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The world of marketing moves so fast it’s challenging to keep up. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on one element of it, up pops another. Many companies have been forced to pivot their business models and marketing very quickly over the last 12 months to cope with the COVI-19 pandemic.
Marketing trends in 2021 won’t be introducing anything completely new, but they will focus on how and when these channels are used.
As with all successful marketing, it stems from a well thought out corporate strategy from which the overall marketing strategy is designed to support. This is true whether you have a software business is listed on the ASX or is just starting out.
Here’s what to look out for in 2021.
Virtual events will become the norm
The events industry had to change fast last year. Those company’s whose sales funnels rely on regular events found themselves at the forefront of the adoption of virtual events.
In addition to taking events online, asynchronous events will become more popular too where ‘attendees’ enter the event at a predetermined point (at any time) and are presented with on-demand content, forums to network in and access to the event organiser.
A well run virtual event is cheaper and has the potential to have a much higher ROI than traditional events. This alone will make sure they are here to stay long after COVID is gone.
Personalization
This is another marketing trend that pops up on these lists every year. That’s because what’s possible with personalization changes all the time. Huge leaps forward are made in the tactics and technology. Consumers are now expecting to see personalized emails, content, video and much more. Generic emails aren’t going to get you very far, personalized content is achievable ad expected.
Influencer marketing
Even though influencer marketing has taken a few knocks recently, with unscrupulous influencers being caught out, it still remains one of the most effective forms of marketing at the moment.
User popular influencers to promote your product to their following is a great way to reach the wider market. The term influencer is wide-ranging too. It can be a well-known celebrity or social media personality, who has millions of followers. Well-targeted micro-influencer campaigns are becoming popular too and don’t require huge budgets.
According to an article in AdAge, 58% of people said that they had brought a product because of an influencer recommendation in the previous six months.
Purchasing through social channels
Social commerce is lagging behind when it comes to buyer behaviour. Considering how many people find out about products and interact with these brands, the process is quite clunky. More and more companies will focus on a seamless route between social and purchase, without ever needing to leave the platform.
Conclusion
Marketers are spoiled for choice when it comes to the technology and channels available to them. A successful strategy hinges on covering all the basics in terms of brand, content, SEO and social and then building up through different channels that appeal to your target audience.