6 Min. Reading

2020 was the year of the unexpected and led out to new tendencies and developments in every area. The marketing world was no exception to this. As we get into 2021, here are the top marketing tendencies that started last year and will lead our lives as marketers and customers during the next months. 

1. Focus on customer retention 

2020 was a difficult year for all companies across all vertical sectors, and, for many, what saved the day was customer loyalty. We all wish 2021 to be a radically different year, but, at least, it will need some time to get into a new track. 

While that happens, the smartest strategy is implementing a loyalty program. Keeping old customers is cheaper than getting new ones because they have already gone through the first stages of the customer journey and will return if they had a good experience. 

A good loyalty program creates a virtuous cycle in which the information you have gathered facilitates personalizing communication, making more compelling calls to action, and increasing customer satisfaction. 

2. Optimize for Google’s next updates

The near future holds two SEO revolutions for us: Google’s Core Web Vitals and Voice Search Optimization. 

In May last year, Google announced a new algorithm would rank the websites in the search engines. That means further work is coming for SEO experts. The new algorithm is going to incorporate these new criteria called Core Web Vitals: 

• Loading (Largest Contentful Paint)
• Interactivity (First Input Delay)
• Visual Stability (Cumulative Layout Shift) 

Any website that takes too long to load, offers poor interactivity or is visually unstable, any website that provides a bad user experience will get a low ranking. On top of these criteria, all the previous ones (mobile-friendly, safe browsing, HTTPS, and no intrusive interstitials) will continue to apply. 

Voice Search Optimization is a task that even a year ago was not as urgent as it is now, and its importance will continue to increase as time goes by. The best moment to start riding a wave is at its lowest, so right now is the moment to begin optimizing your website for voice search; while everybody is figuring out how to do it. 

Voice Search has increased significantly during the past months (and will continue to do so) because the increase in the time we spend at home brought a larger use of smart home devices and increased voice search through mobile devices.

While there is no magic formula for Voice Search Optimization yet, having concise content is a good place to start. 

3. Have a social media sales strategy

2020 was the year when we had, for the first time, the possibility to shop directly from social media. Facebook made this feature available on Facebook and Instagram, making the customer journey much shorter. Currently, YouTube is testing a new feature to enable sales directly from selected videos, making them more interactive.

That means now you likely need to prepare a social media strategy not only for sharing your content and increasing your brand awareness but also as part of your sales strategy. Other social media will most likely follow this trend, and new approaches will develop from here, but while we see what is to come, getting ready by preparing the right kind of photos and video material is the way to go. 

4. Get into the augmented reality trend

Augmented reality is another marketing and technological trend that got a boost from the pandemic. Augmented reality is using a camera to modify or enhance the user’s view of the real world, and it became the perfect tool to sell products to potential customers that couldn’t leave home. From furniture pieces to clothing, the range of products you can offer with this tool is outstanding.

Augmented reality is usually experienced through apps and mobile devices, which may be a point in its favor when compared with virtual reality, because you will continue using the same device you are on all day long. 

5. Virtual events are here to stay

Virtual events existed before the pandemic began but were seen as a lesser thing, sort of the ugly duckling of the event’s family. What the pandemic proved was that virtual events are not a minor thing. Actually, right now, they are the star of the show. 

The virtual-events-trend had its boost from the pandemic but is here to stay because an excellent event has a higher ROI with lower costs and, depending on the platform, used for a longer time (thanks to on-demand modalities). Additionally, it is an excellent tool for lead generation, staff training, fundraising, sales summits, and community building. 

Two other virtues of virtual events are live interactions and gamification strategies: they tend to increase audience engagement and, as a consequence, lead generation and ROI. 

Now that you know what to expect from this year, it is the moment to start strategizing!

Business Trends – 2021’S TOP MARKETING TENDENCIES YOU WILL WANT TO KEEP AN EYE ON
By: Ana Maria Enciso 2021