Top Digital Marketing Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2021

Digital Darwinism is a startling reality that compels modern-day businesses to keep up with the pace of technology. Digital marketing is rapidly evolving and adapting to advancing search engine algorithms and user preferences. In 2021, the competition is all set to get more challenging, while businesses that adopt cutting-edge strategies stay competitive and prominent.

The coming year is bursting with opportunities for digitally-savvy businesses, while reluctant adopters will find themselves at a disadvantage. Timely adoption is vital to benefit the most by embracing the latest digital marketing strategies.

In 2021, businesses can now get past those horrid ad blockers and explore more technical tools to enhance their SEO ranking. The companies will be using their platforms to address real issues and promote inclusivity.

Personal engagement is a valuable pursuit for online retailers and e-commerce websites in 2021. Marketers need to understand technical and mechanical optimization to enjoy robust SEO success and visibility. This article will explore some highly effective digital marketing strategies that will offer higher ROIs in 2021.

Here, let’s take a look:

SEO Objective: Building Domain Authority

In 2021, domain authority will command immense significance in determining search engine rankings and website visibility. Domain authority is a vital factor, and, in the years to come, its relevance will massively grow. Google’s algorithms and bots determine a website’s ranking in search results by examining its domain authority.

But what establishes the authority or a website? A quality backlink obtained from popular and authoritative websites, such as Forbes or Washington Post, determines a website’s authority. However, one link will not do the trick. Marketers must work to foster collaborations with credible websites and build an extensive network of backlinks.

When a credible, authority website links your website, it indicates that your domain is a credible source, worth-citing.

Keyword research is another vital undertaking to build domain authority and offer specific content. It is crucial to focus on addressing consumer queries and adding questions with long-tail keywords and phrases. Directly answering user questions can help your website claim the coveted feature question spot on Google.

Getting Past Ad-Blockers

It is interesting to note that in 2021, digital marketing isn’t all about growth, SEO progress, and positive results. More importantly, strategies emphasize the need to get past issues and obstacles that impede progress and website visibility. For instance, ad blockers cut off website traffic at its most prominent source-pay-per-click ad campaigns.

Reports reveal that by 2021, 27% of users are likely to use ad blockers to stop ads from dominating their browsing experiences. It creates a challenge for marketers who rely on PPC campaigns as a primary source of increasing and sustaining traffic.

However, before you react, it is vital to pull data-driven insights and analytics to determine this challenge. In most cases, there’s hardly any damage because there are numerous other avenues to generate traffic. You see, modern-day users are mistrusting ads and tend to seek out information and products when they need it.

Flooding your target consumers with ads won’t help you enjoy credibility or build meaningful relationships. It is best to adapt to the needs of users and readjust your marketing campaigns and budgets accordingly. Consider investing in more productive outlets, such as sponsored content, email marketing, social media, and influencer marketing.

Millennials are least likely to interact with ads, but brands that are popular across influencers instantly capture their attention. It is vital to prioritize the preferences of your audience and engage with them through their preferred mediums.

Prioritize Local SEO

Localizing your brand and SEO campaign is a necessary undertaking for digital marketing campaigns in 2021. It is essential to appease Google’s algorithms and the preferences of your audience. You see, Google’s local SEO algorithms are frequently updated, and this requires businesses to follow suit. Regularly revamping and upgrading your website’s appearance and branding elements in local results will benefit your brand immensely.

It is pertinent to note that local SEO is much more dynamic and advantageous than a broader SEO strategy. Users are particular about their queries, and they rely on geographic search to identify specific brands and businesses. When users need to buy a product, hire a professional, or have a meal, they rely on location-specific searches. Naturally, boosting lead generation and conversion is significantly more straightforward with local SEO.

If Google doesn’t verify your business, be sure to get it done before the year ends. You have to sign up for Google My Business (GMB). Create a new listing or revamp your existing one to enjoy higher SERP rankings and website visibility. It is instrumental in creating an appealing listing with high-resolution images and ample details regarding your products/services.

