Marketing trends are rapidly changing these days. With just a few months until 2020, digital marketers who want to remain ahead of the competition must predict what 2021 will bring and how to better respond to it. The complexity in digital marketing stems from the fact that none of us really knows what works before we try it. With Google changes disrupting our traffic rates (such as the latest Core Update), their no-follow fiasco, and the GDPR data regulations in place, forecasting what 2021 may bring will help us ride the wave and continue to see conversions come through.
Regardless of how much anticipation we can manage, one thing is certain: user experience will continue to be the true north star of all digital activities. With Google transitioning from a search engine to an answer engine and Amazon Alexa being your new best friend, it’s all about making your users’ lives easier.
how does Marketing trends in 2021 look and what should we expect?
1. Chat Bots
Bots will continue to appear in 2021, as they have in previous years. This is not a new development, but it is one that will continue into 2021 due to the growth of AI. Chatbots started as instant answers to simple questions, but they are now capable of handling more complex queries. AI is quickly becoming the most lucrative commercial opportunity for companies. Chatbots are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to artificial intelligence. Many digital techniques will soon be powered by artificial intelligence. From email personalization and customization to strategic content development, product and e-commerce recommendations, and natural language processing for voice search, we’ve got you covered!
2. Social Media Commerce
E-commerce can no longer exist in silos as separate websites. Rather, e-commerce ventures embedded within social media networks will expand in 2020. Instagram is already leading the charge in this direction, with shoppable tags and the Shop tab on the Explore list. Social networking outlets, however, are not the only enablers of social commerce. Platforms for instant messaging are also capitalizing on the potential. In reality, social media messaging platforms (such as Facebook Messenger) outperform email marketing in terms of ROI. Social commerce is not the same as social media marketing (SMM). The ultimate aim of a social media campaign is to guide users to the brand’s website in order for them to make a purchase or convert.
3. Voice Search
Voice search is gradually becoming more commercial, and companies, while still new to the idea, must begin planning ahead of time and implementing best-practice strategies to capitalise on this technological surge. Certainly, a cultural change is needed before voice search becomes as common as text-based search, but the future is voice-activated. We have been trained to use text as users, and transitioning to voice search can take time, but businesses should not be late to the party. What does voice search look like right now? Because of the technology that allows it, voice-based searches are currently conducted in private spaces (i.e. OK, Google and Amazon Alexa)
4. Zero SERP Positioning
Position zero is not a new idea; Google.com first proposed it in 2014. Unfortunately, despite the fact that it has been six years after its launch, companies are just now beginning to optimize for it. As you might be aware, there is no longer a spot #1 on a Google SERP. Instead, a no-click answer – also known as #0 – appears in its place. This move was made with the user in mind, in order to reduce the number of clicks required to obtain the desired response. Featured snippets, YouTube videos, maps, and pictures can all be found in Position Zero. Optimizing for position zero necessitates improvements to the material layout, and best practices are in place.
