Digital Marketing After 2020: What Next Year Will Look Like
As this year finally comes to a close, the future of digital marketing stays bright. Our world continues to get more accustomed to living, working, and learning online, and the industry experts behind Influence Digital Solutions believe we have a good grasp of what’s to come in 2021.
- Instagram SEO & Reels
This past November, Instagram announced it would become more search-friendly, so that consumers can find people, products, videos, profiles, or brands in Instagram’s search bar even if it lacks hashtags. We expect nearly every business Instagram accounts to take advantage of this, and you could get ahead of the curve by ensuring that your business’ posts and profile contain words that only contribute to an increase in SEO and visibility. Consider altering your Instagram’s bio as well as current posts if it gravitates towards words, ideas, or language that removes you from your niche.
Additionally, Instagram has made it very clear that Reels (inspired by TikTok’s capabilities) are here to stay and should be utilized in tandem with Instagram Stories. Short term video is exploding on every social media platform and so if you’re not creating content that could work in 15-30 second videos, you’re missing a major opportunity. Similarly, consider adding a call to action to save or share your business’ Instagram Reel or Story – this will help it perform better in the algorithm.
- Permanence of Online Presence and Brand
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that most of our life’s needs and services – such as grocery shopping, working out, going into the office, attending school, and everything else – can pivot online pretty quickly. We expect more and more services, even those traditionally in-person like brick and mortar stores and gyms, will continue to operate in the virtual world and limit in-person interactions. This might be great news for your business and terrible for another, but it is the future of our world.
That being said, your brand’s online presence and how it reads through your digital marketing strategy will only become more important. We suggest surveying your online consumer base and seeing what they would need or want from your business’ online marketplace. In addition, consider setting up retargeting ads so that consumers who stop by to browse will be more inclined to come back and are more likely to buy.
- Celebrate the Humanity
In the midst of a global pandemic, social unrest, and a divisive election, our world got challenged to be more transparent in who they are and what they stand for. That being said, smart marketers will understand that 2021 is the time to be candid and human in a new and refreshed way. Especially in the aftermath of people’s lives being turned upside down, consumers are more conservative with their spending and more cognisant of which companies support the causes they believe in. People will put money behind the products they can really get behind.
Find the humanity in your brand and bring it to the forefront. Share videos of your team members, highlight the journey of the people working for you, create more videos in general, and find an authentic and down-to-Earth tone of voice that feels true to your brand but sparks interest in your most loyal consumers.
- Whatever Happens Next, Remain Flexible
Marketers can usually predict how end of the year shopping goes: consumers usually move away from holiday shopping and get geared for self-improvement season, and businesses pivot and market ready for this change. In tandem with this, select B2B sellers broadcast enormous discounts with the hopes that businesses will make a big purchase and the close out of the year to reduce their tax liability. But this is 2020, and if there’s anything we know, it’s that anything can happen!
To prepare for whatever comes next, we recommend leveling up your Facebook advertising competency, from the basics to the most advanced, and remain flexible to whatever the turn of this year (including a potential vaccine, new administration, close of an enormously stressful 9 months, etc.) brings. But because ads on Facebook and Instagram are here to stay, it wouldn’t hurt to also up your game in regards to GIFs, user-generated content, and text-heavy ads – we think they’re all going to be crucial to a strong digital marketing strategy in 2021.
Just like the past 9 months, social media will continue to evolve quickly and change constantly. And although it’s simple to make a business account, it requires some serious investment to educate yourself on the trends of the times and to analyze the relevant data points. Don’t worry if this sounds overwhelming! Make your New Years’ Resolution to upgrade your digital strategy by outsourcing to the experts, and contact Influence Digital Solutions today!
