Staying up to date on digital marketing trends can be a full-time job, especially after a year like 2020. Thanks to nationwide lockdowns due to Covid-19, businesses turned an unprecedented amount of focus to their online marketing strategies, causing the industry to grow and change like never before. Even expert marketers have had trouble keeping up!
If you’re not an expert, don’t worry. We have created this useful guide to help you understand what’s in – and what’s out – for digital marketing trends in 2021. Read on to learn what’s trending and what’s ending to craft your best digital marketing strategy yet.
What’s Ending
Boosted Posts
If you’ve never understood the difference between boosted posts and Facebook Ads, we have good news for you. Boosted posts – Facebook’s less customizable but cheaper option for paid advertising – is dropping off of the must-do marketing list. That’s because Facebook Ads offer a much better solution for your business thanks to their highly customizable format, detailed targeting ability, and easier feed functionality.
Organic Social Media Posts
Many businesses balk at the idea of paid advertising, especially on social media. But if you’ve been building your social media presence with only organic posts, it’s time to think again.
While you may save money on the front-end by using only organic social media posts – or those without any paid advertising perks to back them up – you’ll lose money in the long-run. These types of posts are becoming less efficient thanks to new social media algorithms that give organic posts less and less newsfeed reach. Even a small advertising budget will do wonders for your ROI and potential growth over free (but less effective) posting.
Stuffed Content Schedules
For years, businesses have operated under the concept that the more you post on social media, the better. While having a constant social media presence is important, the new rule will sound more like this: quality over quantity.
It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need to post to your account every day. After all, how can you stay top-of-mind if your brand isn’t out there navigating the newsfeed? But this line of thinking has led to users being saturated with boring, bad content from brands that are posting just to post. To make a better name for your business, scale back your social media posting to only include content that actually brings value to your readers.
Remember – even if you only post twice a week, posts that are useful will be much more beneficial than daily posts that are useless.
What’s Trending
Retargeting Ads
Did you know that only 3% of people make a purchase the first time they visit a website? That means that 97% of your website traffic is leaving your site – and likely isn’t coming back. The good news is, a new marketing trend can help you convert a larger number of lost visitors: retargeting campaigns.
Retargeting is a specific long-term marketing strategy that focuses on your bounced website traffic – or people who visited your website but left without making a purchase. Retargeting uses cookies to place online display ads in front of those users as they browse other sites, reminding them about your great products and brand.
Retargeting is so effective because it hones in on people who have already shown interest in your brand, giving you a much better ROI than other marketing channels. Retargeting ads are primarily created through third-party networks such as the Google Display Network or Facebook.
Virtual Events
Virtual events got a big boost thanks to Covid-19 – and you can bet they aren’t leaving anytime soon. Virtual events allow a large audience to tune in no matter where (or when) they are, and they’re much less expensive to host than traditional in-person conferences. As a bonus, they also give you plenty of live actionable feedback you can use to adapt and shape your brand and future events!
The good news is, a virtual event can be anything. Live product demonstrations, Q&A sessions with a member of your team, or fun but educational webinars are all great ways to get your audience to sign up and tune in. For even better attendance, use your various social media accounts to promote and leverage your upcoming dates.
Video Marketing
Consider this: in 2021, video content will account for over 80% of all internet traffic. What does that mean for your business? In short, if you aren’t using video marketing to your advantage, you’re seriously shorting your marketing strategy (and leaving lots of money on the table). Don’t let your business fall behind because you’re camera shy!
To really shine in your video marketing, remember to focus on stories, not sales. A great piece of video content connects with your viewer, is short and easily digestible, and has a clear call-to-action.
Shoppable Posts
If you’re an e-commerce business, shoppable posts should be your new best friend. This Facebook and Instagram feature allows you to “tag” up to five products in an organic post, giving a brief in-app description and linking them directly to a purchase page on your website. This makes for a much more seamless purchasing journey for your customers, especially on Instagram (you could previously only encourage viewers to click your link in bio, a hassle for even the most loyal customers).
Best of all, they’re free and super easy to use – as long as you have a Facebook or Instagram business account, a few clicks (and a killer product image) is all it takes.
If you’re ready to take a step forward with your business, is here to help. From Facebook Ads to Video Marketing, our team can grow your brand, help increase sales and keep you above your competition and on top of these digital marketing trends. Schedule your free digital marketing review or call us at 251-405-2535.
