It’s the new year and time to discuss new trends for 2021. Last year we saw a huge change in how users search and buy online, fluctuations in trends shifted dramatically and so did purchase behaviour. With this in mind, we look at what the upcoming trends for this year and how you can apply these to your business in order to stay ahead of the competition and save time.
Get rid of social media platforms that aren’t working for your business
Now is the time to stop posting on Twitter twice a day or Instagram three times a week if it’s not doing anything for your business! Different platforms work effectively to target and promote within different industries. It’s time to analyse where your leads are coming from and utilise those platforms in the most effective way.
Accommodation providers are far less likely to have as much success on LinkedIn in acquiring leads as a financial advisor, however, the kind of content that would engage and encourage someone to book holiday accommodation could be perfectly placed on Instagram and vice versa.
You won’t see the same success from organic social media on every platform and with so many more channels available, rather than trying to stay relevant on all of them, focus on what’s lucrative.
Webinars and virtual events are here to stay!
In 2020 we saw a surge of online events due to necessity. However, both businesses and individuals have discovered that by being open to virtual events, they save time and money.
It also allows organisations to host more events and webinars than before, as cost implications are lower and capacity per event can also be far higher than if you’re gathered in a conference room. Likewise, for attendees, it means they’re able to experience the event and receive the same useful resource without the need to travel.
You can generate just as much engagement via an online event as you can a physical one by using powerful content along with great and engaging speakers. This also simplifies the follow-up process to attendees and allows for sophisticated automated marketing techniques to take place. Events can also be easily recorded on most platforms which adds value to the event as a whole.
Speaking of webinars, why not book onto our upcoming FREE Digital Marketing Strategy for Managers and Small Business Owners course.
Improve communication & availability
For a long time, people have started to become increasingly impatient with having to wait to receive information or guidance before they buy. Users want answers straight away and if they can’t get them from you, they’ll move straight on to your competitor.
Improve your communication by adding an online chat feature to your website such as Tawk.to. This platform is completely free and you can set your available online hours so you don’t miss enquiries and also personalise to the design of your website. Consider adding a FAQ’s page to your site and addressing questions which your customers ask you frequently or are being asked frequently on Google, this will also help with your websites search engine optimisation.
Implement email automation campaigns about your products and services. Again, you can do this for free using Mailchimp if you have less than 2,000 subscribers on your list. When people sign up to find out more about your products and services you’re making contact with them straight away.
Although it may seem counter productive, you should be targeting featured snippets as part of your SEO Strategy
A “featured snippet” is located at the very top of Google when you search a question which Google can answer. From Google’s perspective, the aim of this is to answer to the question without the user needing to click on it.
I know ideally you want the user to click through to the site, however the recognition you receive from Google as an industry leader is great for overall indexing. If you can offer just enough information to rank for a featured snippet but still use your content to leave them wanting more, you’ll stand out on the search against competitors and likely still be rewarded with a decent amount of organic traffic.
Longtail keywords are the main way to target featured snippets, within the content make sure the question is answered clearly. This can be in formats such as plane text, short sentences and bullet points.
Have a larger number of smaller target audiences rather than a smaller number of larger ones
Segment your audiences based on their shopping habits, engagement, locations and far more detailed demographics. Customers now expect businesses to understand their purchase behaviour and help them identify what they need next, whether this is a product or service. The availability to segment your audiences to this detail is accessible on most platforms.
Collect data and use it in an effective way whether that’s through Facebook audiences and events manager, the Google remarketing pixel, LinkedIn pixel or through data collated on Mailchimp and other email marketing platforms. Learn which messaging, products and audiences are successful from within Google Analytics and continue to show personalised content that converts.
Contact us to get started and develop your successful 2021 digital marketing strategy.
