Top Marketing Trends for 2021

Pro marketer, Eric Sui, and his company Single Grain comes out with an extensive list of 40+ marketing trends every year. We’re saving you some time by highlighting the top 6 marketing trends to watch out for in 2021 that can help you secure that top of mind position with your contacts. 

As we leave 2020 in our rearview mirror, the one thing we’ve all learned is that we can never fully prepare for the unknown. Businesses and how we do business looks radically today compared to January 2020.

Marketing options and trends are always evolving and can sometimes move at a rapid pace. Through 2020 we saw the rise of online video meetings with Zoom and a greater reliance on Slack as the world at large shifted to working from home.

1. Chatty Chatbots: 

Chatbots are a trend that will become even more prevalent in 2021. They can be used for sales or customer service and are becoming increasingly more popular to manage inquiries. Some of the benefits of chatbots are 24-hour service, instant response to questions, and you get to save on manpower by having answers to repeat and simple questions.

2. Conversational marketing:

The social and physical distancing that has come with 2020 has created a surge in the desire for more connection. This desire for connection has increased the effectiveness of businesses using conversational marketing. Conversational marketing can be summed up as a way to have real-time and one-on-one conversations with a prospect so that you can qualify a prospect and then nurture the connection through the journey to becoming a client. 

In 2019, Business2community.com shared that:

  • 79% of consumers are willing to use messaging apps to get customer service
  • 82% of consumers rate an “immediate” response as very important when they have a question
  • 36% of companies use live chat for marketing, sales or customer service inquiries

Learn how to set up conversational marketing based on your customer’s journey here.

3. Personalized messaging: 

Personalizing marketing became even more prevalent in 2020. People don’t want to be email blasted and chances are you are not getting eyeballs on you if that is the method you are still using. Personalization should be on your top list of tactics in 2021 related to content, products, emails and more.

Learn how to Use Personalization to Increase the Impact of Email Marketing here.

4. Taking on Video:

 There are no signs of video in marketing subsiding in 2021. It is set to dominate marketing for the next 5 to 10 years. Video doesn’t just mean YouTube. Video is used on Facebook, Instagram, on websites, and more. Remember, 70% of consumers say they have shared a video, and 72% of businesses say that video has improved their conversion rate, according to Single Grain.

Learn how to Use Live Video (Facebook & Instagram) to Grow Your Business here

5. Social Media Stories:

Social media stories will continue to dominate in 2021. As we are glued to phones and the pandemic created FOMO for the world, it is essential to harness the power of the story for 2021 as they continue to:

  • Increased brand awareness
  • Constant engagement with followers
  • Cost-effectiveness
  • Increased traffic to your web page
  • Opportunity to reach younger audiences

In particular, Instagram stories are better for small business in 2021 as they have a greater chance of being seen, heard and noticed than on Facebook.

 Here is a complete guide to creating stories from Buffer.

6. Micro-Moments: 

What the heck is a micro-moment? Well, this can best be described as an “intent-rich” time when a person turns to a device to fulfill a need for knowledge, action or a purchase.

SingleGrain predicts that micro-moments will become even more popular in 2021 as the customer journey will become even more unpredictable. It will be well worth it for anyone wearing a marketer hat to understand their customer’s journey and pinpoint these micro-moments.

Learn how to capture micro-moments here.

We hope these 5 trends help inspire you and your marketing plan as we approach the year to come. 

——> If you missed it, don’t forget to check out: 5 Easy Real Estate Marketing Ideas That Don’t Break the Bank.