Even if you’re not aspiring to be a digital marketer, you have looked into the latest trends in digital marketing sometime or another.
Professionals who want a future in digital marketing must stay on top of the latest trends in the industry.
Digital marketers must invest time and energy to upskill and constantly learn as the pace of change rises every year.
Sound knowledge of a company’s algorithm, new features, or updated changes will offer you an advantage as a first-mover.
Digital marketing enthusiasts worldwide have started scanning for the latest trends observed as the new year began.
While voice search optimization and artificial intelligence were intimidating concepts in the past, nowadays, they are trendy among people in the business world.
1. Artificial Intelligence in Marketing
According to our list, it is the #1 Digital Marketing Trend. Artificial Intelligence has been making headlines recently because it will completely transform the way humans live in the future. Change is already underway; little do we realize. More than 60 percent of internet users have interacted with AI chatbots to address queries across applications and websites.
Artificial intelligence tweaks nearly all of the content we consume on social media to keep us engaged longer! Digital marketers have an amazing opportunity to capitalize on this hi-tech tool since it is projected to be worth $190 billion by 2025.
With Artificial Intelligence, large amounts of data are used to uncover the patterns that work best in a specific field. By letting the AI recognize what techniques work best, programmers can introduce effective outcomes.
AI has already enabled JP Morgan & Chase to write Content without ever planning it. The company has adopted a technology-based content assistant called Persuado.
Those who understand how to use AI can use it as an extension and an extension to their digital marketing activities. In addition to being cost-effective and precise, it is also highly effective. Following the adoption of these tools by so many giant corporations, every team should have a plan to include AI within their toolbox.
2. Augmented Reality
According to Wikipedia, Augmented Reality is the experience of seeing real objects through computer-generated data in an environment present in the real world.
The three essential elements of it are:
- Virtual and real worlds combined
- Interaction in real-time
- Virtual and real objects can be accurately registered in 3D
From a marketing standpoint, Augmented Reality is much more plausible than virtual reality, which gets everyone excited with grand sci-fi ideas. As a result, in terms of market share, AR is expected to surpass VR.
The use of AR technology by brands is progressively enhancing the customer experience and increase profits.
In the case of IKEA, the company has its app that permits users to take a picture of the room on their smartphone (iOS 11.0.1 for now) and test drive IKEA’s furniture there. Then, by moving the furniture around, the users can observe how the furniture looks from different angles.
It is also worth noting that Gucci, a luxury brand that just added a new Augmented Reality feature to its app, allows users to ‘try on’ sneakers.
By pointing the camera down on the user’s smartphone, 19 different sneakers can be seen. To change to another pair, users swiped left or right. In addition to taking photos, the app allows users to send them via messaging apps or social media.
Increasingly, brands will find useful applications for AR in the future as the technology elevates more than ever.
3. Voice Search Optimization
Review42 conducted a study on voice search and found 55% of teenagers use it daily. Voice search will get more popular due to this massive adoption by a generation as a whole.
The popularity of Voice Search, which we all got with our phones around 2014, can be attributed to a couple of factors. First, smart speakers are becoming increasingly popular. More than 20% of households have purchased a smart speaker like Google Home or Amazon Alexa. Second, people are getting used to voice search by adopting voice-controlled devices.
Second, Google claims that their voice search is 95% accurate. Voice search has become increasingly easier to use thanks to the higher level of precision in search. In addition, using your voice makes the process more personalized and attractive, with better match accuracy to match what you ask for.
The three most essential predictions are that voice search will make up half of all online shopping by 2022. Digital marketers have an opportunity to make $40 billion from this. As a result of the rising popularity of voice search, preparing your website for voice search will become more and more vital in the future.
During our research, we came across a guide by SEM Rush. It outlines seven simple steps that you can follow to optimize your website for voice search.
4. Programmatic Advertising
Digital advertising is purchased using software called programmatic advertising. Programmatic buying uses algorithms and machines to buy ads rather than traditional methods such as human negotiations, requests for proposals, and quotes.
Advertisers target specific audiences using programmatic advertising when AI is used to automate the process.
