Marketing Trends Archives - Waterhouse Digital Agency

2020 was like no other. It was challenging for nearly all, devastating for some. In less than a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work, learn, play and interact, and we have all been forced to lead a more virtual existence – both personally and professionally. Whilst lots of these changes have been made necessary by lockdown, they have also been facilitated by a tipping point in the capabilities of technology and a new generation of consumers much happier to interact with brands online.

For brands looking to optimise their digital marketing activities this year, our digital marketing experts have compiled a list of the top marketing trends to be aware of in 2021. If you can take advantage of just one or two of these trends then you’ll be on track to generating more business from your marketing strategy in 2021 and beyond.

In case you missed our previous annual trends articles, please take a look at 2020 and 2019 – many of the strategies are still relevant in 2021.

A World Without Cookies

48% of marketers “worry that their brands won’t be able to provide impactful performance without cookies” according to research from data, insights and consulting company Kantar.

A cookie-less future is on the horizon and it continues to get closer with 2021 set to be their last full year.

Currently, third-party cookies play a huge role in digital marketing strategies – allowing advertisers to deliver more personalised experiences based on the information the cookies hold. With Chrome ceasing to support third-party cookies in the next year or so, and browsers like Safari already ceasing to support them, the time for change is now.

Continued Advancements in Machine Learning

Machine learning and AI technology will continue to develop in 2021 and the years ahead. Machine learning is used in multiple ways within marketing, to help deliver personalised recommendations and experiences, to enhance paid campaigns to improve conversion testing, in chatbots and more. Google Ads in particular continue to focus heavily on machine learning with automated Smart Campaigns. As marketers, we must adapt and use machine learning to help us market smarter.

Live Streaming

Live-streamed content is still extremely under-utilised within digital marketing strategies. It doesn’t help that there are so many platforms to choose from – Instagram Live, Facebook Live, LinkedIn Live, Twitch and more. Of course, it makes sense to get started on the channel where your audience is most active. A live stream could be a simple Q and A about a new product or service, a live interview with an industry expert or an educational webinar type stream. Live streams are typically far easier and less expensive than professionally shot videos, achieve more reach, and will enable you to engage and empathise with your audience in real-time.

Virtual Events

Yet another 2021 digital marketing trend that has been accelerated by the pandemic. Whilst lockdown’s will necessitate even more virtual shows and events across many sectors this year, we expect the format (or hybrid versions) to become firmly established over the long term – especially as technology develops to enable an ever improving digital experience. Marketers will need to consider event delivery strategy, identify technology needs, effectively promote their virtual event and engage event attendees before, during and after the event.

User Experience

User experience has always been vital in marketing but it often gets less importance placed on it than traffic. However, working with the traffic you already have and getting that to convert better can often achieve results quicker. Your marketing agency should have the expertise and experience to help you improve and optimise user experience, helped along with a host of excellent tools such as Microsoft Clarity, Google Lighthouse, Hotjar, Analytics and Search Console, to name but a few. The importance of getting user experience right will only accelerate when Google’s Page Experience algorithm update rolls out this May.

Social eCommerce

Developments within Social eCommerce came a long way last year and we don’t see it slowing down for 2021. Instagram and Facebook have both introduced native shopping experiences for eCommerce businesses and WhatsApp have recently launched Carts. Giving users the option to purchase products from directly within the apps they love without having to leave them makes for a seamless experience that will see more B2C brands capitalise on.

Content on the Go

Coming into 2021, we’re all spending even more time consuming digital content than we ever have, particularly while we’re on the go – working, travelling or even whilst doing the housework! This has sparked further increases in the popularity of podcasts and podcast advertising, short-form video content (such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, Snapchat Spotlight and YouTube Shorts), clickable content like LinkedIn Carousels and visual content including a marked increase in brands using infographics.

All of these channels can be taken advantage of by repurposing existing content. Blog pieces can be used to create podcasts, existing video can be cut into bite-sized snippets suitable for sharing on social media and visual imagery can often be adapted to create impactful infographics.

Reaching the Home TV

By 2022, research predicts that over 80% of online traffic will be driven by video.

During lockdown people have stayed at home more than ever before and remote working is probably here to stay for lots of businesses. Because of this your potential customers are consuming lots of online content, with audiences increasingly turning to online video for education, entertainment and to stay connected. Additionally, more and more people are watching videos on YouTube on their TV. You can take advantage of this with YouTube Ads or by creating more content for your brand’s YouTube channel.

