Digital marketing is arguably more important than ever. It’s the key to moving forward and supporting everything from brand awareness to company growth. According to Smart Insights, around 45 percent of organizations don’t have a clear digital marketing strategy. And that’s a serious missed opportunity.
Want to learn more about the top digital marketing facts of 2020? We’ve got a primer for you complete with five crucial, must-know facts that are key to digital success.
Flexibility is Crucial Throughout 2021 (and Beyond)
Think back to before late February and early March. Before COVID-19 wiped the floor with advertising budgets and business projections. Who would have imagined the months ahead?
One of the important lessons we’ve all learned is the importance of quickly pivoting your content and messaging in response to what’s happening. Marketers had to quickly change their messaging from appealing to buyers to providing them with critical information, express empathy and share public health information. As circumstances continue changing in different regions and markets, brand messaging continues evolving and shifting too. That kind of flexibility is what digital marketers need from here forward.
Agile marketing, which relies on data and analytics to make decisions, was already big for the 2020s. With how interconnected everything is in the world today, it only takes one small event to ripple across the planet. Although you can’t predict something like COVID or another event that destabilizes things, remaining agile lets you respond quickly to adapt and succeed.
The Importance of Knowing Your Brand Can’t Be Understated
It’s not a new concept, but it’s as true today as it was yesterday and will continue to be tomorrow. Understanding your brand is the key to marketing magic. Beyond data and analytics, beyond trends and follower counts, this continues to be the single most important weapon in every marketers arsenal. Without it, how can you best represent the values and voice of the brand? How can you truly reach the target audience?
During times of crisis or times of calm, knowing your brand is what will help you craft messaging that stands out from competitors. It also can hone the focus of your campaigns. For example, Pepsi isn’t just soda and Gucci isn’t just fashion. These brands have clear identities that stand out in the crowd. Without a deep understanding of what those brands are all about, the likelihood of crafting an effective marketing campaign is pretty slim.
Videos are Here to Stay
By now, you’ve surely heard about the importance of incorporating video into marketing strategy. But no list of digital marketing facts could be complete without highlighting the importance of video in today’s climate. Smart Insights reports that 92 percent of marketers include video as a key strategy, a figure that’s up by roughly 14 percent since 2015. What’s more, experts estimate that by 2021, people will watch 100 minutes of online video.
Consumption is only set to increase. To use this successfully in your digital marketing strategy, it helps to focus on these tips:
- Tell a story, don’t focus on making a sale. Audiences want to engage and connect and they’re looking for you to provide content worth watching.
- Craft a killer opening. Attention spans are short, and you only have a little over eight seconds to hook your audience and keep them watching.
- Don’t forget the CTA. Direct your viewers to take the next step, whether that’s swiping up to reach the brand’s landing page or commenting on/liking the video.
Marketers Steer the (Digital) Ship
To be successful, you’re going to have to take – and remain in – control of all aspects of a digital marketing campaign. You’re responsible for a variety of the areas where consumers and brands interact. To craft effective campaigns, you need to not only be able to leverage digital tools and social media. You also need to be able to connect the dots between a brand’s objectives, campaign execution and measuring results.
Digital moves quickly. Trends come and go. Things shift and evolve. To stay relevant and on top of your game, you need to get involved and keep up with the pace.
Identify and Jump on Opportunities
As an in-control marketer, it pays to stay abreast of the trends. The ability to identify opportunities and work them into your plan can make a huge difference in your ROI. So, what are some of the top trends in digital today?
- Delivering an amazing customer experience above all else
- Incorporating visuals and great design – people love visual content
- Personalization effectively boosts engagement and wins consumers over
- Prioritize SEO, but shift to prioritizing featured snippets too for good Google search results
- Voice search is changing the way consumers look for information and requires brands and marketers to keep pace
As we navigate through the pandemic, one thing remains clear: You can’t predict the future of marketing with perfect accuracy. What you can do is gain a solid understanding of digital marketing facts and learn from current trends. Use those insights as the foundation you build your digital marketing plans around.
