1. Customer retention
After the struggle that brands faced throughout 2020, in 2021, brands placed greater emphasis on retaining existing customers. “It is considered wise to focus on existing customers in an uncertain economy.”, says Pravin Chandan. This was achieved through methods such as personalized push notifications, loyalty incentives, etc. This strategy was also more cost-effective than bringing in new customers owing to the availability of data with brands. This was particularly used by small brands as it was their only leverage against big brands during this period.
2. Selling on social media
Another trending idea with far-reaching implications is selling on social media. Facebook and Instagram both came out with their in-app Shops, which allow for customers to shop directly on the apps. It is expected that this trend will grow in the coming years due to the ease in search and conversion of customers. The growth of selling on social media has allowed marketers to advertise their products to a vast range of consumers at once.
3. Statements of purpose
This year, brands along with consumers took stances on social justice issues and current events and incorporated them into their marketing. For example, the Black Lives Matter movement which began last year resulted in several brands ensuring inclusion efforts. Most brands also followed this up with continued efforts. This mattered greatly to consumers who cared deeply about the purpose behind the brands.
4. Automation in marketing
Automation is a wonderful marketing tactic to reduce the budget while at the same time, increasing efficiency. Its uses have increased manifold during the pandemic. “This year, more and more companies indulged in automation as it frees employees from mundane and routine tasks and gives them more time to focus on creative and novel ideas,” says Pravin Chandan. This was found to be the best way to make the most out of available marketing budget. Automation software can develop, launch and analyze multiple campaigns on autopilot. It also analyzes conversions once the campaign is done, thereby helping in future conversions. The importance of automation in marketing grew rapidly this year as manual processes were inadequate to keep up with the vast changes taking place around the world.
5. User-generated content
User-generated content has become one of the most popular marketing ideas and with good reason. It refers to consumers themselves posting about brands on their social media profiles. It is a way of showcasing real consumers using the products of a brand and how they feel about it. It results in building of trust in a brand as most consumers rely on the experiences of others when making a purchasing decision. Therefore, this marketing idea has turned into the most valuable marketing idea of this period of time. User-generated content was showcased using hashtags wherein people can simply click on the hashtag to see content from those using the brand's products or services.
6. Interactive content
Mainstream marketing ideas like video marketing are still extremely valuable, but in 2021, interactive content proved to be just as important. It increases the engagement rates of brands allowing the audience to directly interact with the content and brand through quizzes, polls, etc.
7. Augmented Reality
Virtual reality (VR) is generating a lot of buzz and getting people excited about science-fiction ideas. AR, on the other hand, is significantly more marketable. This technology is continually being used by businesses to improve customer satisfaction and earn revenue. “By the end of 2022, it is expected that 70% of businesses will be experimenting with the usage of augmented reality (AR) as part of their marketing strategies.”, says Pravin Chandan.
8. Programmatic Advertising
Programmatic advertising is one of the most efficient marketing ideas of 2021. Artificial intelligence is used in programmatic advertising to automate the bidding process for PPC advertisements. Brands that want to target a more particular audience have especially been using this method. Higher conversions and reduced client acquisition expenses result from a more exact bidding strategy. It is an effective approach to bid for ad space because the bids are automated. It helps to optimize the bid amounts and bring advertisements in front of more quality leads for businesses by using programmatic advertising.
9. Personalization
Personalized marketing has been extensively used in 2021 and has shown remarkable outcomes. Since there are so many companies competing for the attention of the audience, generic marketing messages will mostly be ignored. Consumers are now looking for marketing that is tailored to their preferences, which can be provided through personalisation. One of the places where personalization is most widely used is email marketing. It helps in segmenting the target audience and sending personalized emails on the basis of their preferences.
10. Utilising Local SEO
Local traffic is prime for any brand, big and small alike. Brands can utilise their Google My Business Accounts to upgrade their Google Business Profiles with pandemic-friendly information like online appointments and pickup and delivery. “Since everyone will want to stay close to home while also supporting small local companies due to the pandemic, it is critical to make sure that a brand’s Google My Business account is optimised and active,” says Pravin Chandan. Having favourable reviews is also a part of this, because if a consumer needs to hire someone for any type of service, they will want to read up on other people's experiences on how they perform.
