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Tag: marketing trends

  • Weekend Digital Media Round- AI ads: Blurring the line between information, recommendation and promotion, The Future of eCommerce Apps: AI, AR, and Personalized Shopping, Creating a new narrative for today’s leaders with reverse mentorship revolution& More….

    Weekend Digital Media Round- AI ads: Blurring the line between information, recommendation and promotion, The Future of eCommerce Apps: AI, AR, and Personalized Shopping, Creating a new narrative for today’s leaders with reverse mentorship revolution& More….

    1.AI ads: Blurring the line between information, recommendation and promotion

    AI experience marks a significant shift in how digital assistants blend information, recommendations, and promotions. This could reshape monetization strategies for AI platforms, moving beyond subscriptions to ad-driven models. While it presents new opportunities for brands, it also raises ethical concerns about transparency and user trust. The line between helpful responses and commercial influence is becoming increasingly blurred. [Source: Business Standard]

    2. The Future of eCommerce Apps: AI, AR, and Personalized Shopping

    E-commerce apps are transforming with AI, AR, and voice tech to offer smarter, more personalized shopping. These tools help users visualize products better and improve customer service. Businesses gain higher engagement and loyalty through social commerce and secure platforms. [Source:  RS Web Solutions]

    3. Creating a new narrative for today’s leaders with reverse mentorship revolution

    Reverse mentorship empowers younger employees to guide senior leaders, fostering mutual learning and bridging generational gaps. It boosts digital skills, inclusivity, and innovation, with companies reporting improved retention and collaboration. [Source: ET Edge]

    4. Inside the CDP Illusion: When Data Dreams Meet Mid-Market Reality

    Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) were marketed as tools to democratize data, but for mid-sized businesses, they often create more problems than solutions due to lack of clean, unified data and technical resources. Instead of enabling transformation, CDPs frequently become costly silos that expose infrastructure weaknesses and deepen operational challenges. [Source: CMS Wire]

    5. Ads always win: why advertising on AI agents is a sure bet

    Advertising on AI agents is inevitable, even if current platforms like Perplexity are hesitant. As history shows, every major media breakthrough—from radio to streaming—eventually adopts ads to scale, and AI agents will follow suit, likely becoming the most profitable ad channel yet. [Source: The Drum]

    6. 7 E-Commerce Trends That Will Transform Shopping In 2026

    AI-driven shopping is set to revolutionize retail in 2026, with personal AI agents, virtual influencers, and zero-click commerce reshaping how consumers discover and buy products. The convergence of physical and digital experiences, automation, and sustainability initiatives will define the next wave of customer engagement and operational efficiency. [Source: Forbes]

    7. Future of Marketing briefing: The agent era on training wheels

    AI agents in marketing are still in a developmental phase, assisting with repetitive tasks rather than making autonomous decisions. Companies are experimenting with narrow, task-specific agents to streamline workflows, but human judgment remains essential for strategic and creative decisions. [Source: DigiDay]

    8. UI for trust: how to reduce fraud fears and enable smooth festive transactions

    Trust-focused UI design plays a crucial role in reducing consumer fraud fears during festive e-commerce surges in India. By using clear checkout flows, reassuring microcopy, and visible security cues, platforms can build user confidence, prevent cart abandonment, and drive smoother transactions. [Source: MediaNews4U]

    9. Festive 2025: Are e-commerce and quick-commerce now India’s hottest ad platforms

    India’s 2025 festive season marked a turning point where e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms emerged as dominant advertising channels, driving measurable ROI and bridging the gap between brand storytelling and instant conversions. With digital audiences surpassing 750 million, these platforms have evolved into powerful media ecosystems, making retail media an essential part of the marketing mix. [Source: Exchange4Media]

    10. Six Key Components of UX Strategy

    UX strategy is a dynamic framework that bridges user experience with business and product goals, guiding decisions to maximize success while managing risks. It focuses on delivering user value through clear priorities, high-impact actions, and realistic feasibility, rather than being a fixed roadmap or set of deliverables. [Source: Smashing Magazine]

  • Weekend Digital Media Round-Up: E-com catching up on search?, The transformative impact of AI on Advertising, Google and Yahoo to enforce stricter email guidelines; Indian marketers prepare for compliance & More…

    Weekend Digital Media Round-Up: E-com catching up on search?, The transformative impact of AI on Advertising, Google and Yahoo to enforce stricter email guidelines; Indian marketers prepare for compliance & More…

    1.E-com catching up on search?

