Digital marketing is a frequently changing concept influenced by various integral variables. Most of the time, an effective digital marketing strategy this year may not work as well next year. Thus, marketers will come across different tactics and methods when trying to come up with new digital marketing campaigns or improve current ones.
2021 is a bit different because of the previous events that happened last year. The effects of the pandemic changed the game and will continue to have significant implications for this year. Because of that, marketers have a picture of what to anticipate for digital marketing in 2021.
Some of the best strategies from last year will carry over to this year, while new ones will also show up. Whatever year it is, the aim remains the same: for brands and marketers to stay up to date to know what they can do and what they can take advantage of to boost their online presence. With that said, here are the top tips and recommendations for digital marketing in 2021.
1. Prepare for Google’s next update
Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the variables digital marketing is dependent on, and come May 2021, Google will roll out a new algorithm update impacting it. Marketers should optimize their sites for this next update, much like all the other ones, because their SEO efforts' effectiveness will be affected.
The new Google Page Experience update focuses on user-friendliness. It will give birth to new search engine metrics called Core Web Vitals, which will measure site loading time, interactivity, and content stability. All of those "vitals" quantify key aspects of user experience (UX) that Google uses to evaluate the UX of a page.
Every reputable digital marketing company and brand that prioritizes search rankings should take note of this. You can expect that before May 2021, websites have been optimized to be more user-friendly to either maintain or improve their search result rankings. You can read more information about this new algorithm update by Google.
2. Increase use of social media for retention and engagement
2020 saw more people using social media because of the sudden shift in lifestyle caused by the pandemic. According to the latest statistics, there are now 3.96 billion social media users globally. This means this year; you'll have to devote more of your resources to social media marketing.
The increase of social media users is an excellent opportunity to seize for engaging new potential customers. It's the best time to use inbound digital marketing methods to reach new audiences and re-engage long-time patrons. You can start developing new content plans to post and update as frequently as you can.
Aside from that, you can also start selling products on social media. Facebook and Instagram launched their shopping platforms within their sites so brands can post product listings and users can make purchases directly from social media. Selling on social media makes online shopping even easier for consumers since they won't have to go to a brand's website to purchase a product.
3. Get set for the end of third-party cookies
Third-party cookies will cease to exist in 2022, which means preparation for that will begin this year. Third-party cookies play a vital role in collecting data for the targeting and tracking of digital ads. Hence, this change will affect ad campaigns, which is a significant aspect of digital marketing.
You'll have to start getting comfortable with fetching privacy-first data this year to prepare for this big change. You'll need to find a way to increase one-to-one customer relationships and prioritize list building to do so. Your digital marketing campaigns should be optimized for collecting data so you won't have to depend on other parties for it.
Educate yourself to learn more about the cookie-less future this year. You'll need every bit of knowledge to improve access and use valuable first-party data effectively, and the time to do it is 2021.
4. Utilize Pay-Per-Click Ads
Pay-per-click (PPC) ads is a paid form of digital marketing first implemented in 2002. In 2021, it will continue to go strong, as more and more people continue to improve their digital fluency. Focusing your efforts and investing more in PPC this year will help your brand a lot.
PPC allows you to target potential customers based on location, interests, gender, and other factors. This is where you can put all the data you've gathered about your customers and your target audience to use. PPC ads on Google and on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram increase your brand's online visibility because it gives you an exclusive slot to be seen on your target audience’s screens .
Now you can also use automation to boost the collection of leads with PPC further. New automation technologies can predict click-through-rate (CTR) and conversions, which helps in freeing up more time for you to strategize and conceptualize more powerful messaging. Many marketers are already using automation for their PPC campaigns, which makes their jobs easier and their campaigns more efficient.
5. Optimize for mobile
Statista estimates that there are 3 billion smartphone users globally and the current average e-commerce conversion rates for online shoppers stands at 1.82% for smartphones and 3.49% for tablets, according to Invespcro. These stats alone should be appealing enough to urge you to optimize your assets for mobile conversion. If you're already doing this because it isn't a new method, you should be aware that the pace for mobile conversion has quickened.
Shift your focus to mobile experiences like voice assistants, augmented reality (AR), and mobile search experiences. You should also evaluate your mobile checkout experience because there could be missed revenue in there. According to Google, there's a 27% abandon rate for the average mobile checkout experience, which means 27% less revenue for your business on that aspect alone.
Concluding thoughts
As a marketer, it's your responsibility to stay updated on the relevant changes in digital marketing. This 2021, the top recommendations involve search results rankings, social media, and data collection. All of those are crucial to your digital marketing efforts' success, which is why you need to focus on each to accomplish your goals.