5 Ways The Pandemic is Changing Digital Marketing in 2021
After last year, we are all hoping that 2021 has fewer twists and turns to navigate. Unfortunately, the pandemic is still in full swing, continuing to disrupt our old sense of normalcy and forcing us to think outside the box in terms of digital marketing. As the year kicks off, digital agencies everywhere are making game plans to adapt to the changes caused by the pandemic. Here are five things we are taking into account.
There Are STILL More People Online Than Ever Before
As we wrote in a similar blog back in 2020, there's a significant increase in the number of people using social media and other digital platforms. With most places still stuck in quarantine, people are turning to the internet for entertainment. Social media platforms are getting more love than they ever have, and there is more unique content being published online. Businesses and their digital marketing agencies are able to use this trend to their advantage. With such a captive audience, it's extremely easy to get your content in front of potential customers, especially with the aid of social media ads. You may have noticed more sponsored content in your feed - you can expect this to be the new normal, at least for the time being. Social media ads are the most effective way to reach a huge audience with the least funds possible. Platforms continue to improve their targeting abilities, making social media ads a lucrative source of income for many businesses. Many ads learn from your online behavior, so when the general population is spending more time online, ads can gather more information and show to the most relevant people. Well-crafted ads draw attention and encourage engagement leading to conversions. All digital marketing agencies need to do is figure out how to stand out from the rest of customers' feeds. The next time you're scrolling through Facebook or Instagram, count how many ads you come across. The longer you're on these platforms, the more ads you will see which is exactly what digital agencies are hoping for!
More Businesses Are Developing A Permanent Digital Presence
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, just about everyone thought this would be a short-term issue. As 2020 progressed, it became clear that the virus had no plans of leaving anytime soon. As a result, businesses were forced to create a digital presence to stay relevant and afloat through these unprecedented times. Now, as we begin our journey through 2021, companies are realizing the benefits that come with a solid online presence. Shops, restaurants, and other businesses who whipped together a website back in 2020 are suddenly becoming more interested in building a permanent digital presence. We're seeing local eateries build out their own online ordering system rather than relying on GrubHub and UberEats. Family-owned stores are creating ecommerce websites and streamlining the shipping or curbside pick-up process. Online shopping is at an all-time high, and many small businesses are seeing additional revenue since entering the digital realm. Since every business's main goal is to maximize profits, it makes perfect sense that these companies have decided to keep their online shops permanently, even after the pandemic ends. Most business owners are not trained to make websites, so it's one digital marketing service that has been most requested. Digital agencies are getting hired for web development left and right. Be sure the agency you choose has a solid portfolio of websites so you know you're getting the best of the best. After all, this site could be someone's very first impression of your business and we want it to be a great one.
Certain Industries Are More Accessible Than Before
Since businesses are moving online, customers have easier access to them than in years passed. People are being exposed to, and are able to order from, places they may not have heard of pre-pandemic. The restaurant industries and small shops have been most effected by COVID-19. Eateries that never offered take out or online ordering are suddenly just a click away from an entirely new customer base! Mom and pop shops that get lost in the hustle of the street are popping up on Google My Business, Google Maps, and at the top of search results. By offering online services, these industries are getting in front of more people at once, helping them to grow and thrive, even through a global pandemic. With the help of food delivery services, customers can order from restaurants that they typically consider too far to try. Non-chain restaurants are reaping the most reward because a solid digital presence can put them on a more even playing field with the fast food giants they compete with. If you're a family-owned pizza shop across the street from a Domino's, you may lose customers simply because they know and trust Domino's and aren't willing to try your pizza. If the food can be delivered right to the door or completely customized online, people will be more likely to give it a shot (catering to the lazy nature of America comes in handy!). The pandemic has certainly encouraged more people to shop at small businesses, so any local place has that on their side as well.
Digital Marketing Efforts Are Becoming More Sophisticated
Now that the digital marketing realm is more saturated, agencies have had to get creative in their efforts. Social media ads are hyper targeted, entire campaigns are put together to tell stories, and new technology allows us to personalize messages as needed. Have you ever been scrolling through your feed only to come across an ad for t-shirts featuring your favorite animal? That isn't a lucky guess, that's marketing at its finest. The t-shirt company almost definitely stocks far more variety that what you see, but based on your preferences and past interaction with pages and ads, they've created an ad that is going to be the most appealing to you. Digital marketing agencies are able to tap into your history online to build custom ads that will catch your attention specifically. If you don't believe us, try looking up something random and visiting a few pages online about it, on Facebook or Instagram if possible. We guarantee that the ads you see will start to reflect this random topic you are "interested" in! As digital marketers, we can confirm this is true because a) we build the ads, and b) we are always looking up a variety of topics for clients, and the ads on our personal social medias remind us of what we've been researching recently! If we're working with a makeup client, we will get ads about makeup. If one client sells pet food, we can expect a pet-related ad in our future. Outside of social media, digital agencies can get even more personal and add names and recalled information to emails, newsletters, and more! We are excited to see how sophisticated things get to compete with the growing number of businesses online.
Social Media Is Once Again Focused On Connecting People
As we've discussed, social media can clearly be used as a tool for digital marketing. However, since the pandemic started, social platforms have returned to their roots in a sense. Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms were originally developed to help keep people connected, even when they're apart. Over the years, social media feeds were taken over by memes, cat videos, rants, and random personality quizzes. It quickly became "toxic" for many users' taste, with little to no real substance left. When things shut down in 2020, people turned to social media to stay in touch with people they could no longer see on a daily basis. Feeds had more substance again, splitting up the many ads that people used to see. Digital marketers are still using social media ads, but they're more accepted and effective these days. Pre-Coronavius, your feed may have five ads in a row that you scrolled through as fast as possible. Now, our ads are settled between the neighbor's family photo shoot and a memory of Nana's birthday back in 2019. When you see our ad, you won't be in the mindset of "I hate ads, they're so annoying," and you may actually stop to check it out. We'll see if this wholesome use of social media sticks around, but until then, digital agencies everywhere are adapting to the changing trends.
2021 is just beginning, but we are optimistic that it will be a better year than 2020. Regardless of how things play out, the digital marketing landscape has already changed significantly. We hope to see more trends arise that benefit all businesses during these tough times. If you're ready to upgrade your online presence, check out BusySeed! We are one of the top digital marketing agencies in the US, and we have helped over 300 companies thrive online. We handle social media management and ads, web development, SEO optimization, and so much more! We offer customized packages for each client to meet your needs and reach your goals. Call us today at (888) 353-1484 to get started!