    Advertising monies are increasingly being parked with conversion-based platforms like e-commerce and even social media channels like Instagram, which have made themselves commerce-friendly, putting search in the eye of the storm. [Source: Financial Express]

    2. The transformative impact of AI on Advertising

    AI enables advertisers to analyze vast amounts of data to gain valuable insights into consumer behavior, preferences, and trends. This data-driven approach helps in creating targeted and personalized advertising campaigns that resonate with specific audience segments. [Source: Adgully]

    3. Google and Yahoo to enforce stricter email guidelines; Indian marketers prepare for compliance

    Effective February 1, 2024, Google will enforce stricter email guidelines to fight spam. Marketers sending bulk emails through Gmail will have to refrain from sending unwanted or unsolicited emails, and ensure a straightforward process for recipients to unsubscribe. [Source: Afaqs]

    4. AI officer is the hot new job that pays over $1 million

    Businesses are now scrambling to appoint AI leaders, with some metaverse executives reinventing themselves as AI experts. Compensation packages for AI leaders average above $1 million.  [Source: Economic Times]

    5. Optimisation, Interactivity, and AI: Trends that will dominate CTV in 2024

    The changing landscape of television in India projects that CTV ad spend will increase at a CAGR of 47 percent in the country until 2027. [Source: Story Board]

    6. AI’s potential and power in digital marketing

    As technology continues to advance, businesses that embrace AI-driven strategies will find themselves at a distinct advantage. The marriage of human creativity and AI’s analytical prowess is a formidable force that can unlock new dimensions of success in digital marketing. [Source: Brand Equity]

    7. 7 Google Ads Shortcuts For Better Results With Less Effort

    Streamline your PPC strategy using automation for time-saving insights, allowing you to focus on high-level decisions for optimal results. [Source: Search Engine Journal]

    8. AI grows! How computational advertising (CA) is here to change game of marketing

    CA aims to target and deliver personalised advertisements through machine learning (ML), data analytics, and artificial intelligence, to optimise and enhance the efficiency of online advertising campaigns. [Source: Financial Express]

    9. How brands can prosper in a cookieless future

    Advancements in discriminative and generative AI are enabling contextual advertising solutions to be more precise than ever. [Source: Business Cloud]

    10. Pinterest Publishes New Agency Guide To Pin Marketing in 2024

    Pinterest has published a new “Pinterest Predicts Agency Insights Guide”, which takes a more brand-specific look at the platform’s overall predictions report, and provides additional tips for marketers looking to tap into these trends. [Source: Social Media Today]

  • Weekend Digital Media Round-Up: Apple’s New feature for those with a disability, Snapchat Launches New, Voice-Powered AR Experience, Instacart has launched Coupons and Stock Up & Save promotion campaigns & More….

    Weekend Digital Media Round-Up: Apple’s New feature for those with a disability, Snapchat Launches New, Voice-Powered AR Experience, Instacart has launched Coupons and Stock Up & Save promotion campaigns & More….

    1.Apple’s New Accessibility Video Highlights Innovative Features for Those with Disabilities

    The leading iPhone maker says that the goal is to make such people feel and function in a more independent manner where they rely less on others. [Source: Digital Information World]

    2. Snapchat Launches New, Voice-Powered AR Experience with New Balance

    Snapchat has partnered with New Balance to launch a new AR-focused ad push for the holidays, which incorporates voiceML. [Source: Social Media Today]

    3. Instacart has launched Coupons and Stock Up & Save promotion campaigns in Ad Manager

    Thousands of brands now have access to the new promotions that offer incentives and discounts to consumers. [Source: Search Engine Land]

