Digital Marketing Trends for 2021
Digital marketing can feel like it’s more art than science at times, especially when you take a look at all the different, and often conflicting, advice online. To give you plenty of food for thought, we’ve put together all of the key trends you can expect to see in 2019, and given our two cents about how they work.
That way you’ll know which one is the best fit for your business, and which ones are more of a luxury purchase.
SEO Is as Important in 2019 as It’s Ever Been
SEO is as vital today as it was the day it was invented, and with good reason. As more and more online content is uploaded, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for browsers to find what they want. Well, at least that would be the case were it not for the wonders of SEO.
Search engines are experts at returning relevant content, and web searches are how most people now find out about most things. That means that if you want to be seen by a potential global audience of billions, you’re going to need to have your keywords and meta descriptions at the ready in 2019.
Influencers Are Very Much on the Rise
Social media is now a key place to advertise, as well as to disseminate news. This means that if you want to be able to get your brand out there, you need to be on at least a few of the key social media platforms. Influencers are the people you need to find, and they’re essentially the marketing executives of the social media world.
Rather than spending thousands on a paid ad campaign, it’s often far more lucrative to connect with a relevant influencer whose following is largely made up of your target audience. Finding the right match may take a while, but once you do, it’ll have a dramatic impact on your business. Collaborate, innovate, and keep looking for new ways to push your brand with their help. That way you’ll remain current as your following grows.
Chatbots Mean You Can Always Get Back to Your Customers
Chatbots are an interesting invention, and people forget what good marketing they actually are. The days of the Microsoft paperclip popping up in the corner of Excel may seem like a lifetime ago, but that’s actually the idea behind the chatbot. Of course, they’re far more intelligent and specialised nowadays, but the key point remains the same: a reputation for great customer service is priceless marketing.
If you take two weeks to get back to someone, then you’re not as good as someone who takes two days. And neither of you will be as good as someone who has already closed the sale within five minutes thanks to their chatbot.
Even if a number of your customers choose not to interact with the bot, they’ll have seen that you’ve made the effort to put yourself out there. That can only be good news for the reputation of your brand, as it shows the customer that you care about the quality of their experience.
Virtual Reality Could Be the Next Big Thing
Virtual reality has been talked about for some time, and it looks like 2019 will finally be the year that it breaks through into the popular psyche. Most people will have a sci-fi view of what VR entails, but that’s not really what we’re talking about in this article.
We’re focusing on immersive experiences that enable you to give your customers a better idea of what it is that you have to offer. An estate agent or property developer uploading a virtual tour of their latest home for sale is a great example.
It allows the potential buyer to get a much better feel for what the property is like, and it makes it far more likely that they will be impressed when they come to view their prospective new home in person.
Email Marketing Is Still Alive and Well
Finally, we have one of the proven techniques that any digital marketer needs in their arsenal: email marketing. People will tell you that it’s had its day and that more complex and sophisticated approaches will yield better results, but they couldn’t be more wrong. There’s still no substitute for sending a customisable message directly to the palm of someone’s hand, and adding an irresistible subject line that makes them want to open it.
Email marketing is set to go from strength to strength in 2019, and it’s going to prove to be one of the longest surviving digital marketing techniques if its strong track record of success is anything to go by.
All you need to do to get started is think up a tagline that would make you want to buy your own product. It’s much more achievable when you put it like that, isn’t it?