By automating the process, the conversions are increased, and the cost per customer acquisition is lowered.
Real-time bidding is an ad buying process that allows companies to sell and buy ads in real-time, which means ads will reach the visitors who are in your target audience.
As a general overview of programmatic advertising, here are the steps:
There is a significant increase in programmatic advertising every year, and in the next few years, it is predicted that most display advertising will be managed through programmatic advertising.
In 2021, nearly 88% of display ads in the US will be generated programmatically, according to eMarketer’s research.
Introducing a programmatic advertising campaign for a print and digital publication like The Economist could be an example of this approach.
With the same campaign, 6,50,000 new prospects were built, which often provided an additional return on investment (ROI). Also, “The Economist” gained 65% in brand recognition.
5. Chatbots
Bots use instant messaging to communicate with customers and interact with website visitors and are considered one of 2021’s top digital marketing trends. A variety of communication options are available to customers, including text and audio.
Chatbots can be used by businesses to engage with their customers. Having a technology that can handle hundreds of users at once is beneficial because many people simultaneously visit the website. Customer support can be provided 24/7, inquiries can be answered instantly, and simple questions can be answered. Chatbots offer 24/7 customer service.
People prefer to communicate with brands or businesses via messaging bots, according to 63% of respondents. Virtual support allows companies to focus on more important tasks while eliminating repetitive tasks.
Starbucks has introduced a chatbot that allows customers to place orders through Amazon Alexa or messages through the MyBarista app.
Google’s recently launched project LaMDA is another amazing example of a chatbot system. The next generation of chatbot systems will be revolutionized by it. Take a look at this bonus article to learn all about Google’s LaMDA project.
Additionally, the chatbot allows customers to stay in their homes until their coffee is ready so that they can collect it when it’s ready; the chatbot can also be used to tip and pay.
6. Customization
For your products, emails, Content, etc., to stand out and outperform your competitors, you have to customize them. Thus, a new business trend that is soon to become a standard is personalization.
Researchers at Instapage found that:
- Brands repeatedly bombard consumers with generic advertising messages, which angers 63% of consumers.
- A company that offers personalized experiences is 20% more likely to attract consumers.
- Consumers say 90 percent of them find personalization appealing.
Amazon and Netflix are good examples of personalization in action; they provide personalized movie recommendations for each user.
Many firms are currently utilizing personalization in their products:
As of January 2017, Starbucks has incorporated gamification into their mobile app, which tracks how often customers visit, their purchase history, and their location. Customers were able to customize their drinks using the app, and they earned rewards for their efforts as well. In part, the app’s reward system was responsible for the $2.56 billion revenue spike.
7. Automated & Personalised Email Marketing
Emails sent automatically to your customers are known as automated email marketing. You can schedule email alerts or schedule them after a trigger is hit.
The most reliable digital marketing channel has always been emailing. Marketing emails are an excellent way to let your customers know that you’ve achieved something or that you’ll be holding a sale soon.
Despite this, most people stop responding to promotional emails because of the use of mass email tactics. Instead, you can create a much more engaged customer base by sending personalized emails to your customers.
Backlinko researches the following:
- From an email, you have a 6x greater chance of getting a click than from a tweet
- You can increase clicks through 28% by using call-to-action buttons instead of simple text links in your emails
- Within the last 12 months, 78% of marketers reported an increase in engagement (including CTR)
Every business should strive to make its customers feel special. But, unfortunately, customers who receive personal emails are given the impression that the company is much more than an imaginary entity but rather unique, individual individuals like them.
Automated email marketing is best demonstrated by:
Using customer data, EasyJet created a personalized email campaign for its customers. Email campaigns leveraged the airline’s travel history to suggest and recommend destinations based on the customer’s travel history. As a result, a total of 12,5 million emails with personalized Content were sent, with a higher conversion rate than plain text emails.
8. Marketing via video
Another digital trend facing businesses in 2021 will be video marketing. The trend is likely to continue up until at least 2025. You should include videos on your list of digital marketing trends based on the following stats.