    4. LinkedIn Adds New Tools for Company Pages, Including Updated Competitor Analytics

    LinkedIn has announced its latest feature drop for Company Pages, which includes new ways to highlight your newsletter, a new, more privacy-friendly way to segment your ad audience, and updated competitor analytics. [Source: Social Media Today]

    5. Publishers Are Now Prioritizing Ad Consent More Than Ever

    Personalization engines that are powered by AI can be a useful tool for publishers because this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up showing insights that can help them personalize ads without having to infringe on someone’s online privacy. [Source: Digital Information World]

    6. Google’s Reading Mode app helps visually impaired people read long-form content

    Google has launched a new app called Reading Mode today. It helps people with visual imparities and dyslexia read the content on the screen — especially articles. [Source: TechCrunch]

    7. Twitter has launched 3 new ad targeting options

    Twitter has just launched new ad targeting options, including a new ‘Conversions’ objective where advertisers will be able to focus their ad campaigns on those users who are most likely to take specific actions. [Source: Search Engine Land]

    8. LinkedIn Announces Expanded Roll-Out of New ‘Focused Inbox’ Format for InMail

    LinkedIn has confirmed that its new ‘Focused Inbox’ format, which re-routes less valuable messages into an ‘Other’ tab in your LinkedIn message stream. [Source: Social Media Today]

    9. Views per Session and Average Session Duration now available in GA4

    Views per session and average session duration are now available in Explorations and Reporting Customization in GA4. [Source: Search Engine Land]

    10. Twitter Launches New Ad Targeting Options, Including Advanced Website Conversion Optimization

    Twitter announced some new ad targeting options, which look fairly similar to its existing ad goals, but with some important differences. [Source: Social Media Today]

  • 3 Marketing Strategies to Rule the Digital Landscape in 2022

    3 Marketing Strategies to Rule the Digital Landscape in 2022

    Every new year brings with it a new set of digital trends that often have the ability to disrupt the future of marketing. And when the year is as eventful as 2021, which has put immense pressure on the marketing budgets, we can expect marketers to tread with caution and only invest in a marketing strategy that could deliver the biggest impact.

    With 2022 just around the corner, taking inspiration from the past, present, and future could pave the path for laying a solid digital foundation for your brand. Here are 3 strategies that marketers should watch out for to make the most of their marketing budget in 2022-

    1. Sustainable Growth with Omnichannel Marketing

    Rapid digitalization, affordable data, and consistently rising internet penetration in India have caused significant changes in consumer behaviours. According to consumer trends, experience and convenience have taken over price and product to a considerable extent. As per a report by Adobe, 82% of Indians now demand personalized experiences across online and offline channels.

    As we step into 2022, it’d become very crucial for brands and marketers to focus on building an omnichannel presence with a consistent message across channels to keep up with customer expectations.

    2. Rise of AI in Cookie-less World

    While Google has delayed blocking 3rd party cookies until 2023, their demise is inevitable amid the rising concerns regarding user privacy. When marketing for Google, ad targeting would probably be the biggest challenge for marketers in a cookie-less world. Artificial Intelligence or AI could be an effective solution to the problem.

    With benefits like keyword recommendations for improved organic reach, automated web traffic reporting, and purchase probability predictions, AI has a lot to offer. Moreover, according to a SEMrush blog, 71% of marketers believe AI could help them with personalization.

    3. Conversational Marketing to Engage with the Customers

    As per a report by SalesForce, 89% of Indian consumers expect real-time interaction with businesses. Delayed response is one of the most common reasons why consumers start looking for other alternatives. Conversational marketing, a dialogue-driven and customer-centric marketing approach could be an effective marketing strategy to boost customer experience, engagement, and revenue.

    The conversational approach allows brands to utilize every channel, including customer service chatbots, personalized emails, videos, etc., for fulfilling customer expectations. The strategy will ensure that your customers don’t have to wait for hours or days to get a response from you.

