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2021 is a different year. Since we all are going through the pandemic era and trying to adjust to the new normal, almost all walks of life are being amended. Talking about marketing, a major part of it is shifting or has been shifted towards digital marketing. Consumers are spending more time on social platforms and E-commerce is on rising. This gives marketers the opportunity to use digital means to reach them out.

Let’s talk about the top 10 digital marketing trends that digital face of marketing has witnessed through 2021.

1. No-click search or featured snippets

There was a time when we used to rush for the first position. Now, the webpages are competing to get to the “position zero.” When you search about a particular query, on the top of the first page of the search results, you see one link that is accompanied with additional information relevant to your query. Without even clicking on the link you can see the detailed information unlike the other search results on the page. That is position zero or No-click position. To get to the position zero has become the top priority goal for digital marketers.

2. Video marketing

Life is becoming faster and faster with time. People now prefer watching videos instead of reading long textual content. That is why social media is filled with video content these days. Brands are also making promotional videos to stay “in sight and in mind”. The Covid 19 pandemic has also increased the video watch time of people significantly. This opens the window of opportunity for the marketers to create more videos about their products or services in order to create awareness or as a reminder.

3. SEO for visual searches

Most people are still unaware but you can search for relevant images or videos by dropping an existing image or original photos instead of typing keywords. As people are getting aware of this search technique, SEO is changing altogether.

4. The Chatbots

Even through 2021 and later, chatbots would keep on serving customers through artificial intelligence. Chatbots are responsive 24/7 and are able to respond to simple questions instantly. Customers prefer chatbots due to their short response time and round the clock availability.

5. Conversational marketing

Being available to respond to the personal messages of the customers, either on the company website or on social media platforms, it is imperative to sound human. Even if the customer is talking to a chatbot, it should be programmed in such a way that the conversation does not sound mechanical. Add fun, humour, sense of belongingness or formal salutations as suited to your brand personality.

6. Stories

Recently, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and WhatsApp have created a “Your story” section in their apps. This trend gained popularity among the users because of quickness and perishability. Also, it has more probability of being viewed as compared to posts that might get lost in volumes of other posts on the timeline. Since the stories are being viewed enormously, brands have already started using it as a marketing tool to communicate new offers, discounts, deals, new variety and a lot more. This trend is expected to spike up even more in 2021 and in years to come. Be sure to be sharp enough to use polls, videos, catchy graphics and call-to-action while creating stories. It is a cost effective and interactive way to engage your customers.

7. Personalization

Talking about personalization and not talking about Starbucks sounds incomplete. Starbucks has been famous for utilizing customer past purchase data to give them a touch of personalization and leave them in awe. It has taken its legacy forward to it’s mobile gaming app. It draws customer data and allows them to customize their drinks. This has resulted in significant increase in it’s revenue. Other businesses are also following in the footsteps. When you interact with the customers with their names or some sort of personalization, it plucks the emotional strings of their hearts.

8. Influencer marketing

There was a time when only celebrities used to be the influencers. Now we have hundreds of YouTubers and Instagrammers as well who have large fan following. They are able to influence the opinions and purchase decisions of their followers. Brands have already started marketing their products through these influencers. Such influencers generally charge less than the mainstream celebrities. Also, targeting your desired segment of market is easier through influencers. For example, a fashion brand can collaborate with a makeup artist because the target audience is almost the same.

9. Big Data

There is good news and bad news for the top 10 digital marketers trends at the same time. Big Data industry is expected to grow massively in the times to come. If you know how to reap benefits out of Big Data, you may celebrate. In case you are shying away from the significance of Big Data, you are in danger. Big data helps discover customer tastes and preferences, reach out the target audience precisely, top 10 digital marketing trends, develop new products, and improve the existing ones. This can in turn result in a sustainable competitive advantage.

10. Social E-commerce

The more you add comfort to your customers’ life, the more likely your customer is going to make a purchase with your brand. Social media is gradually turning into an E-commerce platform as well. Why take the customer to the website, when he/she can make a purchase on the social media posts right away? Instagram has already enabled the brands to create shoppable posts by adding a checkout feature on the app itself. Other social platforms are also expected to follow the trend.