The roller coaster of marketing predictions that was 2020 has not ended. In fact, it has brought to light a lot of new insights and with those, has created some very interesting opportunities! There have been a great deal of surprises and lessons learned. So now, you might ask: what’s coming in 2021!?

Focusing on being agile and having the ability to pivot are hallmarks of a great marketing strategy for 2021 and beyond.

As businesses and marketers ourselves, we approach awareness and sales campaigns with a level of uncertainty, everytime. If you are a marketer yourself and cannot acknowledge that there was some serious boundary testing last year, then you were either lucky or not paying attention!

So.. What to expect? Here are my Marketing Predictions 2021

1. The Eye Of The Customer! (Yes, I Love Rocky!)

Let’s not forget about the client! When it comes to digital marketing, this starts with prospects in sales and website visitors. With such a big shift in the offline to online retail space alone, we have seen a major influx of new customers and first-time visitors.

It is our job as marketing professionals to ensure they receive the proper information in a relevant and convenient format. This will increase the opportunities of new visitors becoming clients or customers.

This year it will be a great opportunity to take some extra time and really listen and ensure your products and services are aligned. It will be a great way to prepare and be focused in the months to come.

2. Embrace the new normal!

I know this may sound like a terrible idea, but hear me out! We have seen a lot of changes happen in a short period of time, which have taken a lot longer than anticipated to revert “back to normal” as we knew it.

That said, I have good news! If you are really listening and paying attention to what is going on, then use that newfound knowledge to implement the right changes into your marketing plan.

That could include marketing channels you have not previously considered, improving or trying new forms of content and communicating effectively with everyone’s favourite video app: ZOOM!

Use these channels and opportunities to get as much new information as possible to stay ahead of your fellow marketers in 2021.

3. Keep Things Simple And Dependable

The art of consistency is fragile but it leads a path of clarity when things can be uncertain – especially with the new online shoppers mentioned in prediction 1.

So be sure to review and optimize for consistency and simplicity so that you connect and communicate well through your marketing channels. This will reflect in the loyalty and trust you generate when connecting with your audience!

Don’t forget that we have come to expect certain things year after year, beyond the Christmas push! That includes Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Summer Sales and beyond. Try your best to do well at the easy things and balance that throughout your strategy!

4. The Art Of Lifetime Value!

I believe we have seen a shift in the way digital campaigns are being run today. This includes a lot of things like:

  • Being bombarded with advertising promotions across social media.
  • Our devices “hearing” us, which leads to seeing more ads about things or subjects that we were merely curious about.
  • The politicizing of some platforms has produced a reduction in engagement, while causing a considerable amount of users to leave platforms completely.

What is to become of this situation? Well, if you want to survive in 2021, make sure you are set up for retention and recurring purchases via your existing customer base.

It is like hiring an employee. As studies have shown, the cost of a new employee far exceeds retaining and training existing employees! So, in 2021, focus on empowering and training your customers to love your brand, product or services. They will become loyal repeat buyers and you will notice what I am talking about!

5. Communication and Language are speaking loud!

As mentioned earlier, a noticeable trend for marketing predictions is the way people are speaking, reacting and/or responding to what is being said. That means people are listening. So, what your message says in the form of branding and content will speak volumes in 2021.

Rather than just being aware and aligned with your audience and without overthinking it, this is a very important thing to approach. During the fragility of the challenging last year, we expect that more challenges are yet to come. Ensure your customers are aware of this and that they can depend on you, beyond just receiving their money.

This type of customer relationship can go a long way for businesses in 2021.

Let’s start rocking in 2021!

Well there you have it – I may even have a few more predictions to come with so much new happening in the marketing world. I feel pretty confident that we are in for interesting times and I am excited by the great learning opportunity!

Feel free to reach out to me or our team for your free website audit and consultation today!