Now that the new year is underway, it’s time to take stock and share a report on the wins and losses with this post on the top digital marketing trends for 2021.
There’s no doubt that 2021 will be a challenge for all of us.
The pandemic has put us all on equal footing, and now is the time to look ahead.
To help you navigate the year, I’ve put together an analysis breaking down the digital marketing secrets you’ll need to make 2021 better than the last.
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Just look around and you’ll see how important social inclusion has become.
A growing number of people—and therefore potential customers—are paying close attention to inclusivity in the messages they receive.
This means marketing campaigns need to move away from the homogeneous, normative content we’ve seen until now.
Inclusion is a key part of personalizing the customer experience, so it’s essential to adopt a broad, open perspective.
This trend covers topics like sexual diversity, race, religion, and also the representation of people with physical or learning disabilities.
To embrace this digital marketing trend, rethink the images and videos you create, the topics you discuss on social media and blogs, and even the products you offer.
In every case, companies should define their stance on these issues before they’re caught off guard and a lack of agility puts them in a difficult position.
A misstep here can cost you your customers’ trust—arguably the worst mistake you can make.
For Peter by Bentley
This video has won multiple awards worldwide and is aimed at an older audience, but with a much more modern and inclusive approach than traditional ads targeting seniors.
Uber Eats Pizza
With more people staying home due to Covid-19, domestic violence against women is on the rise.
Through Uber Eats’ Purple Pizza Project, the company offers women a discreet and immediate way to get the help they need, when they need it.
This digital marketing trend is everywhere. As a central pillar of brand communication, it’s making a deep impact on a society that’s increasingly aware of minorities and groups traditionally left out of mainstream narratives.
Until now, ranking first on Google was the gold medal in the SEO race for every digital marketing strategy. But now there’s something even better: the Google Featured Snippet, or Position Zero.
The Featured Snippet is one of the key digital marketing trends for 2021 that will set brands apart.
Featured Snippets work differently from other search results—they’re displayed in a unique format.
They appear at the very top of the search page, above all other results, so technically, they outrank the number one spot.
They also include an image and a summary, offering clear advantages over the standard first position.
To target a Featured Snippet, there are a few things you need to know.
First, they answer specific questions, such as “what is the cost of a website?”
Results can take various forms, from step-by-step lists to direct definitions. They may include videos and images.
This is a great opportunity to build authority.
Finally, make sure you answer the question clearly and directly.
This digital marketing trend will be adopted by all kinds of businesses committed to their customers and keeping their digital marketing strategy up to date.
In line with the inclusion trend in digital marketing, people in 2021 are passionate about the environment and expect brands to ensure their money is spent responsibly.
Most consumers firmly believe companies should use part of their profits to help improve the environment.
As a result, sustainable and eco-friendly brands that respect their surroundings are gaining significant popularity.
The key is to align your company’s communication strategy with this value and showcase your commitment to sustainability through your actions and products.
This trend isn’t just for businesses selling eco-friendly products—it applies to all company activities.
Word War 3
When fear is gone and hope is alive.
When we take off our uniforms and put on our humanity, only then are we united, only then will violence be halved and peace fulfilled.
But how, when we misuse the power of violent words? When their implications drive our actions?
Today, we show you how—join our army.
Treeline
Patagonia Films presents: Treeline. Follow a group of skiers, snowboarders, scientists, and healers through the birch forests of Japan, the red cedars of British Columbia, and the bristlecones of Nevada as they explore an ancient story written in tree rings.
Lonely Whale develops comprehensive marketing strategies and tactics, including experiential activations, to create positive, measurable impact for ocean health. They believe conservation communications need a dramatic transformation to drive real change. Inspired by advertising innovators, Lonely Whale turned to influencer-driven pop culture campaign models.
Most companies with a solid digital marketing strategy and a clear market vision will implement and promote the sustainability trend in digital marketing for 2021.
This is an ongoing battle in digital marketing. Year after year, users increasingly use ad blockers, turning them into a nightmare for marketing professionals.
It’s been found that most mainstream commercial traffic is cut off at the source, including PPC campaigns.
So far, the most common approach has been to ask users to disable their ad blockers—with poor results.
The digital marketing trend now is to shift campaigns to more fruitful areas like influencer marketing or sponsored content.
Younger audiences don’t respond well to traditional marketing, but they do engage with influencers. It’s a smart move, as they are the consumers of the future.
TikTok
Every new story created on TikTok is the start of an exciting journey.
Videos travel everywhere as they’re discovered, shared, and reinvented in Duets. As an idea goes viral, its impact spreads across borders, cultures, languages, and communities.
What starts as a few seconds of authentic creativity often becomes much more: careers are launched, memes are born, hobbies flourish, communities unite, and obscure songs climb the charts. A story that begins for you becomes a story for her, for him, for them, for all of us.
On TikTok, what begins as a personal experience—laughing at yourself while watching videos, saving favorites to share with family, breaking a record for the first time—turns into a cascade of inspiring, far-reaching impact that touches hundreds of millions of lives worldwide. And it all starts on TikTok.
Last year, we predicted that one of the digital marketing trends would be voice and image search, joining the traditional keyword search.
Now that image search is established among major brands, it’s time to factor it into your SEO strategy.
To make this technique work for you, it’s important to:
Mastering this digital marketing trend will give you a strong edge as we face the changes coming in 2021.
This digital marketing trend will be especially prevalent in all types of e-commerce.
A familiar feature in posts like this, the trend of interactive content in digital marketing strategies continues to grow.
Interactive content drives greater engagement and a better user experience.
Examples include:
These can work wonders for your brand, at the very least increasing the time users spend with you.
Beyond business goals, people love to participate and be part of something bigger.
This strengthens the relationship between you and your audience.
Listen to them and make them feel the connection—do this, and they’ll become loyal followers and provide you with valuable insights.
Republique
Follow two teenagers as they film their urban exploration of Paris’s underground maze. See how two lawyers must help an injured person. Support Nora as she searches the city for her lover. None of them know it yet, but moments later, a terrorist attack will change their lives, intertwining their destinies forever.
Republique is a new kind of film told through three simultaneous video streams, each mimicking a live social media broadcast. Unlike any movie you’ve seen before, Republique lets you choose which character to follow.
The digital marketing trend of using interactive content will dominate every imaginable field. But you’ll especially see it in:
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More and more, customers are rewarding companies that meet their needs from every angle—in other words, with a holistic approach.
The digital marketing trends of 2021 help business leaders break down barriers between their companies and end customers.
If you follow these tips, you’ll be able to sidestep the uncertainty of a 2021 shaped by economic hardship.
It remains to be seen how 2021 will unfold, with the Covid-19 pandemic still affecting society.
The pandemic forced thousands of companies to adapt overnight, facing a new economic reality and new ways of connecting with customers.
The data shows that, for obvious reasons, customer trust in companies dropped dramatically last year.
Now it’s your move.
We assess your current situation and outline the next steps.
Contact nowWe will review your current digital situation. We will get in touch to understand your context and jointly assess which areas to analyze, after which we will prepare an audit including key findings and recommendations.