    Acing Digital Marketing in 2022

    While the pandemic has had a significant impact on the digital landscape, it has also offered a host of valuable opportunities that can be leveraged by brands and marketers in 2022. The assistance of an experienced digital marketing company can ensure that your strategies make the biggest impact and help you get closer to your business objectives.

    As reputed marketing companies have worked with businesses throughout the pandemic, they better understand the changing digital landscape and how brands can take maximum advantage of the available marketing opportunities to continue growing.

  • 3 Reasons to Add Social Commerce to Your Marketing Mix

    3 Reasons to Add Social Commerce to Your Marketing Mix

    The digital revolution has had a significant impact on almost all aspects of our lives, including how we work, sleep, eat, and interact with each other. According to a report, Indians spend around 156 minutes scrolling through popular social networking platforms in a day, on average.

    Brands and online stores can leverage the massive popularity of these platforms by adding social commerce to their marketing mix.

    What is Social Commerce?

    In simple words, social commerce brings the functionality of an e-commerce portal to a social networking platform. It turns social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter into a vehicle for promoting and selling products and services.

    Why Social Commerce?

    3 reasons why businesses should consider social commerce are discussed below-

    1. Drive More Engagement

    Social networking platforms allow brands to not just advertise and sell but also engage with customers. People can comment, like, share, or tag their friends on your product listings and you can respond to them. This helps create a stronger two-way communication channel that is often missing when using traditional e-commerce solutions.

    Brands can also use personalized ads and regularly post engaging content like videos, polls, contests, user-generated content (UGC), etc., to engage with the customers on a more personal level on social platforms.

    2. Customer Journey Optimization

    In a typical online transaction, a customer clicks on your ad, gets redirected to your online store, chooses the product, and enters the payment details before finally making the purchase. Even if you are receiving web traffic from search results, the journey is more or less the same. The entire process is pretty long and filled with distractions.

    Social commerce can drastically shorten the customer journey. For instance, Facebook allows page owners to create a shop section with product/service listings. You can enable the ‘Message to buy’ option on your Facebook Shop to allow customers to directly ask questions to you through Facebook Messages and arrange purchases without ever visiting your website or online store.

    3. Builds Deeper Trust

    According to a report by The Consumer Goods Forum, 70% of the consumers are interested in knowing more about the health, social, environmental, and safety impact of the products they purchase. Social commerce platforms are excellent places to let consumers know more about your brand, products/services, and the people running it.

    It helps improve brand awareness and builds deeper trust with the audience. With social commerce, people can view and purchase your products/services on a platform where they are already following you and engaging with you. This could also lead to improved sales and revenue. 

    Social Commerce to Establish a Strong Brand

    Social commerce is one of the most effective e-commerce solutions as it helps you build brand awareness while also earning direct conversions. It can be an excellent addition to any marketing strategy if the end goal is to improve engagement, shorten customer journey, build trust and improve sales.

    Brands can rely on reputable digital marketing companies to strengthen their social presence and establish an online store on leading social platforms.

  • Digital Strategies in 2021: 3 Trends Brands Cannot Ignore

    Digital Strategies in 2021: 3 Trends Brands Cannot Ignore

    2020 was unpredictable and chaotic in more ways than one. From health, income, lockdowns to the fear and stress about the disease, the year is sure to stick out for generations to come.

    But now that the eventful year is finally over and things are starting to look up for the world, it is time for brands to get back to their drawing boards and build a digital strategy that could work in the post-COVID world.

    The pandemic has impacted consumer habits in a way that it has become essential for brands to create strategies that meet their changed expectations and needs. So, what are the digital trends brands should focus upon this year? Here’s a list of top 3-

    1. Time to Get Social

    As lockdowns forced people to remain indoors, social networking platforms came to the rescue. According to a report on Statista, the average amount of time a user spent on social media in India reached 4 hours 46 minutes in the last week of April 2020.

    From communications, entertainment, shopping to accessing the latest news updates, platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram witnessed a drastic rise in the amount of time people spent on the platforms. While the usage stabilized in the following months, brands can no longer ignore social platforms when working on their digital strategies.

