based Marketing

Did you know that 46% of all Google searches are looking for local information? And 18% of these local searches result in a purchase within a day? It just shows that location-based marketing has so much potential in helping businesses in local areas drive more traffic to their store and increase sales. Even big global brands acknowledge the value of customizing their commercials and ads on a local level. 

Now that everyone has a smartphone, you can use geofencing to connect with potential customers within a particular area. You can send them a targeted marketing message that encourages them to take action when they’re detected within proximity to your store. Combined with location-based marketing, geofencing can exponentially increase the effectiveness of your digital marketing campaigns this year! 

4. Position Zero or No Click Search

It’s no secret that every business online wants to be more visible to increase traffic to their site. Going into 2021, businesses will boost their SEO strategies to achieve visible positions, which is in Google’s featured snippet.

Google’s featured snippets refer to the selected search results displayed on top of Google‘s organic results below the ads in a box. It works differently than other search results entries because it’s as if Google is promoting it to be the best answer for your query. 

It creates an impression that you’re a thought-leader in your industry. This recognition could drive more traffic to your site, build trust, and increase conversions! No wonder why companies are going above and beyond to secure this spot. 

If you want to be featured in Google’s featured snippet, here are some tips that can help you:

• Use question form long-tail keywords phrases
• Answer the question clearly and concisely in your content
• Use bullets or table structure 

5. Increased Use of Marketing Automation

For 2021, it’s foreseeable that more businesses will use software to automate marketing activities. It helps eliminate repetitive tasks and allows you to gather leads and nurture them more effectively, converting them into happy, paying customers. 

Marketing automation also helps improve your existing customers’ experience to guarantee brand loyalty and an increase in profitability. 

If you want to scale your business in the upcoming year, automating your marketing activities will allow you to do more and achieve greater heights!

6. Visual Searches

Visual searches are becoming increasingly popular. Mainly because of how convenient it is and how accurate it is when looking for a certain product or something similar. 

To capitalize on this trend, you need to make sure that all the photos, videos, infographics and other visuals on your site are optimized. 

Here are some tips on how to make sure that the photos and videos on your site are optimized:

• Familiarize yourself with Google Lens
• Include alt text in your image descriptions
• Add images to your sitemap
• Use your target SEO keywords in the file names of your images and videos
• Use high-quality visuals and multimedia
• Work on a strong SEO tactic

Are You Ready to Dominate the Competition in 2021?

Since the digital marketing industry is always changing, never stop looking for hidden opportunities in the market so you can always stay on top of new trends! Use these six digital marketing trends to help you develop powerful strategies that will allow you to dominate the competition this 2021.