Enterprises are reaching a pivotal stage in digital marketing where technology and creativity are merging at a rapid pace. Social media-based advertising is here to stay and that means working with influencers, creating captivating video, and learning how to analyze data. Consumers are increasingly self-isolating and not just because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, but because technology allows them to. People are shopping online and using virtual voice assistance on a daily basis.
With so many digital shifts on the horizon, it is important to look into the future to anticipate marketing trends you can prepare for now. Here are the top 5 digital marketing trends that experts say we will be dealing with in 2021 and beyond.
Online Security Using Blockchain Technology
Blockchain technology allows users to share information without third party verification. It is a decentralized data storage solution that ultimately protects privacy. It sounds like, and is, great protection for consumers, but it also has the potential to disrupt data gathering for marketers in a huge way. In short, the free-for-all data grab days are over, you will have to develop ways to compensate users for their data in order to obtain it in the future.
New Marketing Roles for Enterprises
Speaking of data, we now have access to an avalanche of data that needs to be sorted and analyzed. This brings about changes to marketing roles and the rise of Marketing Data Analysts as in-house employees.
Voice Assistants and Voice Search
If you want consumers to shop with you then make sure that your website and e-commerce platforms are optimized for voice search so that digital AI assistants like Siri and Alexa can navigate them. There are already well over 67 million such devices in homes and offices across the U.S., and that number is expected to grow rapidly.
Changes in Social Media Marketing
Social media has become an important part of many people’s lives, almost to the point of obsession. You can leverage “social listening” to get to know your customer base very well. Influencer marketing will continue to soar but have your corporate attorneys look out for changes to laws and regulations. Major changes are happening for social shopping at Facebook and Instagram and those businesses that stay on top of these trends will come out on top.
Personalization and Targeted Non-Linear Marketing Efforts
The path from advertisement to purchase is no longer a straight line. Now consumers see a product they are interested in and that product follows them around during their online journey across websites and social media platforms until they finally buy or lose interest. Get used to hearing words like retargeting, geotagging, and non-linear marketing.
Large enterprises with many moving parts will need to use strategic thinking to plan ahead for social selling, data transparency, the use of AI, and other technology trends in order to stay ahead of the game.