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 Building a digital marketing business from scratch Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok 5 Digital Marketing Trends For Your Business In 2021  marchmeena29 | Getty Images In the 21st century, technology has revolutionized our lives and is undergoing a process of continual development and acceleration. The landscape of the Internet, in particular, is constantly evolving and changing. For your business to continue to experience growth and expansion, it is crucial that you adapt and adjust your digital marketing strategies accordingly. Digital marketing in 2021 will require a multi-faceted and diverse approach, incorporating some of the tried-and-tested trends of previous years whilst also capitalizing on the opportunities provided by innovative and emerging trends. In this article, we’re going to be discussing five digital marketing trends that every business should keep an eye on in 2021 so that you can begin strategically developing and structuring your plans to give your business a competitive edge. 1. The (continued) rise of social media Inevitably, social media will continue to serve a pivotal role in digital marketing strategies in 2021. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter may have been created as a means for interpersonal communication, but they have since become pivotal marketing tools. Through social media, businesses have the perfect platform through which they can easily create and publish content, market their products and/or services as well as interact with their target audiences. What’s more, these platforms are increasingly accommodating the entire marketing process – from the moment of discovery to actually making a purchase without ever having to leave the platform. Social media commerce is only going to grow in 2021. Related: Now or Never: Why Manufacturers Are Moving Dollars to Digital Engagement 2. Using social media advertising features Alongside publishing content on your actual social media pages, social media platforms are increasingly providing specialized advertising and marketing services to businesses as well. One such example is Facebook, which has revolutionized how businesses market via social media. Businesses can use Facebook for online advertisements, which are created, published and distributed through the social media platform. Facebook Ads are directed towards specific target audiences, which means that advertisements are only displayed to those users who have been selected according to Facebook’s targeting software. With more than two billion active users, Facebook Ads is an invaluable marketing tool for businesses because of the reach, visibility and personalization it provides. Related: 4 Sure-Fire Digital Marketing Strategies to Use in 2021 Gallery: The 28 Best Remote-Friendly Companies for Women (Money Talks News) 3. Email marketing is as effective as ever Compared to other forms of digital marketing, email marketing has been around for a long time. Due to its age, there may be some questions surrounding its relevance, but the truth is that email marketing is as relevant in 2021 as it was a decade ago. The automated distribution of time or action-triggered emails to email lists and subscribers with relevant information still generates incredible amounts of engagement. Email automation is a powerful marketing tactic, and automating an email campaign allows businesses to generate leads, sales and revenues whenever the opportunity arises. Examples of email automation include a triggered workflow designed to interest customers, seasonal or birthday greetings, as well as automated blog updates. It is one of the most effective methods of communicating with potential customers and sustaining the interest of existing customers. 4. Segmenting your customers for optimum retention With the prevalence of digital technologies, customers are becoming increasingly accustomed to personalized online experiences tailored to their behaviors, preferences, interests and demographics. It’s important that businesses continually collect and analyze data regarding their potential and existing customers and then change their digital marketing strategies accordingly. Segmenting customers is an incredibly effective way to reach out to as broad an audience as possible whilst simultaneously providing them with a bespoke experience of your business. By identifying which group of customers should receive selected content based on the data your business has collected, you can more effectively allocate your marketing resources by ensuring that the content you distribute reaches those most likely to respond positively. Related: Why Digital Marketing Strategies Are Imperative to Boost Startup Growth 5. Interact directly with your customers The Internet has effectively removed the various geographical, language and time barriers which once separated a business from its customers. Whilst in the past, a customer would have had to write an email or call a number to interact with a particular business, in the 21st century, it is as simple as leaving a comment under a post or sending a private message in a matter of minutes. Everyone is always accessible online, and the expectation that customers should be able to interact with a business has extended even beyond the realms of social media. In a digital era, it is more important than ever that businesses ensure they are available to interact with potential and existing customers in the event of a query, review, or even a complaint. Interacting with customers in a timely and professional manner will be a critical part of digital marketing in 2021 because it will demonstrate a business’ commitment to satisfying and listening to its customers. Customer experience is everything, and by ensuring a positive customer experience, a business is more like to see repeat purchases, glowing reviews as well as recommendations to family and friends. Digital marketing is a multi-faceted and complex endeavor that requires a comprehensive and strategic approach. The 5 digital marketing trends described above are just some of the strategies you can incorporate into your digital marketing initiatives. This article provides a useful and informative starting point. You can decide which strategies you would like to prioritize depending on your business's purpose, objectives, and scope. Email marketing, for example, may be one of the oldest digital marketing strategies around, but it continues to be one of the most effective with regards to the traffic it generates and its high conversion rates. The business features provided by social