    Focusing on platforms that are most relevant to the brand and its target audience will help marketers expand their reach. Brands need to communicate with their followers, post useful content regularly, and look for unique ways to engage with people to build and improve their market reputation.

    2. Audience Segmentation to the Fore

    Be it social media or paid ads, brands can no longer work on a single extensive market campaign and aim to target a larger audience base. Instead, it can be more effective if there are multiple smaller campaigns with different metrics targeting a specific audience group.

    Customization is one thing that has become all the more important for consumers. Be it an online advertisement, social media post, or website content, consumers are more attracted if your approach is customized.

    Fortunately, customization has been a trending topic in the digital ecosystem for a long time. Almost every popular digital platform now offers highly effective audience segmentation tools that can allow marketers to segment their audience based on their demographics, interests, and behaviours. Take advantage of these tools to customize your digital endeavours.

    3. Be Socially Responsible and Let People Know

    Growing awareness about climate change, the environment, and the events that transpired last year have encouraged many consumers to care about society and be part of initiatives that can benefit the greater good. They expect the same from the brand they deal with.    

    According to a report by Capgemini Research Institute available on Economic Times, an increasing number of consumers in India now examine brands on how socially responsible, environment-friendly, and inclusive they are.

    Using sustainable ingredients or raw materials, community volunteering, charitable giving, and corporate policies that help the employees and environment are some ways in which brands can meet consumer expectations. Brands can use social platforms to inform followers about such brand initiatives and communicate with them about matters close to their hearts.

    Digital Marketing in 2021

    While it is impossible to predict the future, we can at least hope that 2021 is not as unpredictable as 2020 was. The number of internet users is rapidly rising in India, and this can be an excellent time for brands to push the accelerator and focus on their digital growth.

    But as digital consumption is rising, so is the competition. Only brands that adapt themselves as per the changing consumer expectations and demands can flourish in the future.

     If you are hoping to achieve your digital objectives in 2021, these are 3 trends that you should watch out for.

  • Enter 2021: These 9 Digital Marketing Trends Deserve Your Attention

    Enter 2021: These 9 Digital Marketing Trends Deserve Your Attention

    2020 started like any other new year. Marketers were excited and prepared to take on digital opportunities. But it only took about a couple of months for this enthusiasm to subside.

    As the COVID-19 pandemic started making its presence felt across the world, marketers were back to their drawing boards, trying to figure out the next course of action. While internet consumption increased significantly during the lockdowns, the way consumers shop changed drastically.

    Coupled with the technological advancements and search engines updating their algorithms, 2020 didn’t turn out as expected for most marketers. But with the year about to end, it is time to start working towards the future.

    What are the digital marketing trends marketers should watch out for in 2021? Here is a list of top 9-

    1. Video Marketing Critical for Digital Growth

    Online video consumption has doubled in the last two years in India.

    Consumption has grown to the extent that video marketing has become a vital element of every successful digital strategy. From boosting conversions and sales, building trust to higher ROI, marketers can experience several valuable benefits with this addition.

    2. The Age of AI is Now

    We’ve all heard how Artificial Intelligence (AI) will rule the world of technology in the future. But look closely, and you’ll see that AI is already being used massively across the digital landscape.

    One of the biggest examples is Google’s RankBrain algorithm, which uses a machine-learning AI. Marketers should focus on using AI-powered tools to jump this technological bandwagon as early as possible.

    3. Hello, Voice Integration

    With the growing popularity of smart devices such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple’s Siri, 2021 should be an excellent starting point to start working on voice optimization.

    India has been witnessing a huge surge in the usage of voice assistants through smartphones and smart devices. Marketers should look for ways to adapt and optimize for voice search to remain relevant.

    4. The Rise of Customer Data Analytics

    Customer data analytics is all about technologies and processes that provide organizations with a sort of customer insight which is vital for delivering anticipated, timely, and relevant content.

    While customer analytics has been around for some time, marketers should ditch traditional practices and look for advanced solutions that can better understand the customer journey.