Retail stores, restaurants, and on-site businesses have much to gain from local SEO, especially in increasing in-store traffic. In 2021, local keywords must constitute a big part of your keyword research and SEO strategy. Highlighting your town, community, or city alongside relevant keywords will help you generate more leads. Consider adding keywords related to nearby attractions and famous landmarks without stuffing.

Visual Search: More Images & Videos

The last few years have witnessed an increased focus on videos and images. Visual appeal and aesthetics are two decisive elements that grow more powerful each day. Modern-day users gravitate towards interactive videos and immersive images. They are more likely to engage with your content if it carries plenty of pictures or videos.

But, has your business tapped into the potential of visual searches? We all know that users can search for videos and images using relevant keywords. But do you know that existing images and original photos can also serve as search queries?

In 2021, visual search is all set to transform the digital landscape and SEO dynamics completely. Google Lens is a groundbreaking innovation, allowing users to make search queries by merely taking a photo of something. Visual searches will offer relevant websites and product pages that match the object in the picture.

So, how can your business leverage the potential of visual searches to generate leads and boost conversions?

Here are some tips that will help:

• Create a detailed image sitemap and fill it up with multiple images.
• Prioritize HD-quality videos and high-resolution images.
• Include alt text in all image descriptions.
• Learn more about Google Lens.
• To incorporate target keywords in the image file names.

E-commerce businesses need to focus on Google Lens and put together a comprehensive SEO strategy. Visual search is the future of e-commerce leads. At the same time, you don’t want your competitors to overshadow you in search results.

Segmenting your Target Audience

Customer segmentation is not a new trend, but in 2021, it is all the more relevant and popular. Marketers need to create well-defined and highly-specific segments to target multiple groups across their target audience. As opposed to targeting a general or broad audience with an extensive campaign, you should target a smaller audience.

The idea is to create multiple campaigns to target smaller segments of the broader target audience. It will promote greater relevance and boost marketing ROIs and success considerably. Marketers must differentiate and segment their consumers based on various traits and buying behaviors. The shopping habits, demographics, income, and other traits are all crucial segmentation factors.

It will help personalize the content and campaigns to appeal to the distinctive tastes of each consumer segment. You can also create several email marketing campaigns and product ads for budget-conscious and big-spending consumers. It will help marketers personalize consumer interaction with content, advertisements, web pages, products, and more.

Promoting Inclusivity

Inclusivity is the hottest topic of discussion in the news and across every industry, be it fashion, IT, or pharmaceuticals. Marginalized groups have finally discovered their voice after a long and hard struggle spanning over centuries. Millennials dominate the world today, and they demand equality in the content they come across.

Millennial and younger consumers demand marketers and brands to adopt inclusivity in their products, services, and marketing campaigns. Homogenous content is garnering worldwide rejection, pushing marketers to highlight and embrace people from different races, religions, and sexualities.

In 2021, digital marketing strategies focus on content and media that represent multiple racial backgrounds and religious groups. Consumers demand content that represents people with psychological, physical, and learning disabilities and marginalized groups.

Brands can respond by embracing inclusive content and representing all racial, religious, and cultural groups across their consumer audience. Incorporating inclusivity in your marketing campaigns will help you cement a progressive brand image.

Conclusion

In 2021, digital marketers can benefit from dynamic tools and marketing strategies that offer technical and mechanical advantages. However, consumers are more focused on the humanized and personalized elements of branding experiences.

Instead, consumers seek more than just monetary values. They wish to associate with brands that connect with their ideals, moral values, and progressive thinking. Marketers need to communicate with their audiences through influencer marketing and conversational content. It is beneficial to engage directly using Facebook and Instagram Live to humanize your brand and cultivate meaningful connections.

Brands must demonstrate a progressive and inclusive image that is respectful of all communities and their beliefs.