Social Media thought leader Nivedith G on the near future of Digital Marketing.
The pandemic has been tough for everyone across the globe. But there are some pros as well and one such sector is digital. Since the pandemic hit hard in March 2020, almost everyone was forced to move or work digitally and find newer methods of adopting digital.
There is almost a 100 percent increase in online sales in India. This has made businesses and companies work on a long-term digital plan. The budgets have been increasing steadily year-on-year for digital, but now, an increase in footprint on Digital Marketing is making brands spend more on digital than mainstream marketing.
With the human behaviour also evolving around digital, the future of a digital planet is coming on its own. It is about to become the primary platform rather than being an add-on or secondary platform to Print and Television.
Brands are looking for various innovations using Digital Marketing to engage the target audience and increase their ROI.
Here are the following Digital Marketing trends for 2021 that I would predict:
1) Digital as the main platform
Digital Marketing has emerged a winner during the pandemic with more users using digital as a main platform for consumption of content. Brands and marketers are devising plans to drive more long-term marketing strategies around digital. Budgets have moved from traditional Print media to digital. In the next couple of years, Digital Marketing spends will be higher from mainstream media.
2) Digital Marketing as a profession
The need of skilled Digital Marketing specialists will increase exponentially as more opportunities arise. The need for its experts will be created more than ever before across all industries. A whole lot of teens will take part in Digital Marketing specialization courses.
3) Digital integration with offline marketing
Digital Marketing and Offline Marketing will need to go hand-in-hand, so as to make the best of both worlds and bring in consumers from both spectrums.
4) Video content consumption
The need for better video content creation will increase exponentially. As demand increases, supply will follow. With better technology like 5G, consumption of videos via mobile will move to the next level. Since Tik Tok is banned in India, there are lots of short video platforms growing already.
5) Social Media & Digital Marketing for social good
There have been a lot of talk about Social Media having more of a negative impact on people with trolls and fake accounts. But since the pandemic, there have also been increasing cases about social media and Digital Marketing used for social causes or social good.
6) Technology integration with Digital Marketing
With technology becoming more efficient, creative innovations in the field of Digital Marketing will stand out and drive more direct marketing opportunities.
7) Outsourcing
The dynamics of the Digital Marketing industry are likely to shift to India in the near future. There is a possibility of a boom in the profession, with a huge demand for digital marketers with cost-effective skills.
8) Content Marketing
The growth in content will play an important role in Digital Marketing. Content is still the king. It has to have the hook, the purpose and the call of action in order to successfully convert it into sales at the end. Good quality content keeps people engaged and influences them into purchasing the service or product offered.
9) Clarity on ROI
Brands are facing a financial crunch and are looking at ways to market their product/service in the most affordable yet effective way. Brands want to know how their monies are being utilized. Digital Marketing provides that clarity about how much money is being spent on which segment, what type of targeting is used, who is being targeted, what has been the result, what has been the conversion rate and return on investment.
10) Multiple marketing strategies
With Digital Marketing growing leaps and bounds, it’s no longer about brands targeting just one platform. Each marketing platform needs to have an individual strategy to reach their target audience. This makes the Digital Marketing game all the more interesting for the coming year.