Impactplus found the following in its research:
- Video has improved conversion rates for 72% of businesses
- Consumers share brand videos 70% of the time
- Watching product videos enhances the confidence of consumers when making online purchases, according to 52% of consumers.
- There is a 50-fold increase in users who watch video content compared to plain text.
Marketers have recently faced difficulties displaying long-form text on mobile devices since it becomes difficult and tedious to read on small screens. However, a video can convey the same information far better than any written text, regardless of the device.
Having a video on your site increases organic search results by 50 times over plain text, according to Seotribunal. So what is the cause of this? Google puts video content sites at the top of its search results because people find video content more captivating.
It is not sufficient to produce video after video after video. Below are some highlights of some of the latest video marketing trends:
- Mobile live streaming
- Video clips of a shorter length
- Videos created by users
- Educational Videos & Training Online
- Advertisement videos
- A resource for interactive augmented reality
- Videos with a shoppable interface
- Events that take place virtually
9. Instagram Reels
Marketing & content creators were delighted with the Instagram Reels. The reels have been the most viable alternative to TikTok since it was banned in some countries.
Compared to a regular video, Reels provide over double the engagement rate.
You can even track your performance with Instagram Reels now that insights have been launched!
A Hootsuite report shows that Facebook posts generated 67% more engagement than regular videos for NFL teams.
Marketing professionals can use this tool for showcasing informational Content, behind-the-scenes updates, or product reviews, among other things.
Louis Vuitton’s Instagram reels are a great example of this since they are high quality, stunning, and innovative. It is estimated that more than 5 million people have viewed every single reel of Louis Vuitton!
For your business to succeed in 2021, you need a Reels and video content strategy.
10. User-Generated Content
Especially for products and services they love, people enjoy participating in activities. User-Generated Content, also known as UGC, allows users to take this excitement and turn it into their own and share it with the world.
Using UGC campaigns, customers are challenged and encouraged to submit creative ideas based on prompts provided by the company. Since UGC posts are so effective, they receive four times more click-throughs than regular promotional campaigns.
There are a couple of reasons why UGC is a good strategy. First, having a campaign from start to finish takes less time, effort, and resources. Second, the UGC campaigns allow clients to submit their promotional materials at no cost to the organization, resulting in a pool of high-quality materials. Two, UGC posts receive 28% more engagement rates than normal posts because unpaid Content has a much higher trust factor than paid Content.
However, only 16% of brands have UGC strategies implemented despite these wonderful benefits. GoPro has been one of the most successful brands to use this digital marketing trend. The GoPro company has successfully created the craze for posting videos with these cameras worldwide by urging their customers to make videos using their equipment.
11. Marketing based on geography (geofencing)
Geographic marketing uses the location of an app or a software program to initiate a targeted marketing activity such as SMS, Facebook ads, email, or app notifications using radio frequency identification (RFID), GPS, and Wi-Fi. Known as geo-fencing, geo-fencing is the practice of identifying the location of a mobile device at a given moment.
Additionally.com reports that:
- The click-through rate (CTR) of mobile ads with geofencing is double that of those without geofencing.
- Ninety-two percent of smartphones are compatible with geofencing.
- The average SMS is opened within three minutes.
- After receiving a location-based message, 53% of shoppers visited a retailer.
Geofencing is undoubtedly one of the best digital marketing trends out there. According to Market Research Future, geofencing can enhance customer interactions.
According to iide.co, “The global geofencing is expected to grow approximately by USD 2,387 million by 2023 at 27% of CARG between 2017 and 2023. “
Geofencing can be used to:
To reach interested customers, Starbucks uses geofencing. If a user walks into their business or is nearby, they usually send them push notifications. Additionally, Starbucks sends out a special push notification letting nearby customers know of the amazing deal; it’s an excellent way for users to enter the restaurant.
Author Bio:
Semil Shah, Chief Marketer at Shrushti Digital Marketing According to his team, Semil Shah can take any digital marketing profile to the next level. With over 15 years of experience in the SEO world, he is a certified SEO specialist who mainly focuses on growing businesses. He is the Chief Marketer at Semil Shah View all posts by Semil Shah.
