We decided to team blogs, we are all different people and we get excited about different things. Here are 4 perspectives on the things each of us are looking forward to with Marketing & Digital trends in 2021
Rebecca's Perspective:
Virtual / Live Events
I am an ambivert and oftentimes I will plan to go out and then a few hours in, my energy is all used up and I want to be alone or only with close friends again. This is why I have fallen in love with virtual events. You can interact with people, but a quick mute of the mic will help you stay connected while still getting the information you need. Another favorite has been the experience in pajamas; I am sure many of you have enjoyed a virtual concert or versuz (https://www.instagram.com/verzuztv/?hl=en) event in the comfort of your bed!
It is also a great way to meet people who you never thought you would meet and interact with them. Live events can allow brands to have another strategic partner join them to increase views and perspective. It can also allow brands to connect with fans because you can respond to them in real-time.
Social Media Shopping
Yes, it is still important to have a website and online shopping platform… but… Social media platforms have made it a lot easier to get people to shop. IG and FB shop have been around for a few years but took it upon themselves to really push these benefits, build upon the awareness, communication, and features to help all businesses show off their product and lead to POS (Point of sales)
User-Generated Content
This was something I have always liked to see, photos taken by real people (on their phones) always spice up a social media page without having to do too much work. It is one of the most authentic forms of posting.
The reason this has become more emphasized is because of the amount of time people have been sitting around at home with nothing to do in 2020. This made the creative juices flow more than I have ever seen it before. New platforms like TikTok and Reels have also made it easier for people to take their ‘home videos’ and content up a few notches. Everything from memes, challenges, and filters will continue to help brands with user-generated digital content.
Naomi's Perspective:
Streaming services
I’m hugely interested in film and cinema. As we know, a lot of films are being released on streaming platforms in addition or in the place of showing at a theatre. The prominence of streaming allows for a new form of viewing which hasn’t happened before. In addition, it allows for new types of content to be made on which there have always been restrictions. This change in movie culture goes to show the new contentment that people have with how they take in and enjoy media. This reaches into television in the same way. Original shows on streaming services are unlike anything we’d see flipping through the channel on television. I’m looking forward to the content that will be produced as a result of the freedoms of streaming!
Centralized data
Cloud storage has been around for a while but not every software has had it. Now, we’re seeing the Facebook and Instagram merge on Messenger and Adobe has a cloud now. There are new ways of centralizing user data that will actually be customized to the program. It’ll be interesting to see what new innovations will be created to assist in this.
Aleks' Perspective:
Increasing Use of Automation & A.I.
Computers have been used for automation purposes for a long time, but most applications have relied on heavy manual pre-processing and planning in order to leverage their speed. However today we are seeing many exciting new startups and services geared towards making business decisions and adapting to new problems and changes.
These services will help many more marketing teams to focus on the data that matters and leave the boring parts to the computer.
Natural Language Processing
One of the most obvious problems with automation and human-machine interaction is that in the past those interactions have largely felt artificial to the human participant. Although many of us have interacted with a chatbot on a website before, technology in this field is poised to grow by leaps and bounds in 2021 with many easy-to-implement services becoming available.
What this means for marketing is increased efficiency in interacting with customers, and allowing more time to focus on those customers who truly do need the most attention.
Augmented reality
Augmented Reality (AR), has been around for a few years, playing a mostly novelty role in applications. However, with better quality access to cloud computing, improved processing in the typical smartphone, and better optical environment modeling, this technology is poised to make an entry into more mainstream marketing.
The ability to allow customers to visualize 3d products in a specific environment allows sales and marketing teams to take away much of the uncertainty especially associated with high-cost purchases such as furniture.
Tanya's Perspective:
Video Marketing
In a society where we cannot meet face to face easily, videos are the next best thing to fill the space between us. The possibilities of creative flow are endless. I, like most people, am captivated and drawn to videos when looking for a brand or service. Not only is it entertaining, but convenient in that it can be used for a myriad of purposes. You can promote a brand, review purchases made, offer helpful tips and advice, provide a tutorial and do so much more. If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine what a video can do.
Using videos on every social media platform would’ve been unthinkable a few years ago. However, every entity has found a way to incorporate film into their platform as of late. Youtubers, bloggers, and videographers as well as all creatives who share an appreciation for videos have been given opportunities of all sorts to showcase their talents. For example, Instagram has recently introduced reels which allows one to upload videos of any length to their account. As technology only gets better and expands beyond what we previously knew, I am excited to see what 2021 has in store for video marketing.
Interactive Content
Communication is a two-way street. Interactive content in a nutshell is where your consumers actively engage with you and your brand. This can be done by means of quizzes, surveys, games etc. This is by far my favorite form of content. Scrolling through quizzes on BuzzFeed is a pastime of many and games will always be popular for all ages. In terms of surveys, you can ask ten people the same question and get ten different answers. That is what makes it so interesting. Being able to make your service more personalized and fun for each individual you come across is a fulfilling experience and one I hope to see more of this year.
Analytics
In the sphere of digital marketing, one of its most fascinating aspects is being able to track real-time progress. There is a huge amount of information both about your service and your clients. There is nothing more motivating than being able to see growth over time and how far you’ve come as a business. Also, being able to see aspects of your followers such as age range and gender are extremely helpful. This is a fairly recent trend as it keeps expanding along with software and not many people utilize it as they should. Over the course of the year, I hope to see growth and information being used wisely by means of analytics.
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