Even the most exceptional products require unique marketing to succeed. The growth in technology today has expanded the scope and creativity of marketing practices especially with the trends in 2021
Thus, brands that integrate the latest technology trends with innovative marketing create an outstanding presence.
Technologies express how people interact between themselves and with brands. As technology evolves, an individual’s way of life gets some sort of a makeover.
That’s why it has become important more than ever that businesses seeking to engage their audience need to get on board with the latest and the trendiest.
Indeed, human connection is still relevant, however, it is now flooded with automation, screened by chat-bots, and energized by data-driven personalized marketing.
Generally, the latest marketing trends will always rely on the latest technology and its integration in marketing.
Thus, understanding the next huge marketing trend requires knowing the top technologies and deciphering their potential and scope in modern marketing.
Below are the 7 powerful modern marketing trends of 2021.
1. Internet of Things (IoT)
The world is awash with smart devices and these devices have the capabilities to communicate with one another, disrupting marketing trends in 2021.
Every day people make use of smart TVs, smartwatches, and other devices. As the interaction with gadgets and devices continues to increase, businesses are presented with invaluable insights into consumer behavior.
This is due to the increase in organic interactions between users and their smart devices. Acquiring this data opens up a new universe of personalized marketing from brands directly to people.
This is why lots of startups are actively hiring app developers to create IoT solution applications. If you want to achieve scalable success in 2021, you’ll have to leverage the connection of smart devices and the feasibility of mobile apps.
2. Artificial Intelligence
The technology involved in artificial intelligence or AI has grown in leaps recently and influenced marketing trends in 2021. The thing with AI today is that it connects millions of data points in seconds and it can build an understandable cause-effect model.
This method is ideal for tailor-made marketing geared at individuals based on their expectations and needs.
AI has truly changed the world of personalized marketing and the fun part is that it hardly requires significant manpower. Businesses can develop a smart tunnel simply by automating intelligence.
3. Hyper-Local Marketing
Although localized marketing isn’t entirely new, however, due to the growing popularity of IoT, its significance has been unmistakable.
Now, Google utilizes GPS to deliver location-based search results. For example, let’s say a user searches for restaurants on Google. They will get results of restaurants near them.
Geofencing and IoT are a localized strategy that is expected to become more commonplace in 2021.
Geofencing is basically a virtual geographical boundary setup for some pre-programmed action.
For example, a smartphone user can receive a welcome greeting on their phone, as soon as they step inside the mall (this means the geofence/virtual boundary has been triggered).
This is a very proficient marketing technique you should consider. In fact, you won’t be wasting money or resources in the process of converting an uninterested customer.
Brands can leverage geofencing by using it to target users inside the mall and near their showroom.
Introduce IoT to the mix and what you’ll get is sophisticated and hyper-personalized branding.
Literally, you can notify a user that they’re running low on beverages while they are walking past a grocery or supermarket.
4. Omnichannel Marketing
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, consumer trends have experienced a significant shift. Indeed, online stores were already on the rise even before 2021.
However, with the global lockdown, these online stores recorded a massive increase in web traffic and sales.
Offline stores, on the other hand, have had to suffer huge losses because of government restrictions on public places along with the added consumer preference for shopping online.
This, however, does not imply that the offline markets won’t recover. People still want that physical experience and will head back to offline stores as soon as the government gives the green light.
This intricate relationship between online and offline has birthed omnichannel marketing – reaching and engaging customers using every available medium.
This includes social media, mobile app, web app, physical/offline stores, AR/VR, etc. The goal of omnichannel marketing is to connect with people wherever they may be.
That’s why it is the best form of marketing for businesses whose potential customer base is large and spread across age groups as well as geographic locations.
5. Voice Search
As audio devices such as Google Home, Amazon Echo, etc., continue to grow in popularity, voice search optimization is becoming much more relevant for brand marketers.
According to PwC, 65% of users aged 25-49 speak to their voice-enabled gadgets at least once daily while 61% of individuals between 25 and 64 years old say they will use voice devices more in the future.
Regular SEO is done based on text including videos as well but optimizing for voice searches is a different experience altogether.
The reason is that voice searches are more “human”, thus when doing a voice search, you won’t hear people phrase questions like this – “places to buy cakes in Lagos”. On the contrary, they say – “where can I buy a cake right now?”
With this knowledge, your focus should be on long-tailed keywords that are most specific and answer the user’s exact query.
6. Live Video
One of the most amazing methods for driving engagement is Live video. As a matter of fact, they have totally revolutionized how brands communicate with their customers.
Here are some of the reasons why Live video is considered a very effective strategy:
I. Every video is an event
This is because people are often waiting in anticipation of the live video. In a world that is recovering from COVID-19, these digital spaces where people watch stuff simultaneously should be regarded as powerful “digital events”.
Generally, each Live video creates a community of people while increasing engagement. Many marketers have pointed at LinkedIn Live as being a great place for successful B2B marketing.
II. Conversion
Optinmonster notes that businesses that utilize video marketing gain 66% more qualified leads annually.
The live comments emanating from videos and the interactive question and answer sessions build a more intimate connection with people.
According to a survey by Insivia, audiences retain 95% of the intended message when they watch a video compared to 10% when they read it via text.
7. AR & VR
AR & VR (augmented reality and virtual reality) are potential technologies with limitless scope. Snapchat and Instagram are great examples of the application of augmented reality with their interactive and exciting photo filters.
Retail brands, beauty brands, eye-wear companies, etc., have begun to see the potential of marketing using AR and VR.
Displaying a captivating and visually transformative “before & after” purchase experience is one powerful motivating factor to buy certain products.
Home décor businesses can show the home makeover an apartment can have while beauty brands can showcase the new look after using their product.
These visual representations are quite memorable and substantially heighten brand recall and eventually, sales.
Conclusion
The introduction of new technologies disrupts existing marketing trends in 2021.
However, businesses that choose to jump at these newer methods of branding will make an unmissable presence in the market and potentially command a bigger user base.
There are lots of applications for any single technology but recognizing the one that works best for a specific brand is the core of marketing innovation.
