With what looks to be a rocky start to the year for many businesses, the reliance on digital and taking business online is set to continue. However, with so many changes constantly happening on every platform it’s more difficult than ever to know where you should be spending your already limited time.
Here’s a rundown of some of the key marketing trends for 2021 that you need to know about and can easily implement.
1.Go all-out on Google MyBusiness
The first vital step is to make sure that you have your Google MyBusiness listing set up and verified (you check your verification status here). It’s a bit of a process but is so important to help your customers find you as B2C businesses rely so heavily on local customers being able to find information about them quickly and easily. With your listing set up you need to keep it updated - how many businesses did you look at over the festivities and couldn't find their Christmas opening times? A customer who is unsure if you’re open is probably going to go somewhere else. Share some of your social media content on there too and list your products and services to hone in on local customers you might not have reached yet.
2. Instagram SEO
In November 2020, it was officially announced that Instagram would become more search-friendly. Now, without the use of hashtags, if you search for a keyword in the search bar, relevant videos, profiles, and posts should populate. So what should you do? Post content that is relevant to your niche and keep the more ‘random’ posts to a minimum to ensure your profile is optimised in Instagram search.
3. Shopping on Social Is Here To Stay
Throughout 2020 social media became a place for purchasing products, not just discovery as so many businesses had to close their doors and take their offering online - no mean feat for those who may not have a website or online store. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, are continuously making it easier for customers to both discover new brands and purchase products without needing to leave the apps with seamless paths to purchase. If you haven’t explored the functionality already, 2021 is the time to hop on board to maximise the avenues available for your customers to shop.
4. Conversational Marketing
This one is as simple as it sounds - consumers want more personal conversations and experiences with your business, rather than feeling like they are constantly being sold to. How can you do this? Make use of chatbots on social media or your website to answer those frequently asked questions then join the conversation yourself when needed. This accommodates fast responses which could then spur on that enquiry or a click of the checkout button. Use the chatbot to guide them towards a real person who will be able to answer their question - this will help you cut customer service costs while seeing an increase in customer satisfaction by providing the answers they need much quicker!
5. Instagram Reels & Short Form Video
With the rise of TikTok in 2019-2020 Instagram needed to keep up so they launched Reels - allowing users to share attention-grabbing clips between 15 and 30 seconds long. No idea where to start? Create a TikTok account and do some research - take some notes, figure out which sounds are most popular, and decide how to put your own spin on it. Then create that content on Instagram Reels. The time to dip your toe into video content is now and Reels are a fab place to start since they’re so short and simple to create!
We hope these trends for 2021 have given you something to think about - and if you haven’t seen our video series we’ve been sharing this week then click below to take a look!