The New Year is usually met with a mix of relief and sadness, but this year it’s safe to say everyone was more than happy to see the end of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic hit businesses hard, shuttering physical locations across the world and moving most businesses online. What will this shift mean for digital marketing in 2021?
Social Media Shopping
Social media was traditionally the place where people discovered brands and products. In the past few months, Facebook and Instagram have been ramping up their shopping features, making it easier for consumers to go directly from discovery to purchase. The best part is that they never even have to leave the platform. Social commerce will only continue to grow in 2021.
Informed Brands
In the past, it was on consumers to be informed about brands and products. It was up to them to research, compare, and keep track of past purchases in order to determine what they should buy next. This has shifted some recently, and now consumers expect brands to be just as informed about them. With all of the data available to businesses these days, there’s more responsibility on them to look at that and suggest future purchases to buyers.
Smaller Social
In the past, businesses were encouraged and expected to be on all relevant social media platforms. It costs a lot of time and money to stay up to date on all of them though. IN 2021, expect to see brands start to cull their social media profiles, prioritizing quality over quantity. It makes sense of businesses to focus their energy on the social media platforms that work best for them and give them the most ROI.
Digital Ramp Up
When the pandemic first struck, many businesses scrambled to readjust to a digital world. That isn’t going to go anywhere, in fact, it’s only going to increase. If COIVD-19 taught businesses anything it’s that they need to be flexible and adaptable, all things that are easier to do with digital marketing. Even once things start to go back to normal, expect to see businesses keep a digital focus and invest more in digital marketing.
Corporate Responsibility
The pandemic shed light on a lot of festering issues in society. From racism to political corruption, there were tons of hot button social issues in 2020. While the general public and politicians were the ones primarily fighting, businesses were caught in the middle. Brands can no longer afford to stand silently by hoping to stay invisible. Consumers are starting to take note of which brands stand up for what they believe is right, and staying silent is nearly as bad as supporting the wrong side. In the fast-paced digital news era, companies no longer have the luxury of pretending they don’t know what’s going on or hiding behind long response times.
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