What a tough year 2020 has been for most of us! Clearly a challenging year for so many sectors and businesses. Those that have survived had to learn to quickly adapt to this new world.
Here are some areas where you should invest in digital marketing in 2021.
1. GO LIVE
It doesn’t come as a surprise that online meetings are on the rise this year. With events out of play, video and webinar content has been gaining traction all year round – and it won’t go away anytime soon.
Video marketing – especially live video – will continue to grow in 2021. There’s a reason why lives were trending well before the pandemic – Video is a quick and effective medium to communicate your message and educate your audience. Consumers want to get information and learn quickly and there’s no better way to do so than with the help of video marketing.
The fact that many marketers report a positive ROI for video marketing is something to take very seriously (source: Video Marketing new data)
People are less interested in sitting through 20+ slides. They want to be able to ask questions and interact. This is where live video and webinar surpass any other method of online content. The chance to be in a small group asking questions to experts is highly appealing. Live Video can give consumers this amazing platform for interaction.
2. IMPROVE USER AND CONTENT EXPERIENCE
Internet interaction frustration number 1 for consumers – pop-ups and ads. It’s awful! And most of the time it involves very quickly trying to close the page just out of sheer frustration for not having direct access to the content we were looking for.
Content experience will be a key trend and factor for 2021 as businesses understand more and more how to keep consumers on your website and lead them to actually buying whatever you are selling.
Those who visit your website need to love what you write, find exactly what they’re looking for, and enter a sales funnel! Whether it is courses, webinars, videos, or infographics, you need to be very tactical about how and where you place your CTA (call to action).
If brands aren’t creating interesting content to turn leads into actions, they definitely need to change for 2021.
Again, the key here is relevant content! Quality photography, videography, copywriting, and smart use of CTA!
3. HIGH QUALITY SEO
This isn’t new but remains a critical factor for success if you wish for your product or service to be found online!
How do you differentiate yourself from the big SEO titans that get all the leads?!
Capture niche markets! Create content that’s more engaging for specific audiences.
This means spending more time solidifying the SEO strategy and digging into keyword research to find the right opportunities to capture more audience!
Here’s an amazing link to help you improve your keyword research skills: Keyword research guide
4. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF CHATBOTS
This AI-based technology uses instant messaging to chat in real-time, day or night, with your customers or site visitors!
By 2022, chatbots will power around 85% of online customer service!
The major benefits are :
- 24h service
- instant responses to inquiries
- FAQ instant response
These virtual assistants offer outstanding service by meeting customer’s expectations and automating repetitive tasks – which means that you can focus on more important work.
A research study from NYU found that when consumers have a question, 82% want an immediate response. This makes chatbots a no brainer for companies.
At Fusion Media, we definitely recommend you have a look at Tawk.to. It’s a great way to get a smart easy chatbot on your website and it’s free!
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5. VIDEO MARKETING
Want to stand out in 2021? this is THE most important marketing trend for 2021.
Check out some of these numbers :
- 70% of consumers say they have shared a brand’s video
- 72% of businesses say that a video has improved their conversion rate
- 52% of consumers say that watching product videos makes them more confident in online purchase decisions
Video is by far the most popular way costumers want to learn about new products or services!
Video doesn’t only mean youtube! Do not forget you can post videos on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter.
Those long-form sales pages and emails of yesteryear are fading fast because they’re simply too difficult to read on small mobile screens. However, video can present the same information in a format that works perfectly regardless of the device.
One thing is certain – people are using their mobile devices more and more. Your content needs to stay relevant. And video is the best way to capture the consumer’s attention.
Also, did you know that If your site includes video, it’s 50X more likely (50 times!) to drive organic search results compared to text. Why? Because people find video content more compelling, so Google pushes pages that include videos higher in the rankings.
6. INFLUENCER MARKETING
This kind of marketing is the new word-of-mouth that focuses on using key leaders to amplify your brand’s message to a larger market.
You can consider someone to be the right influencer for your business if they’re followers/viewers are the exact niche market that your business wishes to target!
Whether you like this concept or not, you cannot stay blind towards the obvious :
influencer marketing is generally more authentic than corporate advertising:
- 63% of consumers trust influencers’ opinions of products much more than what brands say about themselves
- 58% of people have bought a new product in the past six months because of an influencer’s recommendation
Whether it’s Instagrammers, bloggers, bloggers, or YouTubers, find out who the right influencers are for your product and service and seriously consider hiring them to advertise what you are selling.
7. BRANDING AND E-A-T
Sorry to disappoint, it’s not that kind of eating we are talking about. This is the geeky techy E-A-T.
We live in a time when consumers are spoiled for choice. It doesn’t matter what niche you’re in – it’s unlikely that you operate in a vacuum. 66% of consumers say that they feel connected to a brand whenever they trust it, and to earn their trust, you have to establish a solid brand.
The reason branding is so important now is because of Google’s E.A.T. ranking factor, which stands for:
- Expertise: the page needs to have quality content written by an expert writer
- Authority: the site itself needs to have some authority on the subject
- Trustworthiness: the site needs to have other authoritative links pointing to it from trusted sites
In essence, Google wants to do more than rank good content; they are catering to the user experience by demanding the most accurate, up-to-date, well-researched (i.e. authoritative) content on any given topic, preferably created by true experts in the field.
If Jimmy’s Medical Blog (not a real site) gives some bad advice that leads to a mom poisoning her child with some amateur advice on home remedies, that’s not good for Jimmy’s brand – or Google’s reputation of delivering quality results. So as the new year progresses and SEO evolves, Google may crackdown on major industries, particularly in health and finance where accurate information is critical.
Neil Patel advises marketers to focus on building their expertise, pointing out that they can bolster their reputation with guest posts on industry-leading blogs, speaking at conferences, and by applying for awards. Always include an updated author bio at the bottom of all your published content pieces to build brand recognition and earn readers’ trust.
