Businesses took a huge hit in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a survey with over 300 CEOs, between 43% and 45% of respondents expect their profits will increase over the next coming year. Accordingly, businesses need to up to date on digital marketing trends.
With the changing global landscape, the latest marketing trends focus more on targeting users, improving the customer experience, diversifying your content strategy, and improved websites. Here are the 2021 digital marketing trends and how to update your strategy for the new year.
Google Verified Listings
One of the most surprising trends in marketing is Google verified listings. The closure of brick-and-mortar stores is causing businesses to reinvent their strategies and focus on online success. Does that mean local businesses are obsolete? If anything, local businesses need to work diligently to establish trust. You can do this is by using Google Verified Listings.
If you don’t have one, you can easily create a Google My Business listing. You can list your essential information such as your geographic location, contact information, address, hours, and even your star rating.
Did someone else create a Google My Business listing for you? Verify the listing and ensure the information is correct.
After your listing is created, regularly update any new information. You can also update essential information, such as COVID-19 hours of operation changes.
You’ll look more reputable and can easily advance over competitors that haven’t verified their GMB listing. Your profile appears in all Google products, such as Maps. Since your website is prevalent on all Google products, your SEO results will improve.
Creating a GMB listing may also prevent fraud. Someone else won’t try and imitate your business or create a fraudulent profile.
User-Targeted Ads
User-targeted ads work for a simple reason. If buyers are shown ads that are relevant to their lifestyle, personality, and the brands they purchase from regularly, they will more than likely click on the targeted ad. If a user is shown an ad that’s irrelevant to their interests, they won’t click on the ad and brands won’t achieve a conversion.
What about privacy? Recent research suggests that buyers are reluctant to click on ads that relate to their recent browsing activity, especially if it’s on a third-party website.
How do you create an effective user-targeted ads campaign for PPC? Fortunately, Google Ads offers user-targeted PPC by identifying different demographics. These demographics include:
- Age
- Location
- Gender
- Device type/preference
You can also choose custom intent keywords, advertise to users who are researching similar products, implement remarketing techniques, and advertise to similar audiences. By following this advice, you know you’re targeting your audience.
SEO
SEO still reigns as one of the most effective digital marketing techniques. What can we expect from SEO in 2021?
First, some SEO factors never change. For example, Google expects your website to be responsive, user-friendly, and loads quickly. Voice search will also continue to take over next year.
Featured snippets are another great example. The modern web user is impatient. When they search for something on Google, they want their answers ASAP. That’s why featured snippets work. After a search is queried, a box appears on the search result that provides the answer the searcher wants.
Featured snippets prevent the user from clicking the article and reading the content to find their answer. Their answer is immediately available and conveniently placed.
Fortunately, there are still ways to achieve a featured snippet while increasing website traffic. Create intriguing content. Customers will click your link and read through the rest of the article. You can also write longer articles so the snippet cuts off.
Content Writing
Brands need to focus on other strategies other than content marketing. With different Google algorithm changes, content maintenance should be the focus. Content maintenance (also called content consolidation) upgrades, de-indexes, and even merges content pages based on the current algorithm standards.
Don’t only focus on written content, such as blogging. Omni-channel SEO will grow in popularity. Create content for all channels. If you haven’t done so yet, create a YouTube channel and start podcasting. Infographics and white-papers are also effective forms of content.
Google also looks beyond quality content. They’re now looking for a positive reputation, based on E-A-T (expertise, authority, trust). Google determines this by looking at other factors, such as customer service and reviews.
New and Redesigned Websites
Is it time for a fresh website? What if you need a redesign? 2021 is the year to do this! The modern website is now coded on CSS grids with voice user interface (VUI), SEO elements, and even data-centric design to better engage with website visitors and improve SEO.
2021 websites will also feature more media such as videos, illustrations, GIFs, and animations. Great design will also include tools such as chat-boxes and landing pages and social media in the design. Security is also a hot topic, so ensure your website is encrypted by 2021.
Important design elements to watch out for include 3D design, typography, gradients, bright colors, and asymmetric layouts. There are classic web design elements that continue to reign in 2021, such as mobile-friendliness and fast loading speeds.
Social Media
Social media marketing will also experience changes in 2021. First, more customers are relying on your social media channels for customer service. Inform customers that they can contact you via your various social media platforms. Respond to comments and mentions.
There are social media marketing trends that aren’t changing. For example, continue seeking out influencers, YouTube stars, and brand ambassadors to amplify your social media marketing reach. Video content is still a huge push. Upload videos regularly and utilize live videos.
Should you avoid written content? You should also avoid creating commercial social media posts. Write effective social scripts that target actions and connects with your customers. This will result in positive relationships with your audience.
Use These Digital Marketing Trends to Succeed in 2021
Many businesses are optimistic about 2021. You can’t achieve success if you’re not keeping up with the times. While keeping up with these digital marketing trends will result in success, you’ll also benefit from having a marketing team behind you.
The best marketing agencies offer all vital services, such as content marketing, SEO, and social media marketing. If you’re looking for a marketing company, you don’t have to look farther than us. Contact us today.
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