media platforms have just been introduced, but considering that millions of users per month visit these platforms, the scope for reaching out to a larger audience is immense. Digital marketing in 2021 consists of a combination of traditional strategies and innovative methods through which you can propel your business forwards into the year ahead. The Future Of Digital Marketing Agencies In A Post-Covid World Aaron Agius is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of the award-winning global marketing agency Louder.Online. getty It seems like a simple equation: more people spending more time online, plus businesses eager to boost their online presence as a result, equals a promising post-Covid world for digital marketing agencies. We all know life isn’t that simple though, and marketing firms will have to adapt to the realities of this new world. Reaching More Discerning Consumers The pandemic has permanently changed consumer behavior. With people around the world confined to their homes for long periods, 2020 saw a big shift in the way people consumed information. For example, in Q2 there was a 31.7% year-over-year rise in the number of app downloads. This represents a huge shift in people’s behavior, and it’s just a small sample of how people have embraced the online realm. The more people interact with these technologies and enjoy the experience, the more likely this tech is to become a regular part of their lives — pandemic or no pandemic. For digital marketing agencies, this represents even more ways to reach consumers, but with a caveat. The more people become accustomed to these digital platforms, the more discerning they are likely to become to marketing messages that don’t hit the right tone. In the future, digital marketing may be able to reach more people, but the challenge will be to continue to get people to take action. At the beginning of the pandemic, we saw click-through rates (CTRs) drop dramatically on many platforms, with the CTR for Google search ads dropping 41% year-over-year versus Q1 2019. If these trends continue and people become more immune to online marketing, agencies will have to continue to innovate and invest in quality to drive success. Whether that’s investing in top-tier copywriters and graphic designers or taking advantage of tech innovations that prioritize user experience, agencies will need to pull out all the stops to ensure their marketing efforts are successful in a post-Covid world. With more consumers online than ever before, agencies can’t afford to slack. Conveying ROI More Effectively The U.S. GDP decreased by 9.5% in Q2 2020 alone. This represents millions of businesses that had their worlds turned upside down because of the pandemic. Even for businesses that achieved success throughout the lockdowns, this kind of economic turmoil leaves a lasting imprint. While the consumer shift toward online behaviors clearly represents a great opportunity for businesses, clients are still likely to be very protective about their marketing budgets. How digital marketing agencies convey the potential ROI of their services will be crucial. It’s not just going to be about what your services are, but how your services solve your clients’ problems and show tangible results. Saying you’re a HubSpot expert is one thing, but clients want to know in detail how that leads to a return on their investment and how it will make a difference to their business. Demonstrating the value of your services through accurate insights will be key in a world where budgets are closely scrutinized. Agility As a Key Competitive Advantage During the pandemic, the world had to learn to work from home. The interesting part was, many businesses actually found they were quite successful at it. In fact, many of the world’s biggest brands vowed to make work from home the new normal. In general, digital marketing agencies were well-prepared for this shift, but there were still some interesting trends. In the early weeks and months of Covid, the industry took a small hit, but one study found that 80% of agencies that saw a 30+% increase in their revenues were outsourcing. These agencies realized they could do away with expensive offices and utilize the freelance economy to provide exceptional work for clients as needed. Technology has made this a seamless process, allowing agencies to get highly specialist work done without having to maintain full-time employees. This enables digital marketing agencies to be much more agile, saving on fixed costs and scaling quickly to meet the demands of their clients. Without the pandemic, many agencies may not have made this shift. Brand Positioning in an Increasingly Competitive Market There has been a decades-long trend of more and more businesses recognizing the importance of an online presence. However, even for those who refused to embrace the online realm, the pandemic put things into stark perspective. Businesses were left scrambling to boost their online presence, and digital marketing agencies benefited greatly from this. On the other side of things, where there is ample opportunity, there’s generally lots of competition, and this is true in digital marketing. There are 5,585 digital advertising agencies in the U.S. In 2021, up 13.1% from 2020. The competition is only likely to get greater as businesses continue to recognize the power of online marketing. One advantage established digital marketing agencies have over newcomers is the strength of their brand. As marketers, we’re always impressing upon our clients the power of good branding, but we need to make sure we’re following our own advice. Digital marketing will likely become a more crowded space, but brands that can position themselves as strategic partners, rather than just another service provider, will have an advantage. Conclusion Covid might not completely change the future of digital marketing agencies, but it has supercharged existing trends. Marketing agencies have been successful at adapting to these changes during the pandemic, but they need to continue to do so after it’s gone. Understanding that both consumers and your clients have changed their behaviors, and catering your services accordingly will be essential. There may be a greater demand for digital marketing going forward, but this will be balanced out by greater competition. To stand out, you will have to develop a strong brand and invest in flexibility that works for your clients and your business. The post-Covid world is bright for digital marketing agencies, but as ever, only for those that are able to adapt accordingly. Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?