Technology is rapidly developing as the years go by, introducing never before seen technology with each passing year. It’s extremely important to stay up-to-date with the latest fads and trends in order to keep your businesses’ head above water in these extremely competitive and trying times. With digital taking over, we check out what we can expect as we enter the new year and look at the top digital trends for 2021.
1) Chatbots (AI)
Let’s face it, the customer is always right and now customers want 24 hour responses to queries they may have on websites, this is where Chatbots come in; Chatbots are an Artificial Intelligence (AI) based technology that allows the customer to receive immediate real-time responses to queries on your website day and night. Research shows Chatbots have powered 85% of customer service in 2020 and as technology develops and they become increasingly more accurate and reliable for companies to use, leading to improved customer experiences – we can most definitely expect more of their use in 2021.
2) Personalization
Nobody likes hearing and reading the same old generic emails and marketing lines, they’re boring, dull and repetitive and often lead to the potential customer getting annoyed and ultimately avoiding your marketing. Therefore it is important to put your personal touch in everything you do as a company, think out of the box with your website, email signature, content and marketing in general.
3) Video Marketing
Think about it, videos are effortless to watch compared to reading emails, long social posts or complicated infographics and as such, Video Marketing has become one of the most important and preferred forms of marketing for consumers as people are more likely to share a quick video on their social feeds than a lengthy written post. Videos can also contain more important information that will get your message across in a creative, more interactive way that will keep customers engaged as opposed to trying to fit all the information on a single picture, research shows that a whopping 70% of consumers have shared a marketing video from a brand or company.
4) Influencer Marketing
Influencer Marketing has gained a lot of popularity over the past few years and there’s no denying that influencers have a huge impact on their audience, as trust and admiration has been built between the influencer and their audience. Working with an influencer guarantees your brand or message a very large audience reach, with a great chance of conversion. According to research, 63% of consumers trust an influencer’s opinion of a product more than what brands or companies may say about themselves and although this can be costly, it is a great marketing plan that could yield great results.
5) Social Media Stories
Social Media stories are everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat and even YouTube, these stories can help you get a very quick but meaningful message across to customers, consumers and followers without the person watching the story reel getting bored, they also offer a great opportunity to hear from your audience, as you can set polls asking them to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or give them an opportunity to reply to questions you may want to ask on the story, this gives great insight. Stories also offer the important convenience of creating a ‘fear of missing out’ for your customers as the story reel disappears after a certain amount of hours, therefore they’ll be guaranteed to view your page more often, ensuring they check out your story before it expires!
6) Content Marketing
Content, content, content, people love content! Creating and posting regular and relevant content keeps you on your audience’s feed, makes your company more familiar leading to an increased sense of trustworthiness and credibility. Your content also directly influences your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), which in turn results in increased site visits and ultimately the goal of converting those visits to actual sales.
7) E-Commerce within Social Media
All the social media platforms are doing it, and soon WhatsApp will be jumping on the bandwagon too! You can now sell and purchase products and services directly through your social media platforms, with Facebook Marketplace being known as one of the most successful social commerce platforms, as well as Instagram Checkout that has been growing in popularity and success since its launch in 2019. Social Commerce diminishes the chance of a customer deciding not to make the purchase due to having to visit another website to make their purchase, this has made purchasing exceptionally easy for the customer and successively leads to conversions.
Be sure to make use of these tips this year and begin to dominate the world of digital while witnessing the transformation of your business right before your eyes!
Email us for a quote to help you achieve digital marketing success for your brand today! web@piidigital.co.za