    5. Social Media for Advertising, Engaging and Retaining

    Social media became the go-to destination for people to not only communicate but to get entertained, connect with brands, and even access the latest news throughout the pandemic. As social media usage has increased, marketers should focus on using these platforms to advertise, engage, and retain customers.

    According to a report on Statista, social media ad spending in India is expected to grow at an annual growth rate of 8.7% between 2020 and 2025. If you don’t already have a presence on social platforms, 2021 can be the year to make a move.

    6. Local SEO and Listings Are More Important Than Ever

    Marketers working for small businesses cannot overlook local SEO and listings anymore in 2021. Improved reputation, customer feedback, and digital presence boost are some of the critical advantages of getting a business listed on Google My Business and other directories. 

    Small businesses wanting to remain competitive at the local level should focus on local SEO to experience a host of valuable benefits.

    7.The Future is Programmatic Advertising

    While programmatic advertising is a branch of AI, it deserves a special mention. A simple example of this technology-driven ad buying process is real-time bidding or RTB, which takes into consideration hundreds of different signals to display relevant ads to specific consumers.

    According to a report on Exchange4Media, programmatic advertising is growing at a rate of 70% in India. With the digital ecosystem looking for effective ways to deliver relevant ads to target consumers, programmatic advertising could be the most vital piece of the online marketing puzzle.  

    8. Master Visual Search with Video and Image SEO

    While text search is how most people use search engines, visual search is getting increasingly popular. Search engines like Google are also introducing features to encourage people to use visual search. For instance, Google now allows users to use their original photos to search for content online.

    As more people will discover these features, it will have a considerable impact on the overall SEO landscape. Take a proactive approach for capitalizing on the rising popularity of visual search. If you’re an e-commerce brand, do try to know more about Google Lens.

    9. Blocking Ad-Blockers

    As per an eMarketer report, around 28% of internet users will use ad blockers in 2021. These ad blockers often cut off the source of your traffic, including PPC campaigns. As people will continue using these ad blockers, marketers should look for ways to adjust their strategies accordingly.

    For instance, if they see that their strategies are being affected by ad blockers, marketers can focus on other forms of marketing, such as sponsored content or influencer marketing, that are not affected by such obstacles.

    Making the Most of Your Digital Strategy in 2021

    Every new year brings with it a host of digital marketing possibilities. While 2021 is not expected to be a usual new year like the past, one thing is for sure- there will be no shortage of opportunities if you know what to do.

    If you’re looking for ways to make the most of 2021, these are some of the top digital marketing strategies you should watch out for.

  • 5 Video Marketing Trends That Can Make an Impact in 2021

    5 Video Marketing Trends That Can Make an Impact in 2021

    As compared to text and images, videos are known to be more engaging. With the growing popularity of OTT platforms, video-sharing platforms such as YouTube, and short-video sharing apps like TikTok, the amount of time people spend online watching videos has increased significantly.

    The pandemic lockdown, which forced people to remain indoors, has also boosted video consumption. As per a report published on IndiaTV News, Indians now stream video content for 10 hours and 54 minutes weekly on average. The global average currently stands at around 3 hours.

    As video content consumption is rising, this can be an excellent opportunity for digital marketers and brands to take advantage of evolving consumer habits. If you’re looking for the latest video marketing trends, here is a list of top 5 that is expected to make a huge impact in 2021-

    1. 360-Degree Videos

    With videos, brands are able to provide a visual representation of their products or services. But marketers can take their video strategy a step further by using 360-degree videos. Also known as spherical videos, they redefine the consumers’ viewing experience by providing more control over how someone wants to view the offerings.

    Brands can publish the videos on their website or even popular social platforms that support 360-degree videos. Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are some platforms brands can consider for publishing these videos.

    2. Live Videos

    Live videos allow you to better connect with the audience. They enable brands to seize the moment and enable consumers to view what is happening right when it is happening. Moreover, live videos are also a great way for brands to reinforce their authority and authenticity.

    From product or service launch, QnA, DIY, interview, live tour to product/service explanation, there are many different ways in which marketers can use live videos in their marketing strategy.

