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Digital Marketing Trends for 2021

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has elevated how businesses operate. We’ve seen more products and services move online and many employees will continue to work remotely or in a hybrid setting for much of next year. Months of varied customer responses to COVID-19 have given us some insights into the digital marketing trends that are working in this new normal and what you can expect in 2021.

1. Social Media to Engage and Retain

Organizations should be prepared to dedicate more resources to social media marketing in 2021. Social media budgets accounted for 24% of the total US marketing budgets during Q2 of 2020, a 13% increase from last winter. During the COVID-19 pandemic, marketers are increasingly making customer retention a priority; this will continue well into 2021. The pandemic has dramatically increased the amount of time people spend online, including how they research products, brands, and organizations.

This consumer shift creates new opportunities for marketers to increase their reach with new audiences and re-engage with long-time customers. For only a few hundred dollars a month, a good social media marketer can develop a content plan, make regular posts, monitor and drive customer responses, and attract new business. If your small business has been putting off adding social media services to your marketing mix, now’s the time.

2. Improved Communication of Availability

According to McKinsey, the availability of products and services is the number one reason customers are switching brands right now. Marketers can meet this challenge in a few ways. The most obvious (if most difficult) solution is to increase the days of inventory on-hand of products or the availability of time-slots for services. Get creative. For example, with more people working from home and many kids learning remotely, most physicians and dental offices with whom we work have reallocated staff toward more daytime slots and fewer night and weekend hours.

3. Automated Bidding in Google Ads

Speaking of automated… Google Ads marketers constantly tweak and adjust campaigns, keywords, and bids to get the most for your advertising dollars. The problem is all of the tweaking comes at a cost: more hours, and higher management fees. Enter Automated bidding, which allows Google to automate prior moves to adjust your bid in real-time.

Now, automated bidding is not new, having made its debut way back in 2016. However continuous improvements, especially in the past year, mean that it’s due to break-out in 2021. Our increased reliance on automated bidding tactics means that we can devote our time to optimize other aspects of PPC performance, which ultimately delivers a better outcome at a lower cost to our clients.

After analyzing the top digital marketing trends to focus on in the coming new year, we hope that you are able to successfully market your business. If you still need help, contact us today!