Augmented Reality

With some 3 billion devices worldwide currently AR-enabled, 2021 is expected to see AR gain further traction, with research suggesting that AR technology will be used by some 1.9 billion people per month by 2022.Whilst Augmented Reality (AR) has been with us for a number of years, the technology is developing at a startling pace and has the potential to allow brands to greatly enhance the customer experience. Many online stores are already offering great AR experiences and as the technology becomes more accessible, brands of all sizes are beginning to adopt it.

Instagram SEO

Late last year, Instagram introduced the option to discover content on the platform by using keywords instead of hashtags. While this is still very new and there’s not enough research at the moment to suggest anything concrete, Instagram SEO could certainly be a possibility for this year. This may change the way we write post captions, integrating specific, well searched for keywords.

UGC

While influencer marketing is still going strong, particularly cross-platform, with nano and micro-influencers generating the best results, customer user-generated content still exceeds it for us. User-generated content promotes existing customer advocacy and delivers social proof to potential customers, in turn generating engagement, building trust and ultimately increasing conversions. Using UGC will also save you a lot of time on creating content! To get the best out of UGC campaigns, tell your audience what it is you want and use carefully selected, specific branded hashtags.

If you’d like to push your brand even further in 2021, our marketing specialists are here to help. We’re a full-service, award-winning, digital marketing and creative agency based in the heart of the UK. Our expertise covers website design, creative campaigns, brand positioning and visual identity to an array of proven digital marketing tactics such as SEO, Paid Advertising, Content Marketing and Social Media. Whether you’re a small business with less than 10 employees or a global company with thousands of employees, our bespoke solutions will skyrocket your business growth. Ready for lift off?

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2018 is history. Whether it was a good year or a poor one for your business, 2019 is a new year. The perfect time to assess your business marketing to ensure you are doing everything in your power to grow your business. So where should your business be focusing its marketing efforts this year? WDA’s Digital Marketing expert, Matt Tudge, has put together 6 key marketing trends for you to exploit in 2019!

Voice

Amazon Echo and the emergence of similar devices have made voice search more relevant than ever. We believe that the use of voice search is only going to grow each year and will become even more pronounced in 2019. However, the critical question to ask is… “How do you optimise your website and marketing to tailor to voice search?” Creating blog articles that directly answer your prospects questions or having an in-depth FAQs page on your website are two of the best ways to do so. If you’d like to capitalise on the popularity of voice search in 2019 and get found for longer search queries then our content marketing team is here to help.

Instagram

Although Instagram is a favourite among millennials, it shouldn’t be overlooked. The numbers speak for themselves as the Social platform continues to see an incredible acceleration in its user statistics – an estimated 1 billion people are now using it. One of the more recent features of Instagram, IGTV, launched last year. This allows you to upload longer form videos – providing an excellent opportunity to engage your followers and encourage them to take action.

Video

This directly follows on from the above. The majority of content that is now being consumed on a daily basis is video. If your business still hasn’t got to grips with video marketing then 2019 must be the year you do so! Videos keep us interested and engaged. They hold our ever-shortening attention spans for a longer period and present the perfect way to advertise to or educate your customers and prospects. If you need help with creating engaging, professional video content that your customers will love, WDA is fully equipped to help you do so.

Snapchat

Even more so than Instagram, many business owners see Snapchat as a platform that is only for millennials. While the majority of Snapchats users do fit that category, if your business targets a younger audience then it is a brilliant place to reach them and interact with them. Creating regular Snapchat stories, using custom Geofilters and implementing paid advertising are all marketing tools you can utilise with the “hip” Social platform.

Chatbots

Chatbots had a surge in popularity last year with many being a feature on websites and Facebook pages. They are particularly useful for customer-facing businesses. In the “digital” era we are now living in, people have become more impatient and they want an answer straight away. Chatbots facilitate this with a personal approach – giving your prospects or customers a chat feature that they can use to enquire or ask questions. We expect to see a further increase in chatbot popularity this year.

Loyalty Rewards

Loyalty rewards have been around for a long time now and they play an important part in customer retention. They show no sign of slowing down in 2019, however, many existing schemes are too complex and confusing. A loyalty reward program should be simple and make your customers feel appreciated.

Make 2019 a more successful year for your business by exploiting some of these top business marketing trends. If you’d like to find out how we can help, get in touch with us today by calling 01332 372728 or by emailing anna@wda-automotive.com.