Google is continually advancing its ranking algorithms with advanced technologies, bringing disruptive changes in marketing practices. Marketers respond to these advancements by upgrading their marketing mix with elements and tactics that boost organic traffic and visibility. What are these elements? On-page and off-page SEO aids in increasing visibility and traffic, while personalized marketing wins over consumer attention. Social media offers marketers an abundance of tools to generate leads and drive traffic to their websites. But for a small business owner with a limited marketing budget, these activities may seem too overwhelming.
In 2021, the market is abuzz with newer technologies that allow entrepreneurs to automate marketing activities to achieve consistency. It’s crucial to combine creativity with advanced technologies to sharpen your competitive edge. Keep reading to explore marketing trends that allow small businesses to compete against large conglomerates without overspending.
- Content will forever be “The King.”
Marketers deploy craft strategies to create high-quality content that appeases Google’s algorithms and wins over its target audience. Winning over Google’s approval as a quality resource is a goal that demands a cleverly curated mix of SEO strategies. You can also try incorporating link building strategies to create inbound linking for users to stay longer on your website or outbound links for the best results.
Everything in digital marketing depends on the content, and in 2021, you need to have the best content available to prosper. That means SEO’s have to hire or develop people who know how to create quality content. Having quality content means you have checked almost all the boxes to help build authority for your website. Moreover, using EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) and various other content-first tactics are still the best ways to be on top.
- 5G: Get ready to experience growth
5G is the fifth-generation mobile network and a global wireless standard that delivers a more robust and faster connection than its predecessors. It supports a network designed to connect everything and everyone, including machines, objects, and devices. There are almost 17.7 million 5G networks globally as of Q4 2019 – a 329% growth above Q3 2019. It offers a robust connection that will fuel more marketing projects and unlock new digital marketing opportunities.
Here’s how digital marketers can take advantage of 5G:
- Prepare to gather more data to fuel marketing campaigns.
- Embrace the chance to obtain immersive experiences and create plans that are more frictionless.
- Look for means to create deeper engagement between consumers and your brand.
- Dedicated apps make giant impressions
Many enterprises have started rolling out exclusive apps fixated solely on their brands. Customers can install and download these apps and enjoy a more streamlined, intuitive experience with a brand without all the background distractions and noise that naturally accompany browsing the web.
Additionally, most people today automatically ignore or tune out anything that even remotely looks like an advertisement. Outbound marketing has developed into something very persuasive that most customers don’t even bother exploring advertisements and move forward. A dedicated app excludes the need for annoying pop-up ads and other related outbound marketing campaigns. When a customer uses your brand’s app, they receive a custom-tailored experience that’s entirely exclusive to your company.
- Improved Retention via Segmentation
Unpopular opinion: It takes less money to keep an existing customer than to gain new ones. Marketing experts always apply more effort into the final stages of the buyer’s journey with that in mind. Satisfied customers tend to tell their companions and offer referrals to help improve revenue. In addition to this, they are more likely to give you honest and direct feedback regarding issues that will only fortify your brand.
Be sure to keep them informed on any organizational changes that would influence your bond through email marketing or engagement via social media. By gathering information and segmenting your buyers, you have an opportunity to reduce costs while delivering your services or products. You can also target them more reasonably, letting you spring your marketing dollars even further.
- Voice Interaction
Thanks to Alexa, Google, Siri, and a host of other ‘smart’ expedients, verbal interaction with devices is taking hype. The real lesson for us is that consumers like to talk, which is an ideal way of interacting. Now, technologies are finally mimicking how people want to shop, search, and discover new things.
But, this grants some interesting hurdles. Conducting a voice search, for instance, is very different from typing a question, particularly in the results. When a user does a text-based search, the screen displays the results page-by-page. But when someone asks a means to conduct research and the device answers verbally, it may only provide a few choices at most. In some cases, you only get one option.
We’ve said it once, and we’ll repeat it: Implementing a voice search stratagem isn’t just about being relevant. It is also about creating an optimized and unique customer experience that will nurture bonds and build brand fidelity. Digital marketers targeting voice search users should never forget to write conversationally, using catchphrases that people will speak rather than type. I will help you get featured snippets on Google as well.
- Local SEO and all-in-one Google Listings
If you are running a small business, ensure that your local listings and verified and uploaded on various search platforms. Why? You ask. B2C companies that draw customers primarily on a local level, the Google My Business listings might just help. It offers valuable information about hours, geographical location, and services. It is one of the critical considerations in search, and business owners are always blown away by the number of directories available. Moreover, keeping your listings updated. It will allow your consumers to know any changes in your promotions, blogs, or other facts you would like to convey quickly.
Get Smart, or Fall Behind!
So, as you can see, things are moving pretty quickly in the digital marketing world. In 2021, video, AI technology, interactive content, and voice search will be among the most prominent trends. This is no time for a business to be paralyzed, as the younger demographics and more tech-savvy users of today desire brands to connect with them in exciting and new ways. For the sake of your business and customers, it’s time to leave the old ways behind and adapt to some of these digital marketing trends.