Talking about digital marketing trends in 2021 is, in a way, facing a scenario of uncertainty due to the unresolved crisis about the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seriously shaken all markets in the last year.
It is true to say that the economic scenario still presents several uncertainties about 2021, but it is also a fact that companies cannot position themselves in a lethargic way to the promotion of their brands, products, and services.
The trends in digital marketing in 2021 added many new features and even many ways of looking at online marketing, ironically, even in light of the new technologies that emerged during the pandemic.
We will have changes in terms of strategies, tools, resource allocation, and even in the way we work with some classic tools.
If you want to put up with what’s first, stop everything you’re doing and check out the main digital marketing trends in 2021 right now, to make your payments.
Main digital marketing trends in 2021
Check below what are the main trends in digital marketing in 2021 and start moving your pieces on the online advertising board so you don’t get caught off guard.
1 – Growth of own digital marketing teams
One of the main trends in digital marketing in 2021 will be the growth of companies that will seek to form their online marketing team, instead of outsourcing this service.
This is a direct consequence of the crisis caused by COVID-19, which caused many companies, seeking to reduce costs, to end up discovering that they could do very well, without needing the support of a specialized agency.
Small, medium and large companies are increasingly interested in taking control of their online marketing actions, reducing advertising costs, especially in the face of a difficult scenario, such as the one that we will certainly encounter in 2021.
Here at the Marketing Academy, we noticed a significant increase in companies looking to qualify their employees. Another indicator, which reinforces our projection, is the number of consultations on the possibility of taking In-Company courses, which has also grown significantly.
We have always been defenders of the realization of digital marketing within the company, for technical reasons, and now it seems that a consensus is forming around this position
2 – Even more advances in terms of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence has already been incorporated into our daily lives, and in terms of digital marketing trends in 2021 what we see is the increasingly intensive use of this tool.
Recently, Google Analytics won a new version, which promises to take the Machine Learning process to even more sophisticated levels, which will be of immense help when it comes to making our digital marketing campaigns even more targeted.
New technologies and integrations, such as targeted audiences in Google Analytics with the ads created in Google Ads, will make the conversion rate even higher.
3 – SEO as a strategic part of digital marketing
Another of the digital marketing trends in 2021, which we see as very strong, is the even greater appreciation of the work of SEO – Website Optimization for Search Engines.
This is the technique responsible for the organic (unpaid) exposure of the pages of a website in the list of responses to searches carried out on major search engines such as Google and Bing.
In times of rising media costs, organic exposure is increasingly prominent among digital marketing strategies, as in addition to reducing costs with paid media, organic search traffic is extremely qualified.
SEO techniques are improving rapidly, as updates to Google’s algorithms become more and more frequent, seeking to adapt to new consumer habits and new technologies that are emerging every day.
With the new features offered by Google, one of the trends in digital marketing in 2021 is that it will not be enough to be among the first places, but in special highlights such as, for example, “zero position”, or in the group of frequently asked questions.
That is why we have called attention to a new dimension of SEO, which we call SEO On SERP, that is, techniques to stand out on the survey response pages.
4 – Growth of Google My Business
The growth of Google My Business was among our bets in terms of trends last year, but unfortunately, COVID-19 hit the head of local small and medium businesses.
With the expected recovery, we placed among the trends of digital marketing in 2021 a strong growth of Google My Business as a marketing tool for small and medium businesses.
The Google My Business is a free Google tool for the distribution of small and medium businesses, which has become a powerful ally in the distribution of local businesses, as it ensures a great exposure on Google Answers pages at no cost.
The tool has been receiving new features almost monthly and these features are attracting more and more companies, a movement that we believe will intensify in 2021.
With the adhesion of new companies, there will also be stiffening in the competition for the prominent positions on the answer pages of Google and Google Maps, which will force companies to improve themselves in the optimization techniques of Google My Business
5 – Voice searches on the rise
Still, in the area of search marketing, one of the trends in digital marketing in 2021 that is worth highlighting is the increase in voice searches, either on Google’s search platform or on applications such as Google Assistant, Cortana, and Siri.
According to a survey conducted by ComScore, in 2021, no less than 50% of searches will be done by voice, which greatly impacts how brands should work on their search engine optimization process.
Here in Brazil, we must suffer an even greater impact in this area, since the two main digital assistants, Google Home and Alexa are gaining more and more space in Brazilian homes.
Voice hunts have a very different grammatical structure than searches typed on desktops and smartphones. So it is necessary to adapt your SEO strategy for this type of search, so as not to lose this internet traffic.
6 – Social media going beyond marketing
In the area of social media, one of the main trends in digital marketing in 2021, is that they will not only grow in importance but also occupy a prominent place in terms of sales directly through their platforms.
Facebook and Instagram are investing heavily in new social commerce tools for these two networks, which will bring an increasingly important role in social networks.
Currently, selling on Instagram or selling on Facebook is no longer an issue, but we still miss some features. Gradually these problems are being solved and that is why we place this among our big bets in terms of digital marketing trends in 2021.
7 – Whats App enters the game once and for all
WhatsApp as a digital marketing tool is already part of our “arsenal” for some time, but in 2021 this presence tends to be even higher.
The platform has been publishing some important changes, largely for WhatsApp Business soon, which will make this tool even more versatile and offering new possibilities in terms of online marketing.
WhatsApp is not only a digital marketing trend in 2021, but it will also have an impact in other areas, such as e-commerce since it will soon be allowed to work as a form of payment.
8 – Careers demanding more and more training
For digital marketers, the year 2021 promises to be another year of great opportunities and hard work, especially when the crisis caused by the 2020 pandemic begins to show signs of having passed.
The career in digital marketing has never been more valued and more and more companies are looking to form their teams to escape the high costs of digital agencies in the country, as we said in the first item of this analysis.
The lack of really qualified labor has been pushing up wages in digital marketing upwards, a trend that has lasted for more than five years and should continue in 2021.
We believe that it will be a very good time for digital marketing professionals in Brazil and betting on their academic training in this area makes perfect sense.
Well-trained and multidisciplinary professionals must continue to be highly disputed by agencies and companies, which will continue to pressure remuneration. Independent consultants will also find a good field.
9 – Freelance digital marketing work on the rise
The job market for digital marketing freelancers was already growing a lot in Brazil and the world, in what became known as Gig Economy.
It was already a global movement that reflected the technological advances that we have experienced in recent times, and the search for a better quality of life. With the wave of layoffs due to the crisis, it gained a new impetus
Companies are increasingly looking for these professionals, both for occasional work, such as content production and creation of material for publications on social media, as well as for continuous work.
Freelance work platforms, such as Marketing Job, for example, are in charge of bringing together freelance professionals and companies in search of this type of work. Among the trends in digital marketing in 2021 is a significant growth in this work model.
Is that you? What are your perspectives in terms of digital marketing trends in 2021? What are the major challenges we must face? Leave your comment and stay updated by subscribing to our Newsletter.