    3. Shoppable Videos

    As per a RedSeer report posted on Business Standard, social commerce is expected to be a USD 7 billion market in India by 2025. By enabling shoppers to shop from social platforms directly, social commerce helps them save time and effort. Brands and marketers can take advantage of this rising trend in 2021 by creating shoppable videos.

    In simple words, these are videos that allow consumers to shop directly by clicking the product displayed in the video. It eliminates the need for shoppers to search for the product manually.

    4. Video SEO

    Just like text and image content, you can also optimize your videos to rank higher in organic search results. As video content is gaining popularity, Google now prioritizes websites that feature video content. Higher clickthrough rates, reduced bounce rates, and quality backlinks are some of the top benefits of effective video SEO.

    Moreover, brands can also combine video SEO with something like 360-degree videos to further boost their chances of receiving more traffic on the website.

    5. Brand Vlogging

    Vlogging is one of the most popular forms of video content, especially on YouTube. As per a Comscore report posted on The Hindu BusinessLine, YouTube India now has more than 325 million monthly active users. A combination of YouTube and vlogs can help brands increase their reach and engagement.

    Today, many brands have their YouTube channels where they regularly release videos about their products, how to use them, and more. The videos can also feature your staff and even customers to better connect with the viewers.

    Boost Your Digital Strategy with Video Marketing in 2021

    As video marketing is expected to skyrocket well into the future, 2021 can be the year when you start considering it as a vital component of your digital strategy, if you haven’t already.

    Watch out for these top video marketing trends as they can help your brand reach more people and lead to more conversions. 

  • 10 Digital Marketing Trends Savvy Marketers Should Look Out For in 2021

    10 Digital Marketing Trends Savvy Marketers Should Look Out For in 2021

    The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns imposed by governments across the world have dramatically transformed consumers. The shopping habits have changed, and so has consumer expectations from brands. The digital marketing landscape continued to evolve throughout 2020 to keep up with the changing trends.

    With 2021 around the corner, what are the digital marketing trends skilled marketers should watch out for? Here is a list of top 10-

    1. Short-Form Videos

    In many ways, TikTok can be considered the star performer of 2020. This video-sharing social platform’s popularity has been such that the likes of Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube have adopted short-form videos in their own ways. Marketers should reimagine their video ads and serve them in bite-sized pieces for improved engagement in 2021.

    2. Digital Marketing Maturity

    Digital marketing maturity is all about the ability of brands or marketers to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time. As consumer expectations are increasing, marketers should look for ways to use technologies and data insights to achieve a level of marketing maturity that helps them improve the relevance of their content, ads, and services.

    3. Voice Assistants

    According to Statista, there will be more than 8.4 billion voice assistants in use by 2024. From smartphones, homes, offices, to even vehicles, voice assistants are expected to become a vital component of our day to day lives. Your website, app, and ads can be optimized for voice search to reach more people.

    4. Taking a Stand

    Modern consumers, especially millennials, want brands to take a stand on social issues. From racial injustice, sustainability to climate change, consumers now expect the brands they deal with to be socially conscious. Social platforms can be an excellent place for brands to demonstrate their support for such causes and improve their engagement with the consumers.

    5. Brand Transparency

    In this digital world, it is no longer difficult or time-consuming for consumers to find a good amount of information about global businesses. A simple solution to avoid fake news or inaccurate information is to be more transparent. In the following year, try to be more transparent about your values, goals, products, and practices as it could help improve customer loyalty.

    6. Image SEO

    While text-based content has its place, the demand for visual content is on the rise. According to a post on MOZ, around 19% of the search queries on Google return image results. This is an unavoidable statistic for any marketer. Focus on combining text with visual content to rank higher on search engines in this visual age.

    7. Customer Experience Strategy for Mobile

    Consumers no longer only want to purchase great products. They also want the purchase experience to be smooth and worth their time. As mobile sales are reaching new heights, 2021 will be the time for brands to work on their mobile customer experience. Understanding mobile interactions and investing in technologies like PWA and AMP are some ways to enhance the mobile experience.

    8. AI and ML

    Google now uses an artificial intelligence system known as RankBrain for search results. With regard to digital marketing, AI and ML have vast implications, ranging from improving customer experience, creating new business streams, content optimization, improved personalization, and more. As we move forward, look for ways to make use of these technologies for improved digital results.

    9. Personalization at Scale

    It is no longer adequate to personalize your marketing approach. You should personalize at scale for improved reach and engagement. If done right, you will be able to enhance the customer journey while also creating loyalty and engagement with personalized messages that are tuned as per their expectations.

    10. Data-driven Ad Campaigns

    Just like your website content, you should also focus your ad campaigns on the needs of your target consumers. Take advantage of tools such as Google Analytics and YouTube analytics to gather audience insights that you can use to improve your ads further. Learn, rehearse, and implement to increase the ability of your ads to strike a chord with the consumers.

    Achieving Digital Marketing Goals in 2021

    Every new year introduces several new digital marketing trends and changes. But thanks to the pandemic, 2021 is not expected to be one of the regular new years. Consumer habits have massively changed, and 2021 is expected to be a year full of understanding these changes and adjusting digital strategies to fulfil their expectations.

    Focus on the digital marketing trends discussed in this post to start working on your marketing strategy and make 2021 a year full of growth and success.

  • 3 SEO Trends Marketers Should Watch Out For in 2021

    3 SEO Trends Marketers Should Watch Out For in 2021

    No matter how small or extensive your digital goals are, Search Engine Optimization or SEO is one aspect that cannot be ignored. It is worth noting that according to a report on Search Engine Land, 70%-80% of the search engine users completely ignore paid ads. SEO thus becomes the only way to land a spot in top organic search results.

    But the dynamic SEO landscape requires marketers to effectively track every new trend for helping their employers and clients stay competitive and further improve their search rankings. Every new year introduces some significant changes in the world of SEO. 2021 is expected to be no different. Here are 3 SEO trends that marketers should watch out for in 2021-

    1. AI Gains Prominence

    RankBrain, Google’s AI algorithm, is expected to influence search results in the future significantly. Unlike other ranking metrics that are based on insights and discoveries, RankBrain has the unique ability to learn and improve itself.

    While Google has not provided any information with regard to how websites can be optimized for their AI algorithm, experts believe that signals related to user experience will be vital. Factors like clickthrough rate, engaging content, and time spent on the page are the metrics marketers should focus on more in 2021.

    2. Mobile Optimization Becomes More Vital

    According to a Hitwise study, almost 60% of Google searches are now done from mobile. As smartphone users are rapidly rising across the world, it can be expected that this percentage will only increase in the future. If you’ve avoided mobile optimization until now, 2021 can be the right time to begin.

    As Google now uses mobile-first indexing, the website’s mobile version is given priority over the desktop version when someone uses the search engine from a smartphone. If your website is not optimized for mobile, you’ll end up losing a lot of traffic and revenue. Google has also launched a free Mobile-Friendly Test to help you check how mobile-friendly your website is.

    3. Growing Importance of Voice Search

    According to a Voicebit.ai report, voice retail will be a $40 billion industry by 2022 in the US alone. The growing popularity of smart speakers, like Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple HomePod, etc., will further contribute to making voice search the go-to method to use search engines in the future. In 2021, marketers should start optimizing their websites for voice search. 

    One of the most effective ways to do so is to make your content more conversational and target long-tail keywords. Improving the load time of your website, local listing, and mobile optimization are some other ways to optimize a website for voice search.

    Making the Best Use of SEO in 2021

    No matter if you’re starting with SEO or want to improve an existing strategy further, these are some trends that cannot be avoided in 2021. The best way to take advantage of these trends and rank better is to work with a reputable digital marketing company.

    Professional marketers are at the top of such SEO trends and have the expertise to take advantage of such changes. By teaming up with SEO experts, your website will be better equipped to keep up with the changing trends and rank higher in SERPs.