By Pratibha Verma
June 7, 2021
The 2020 pandemic had brought the world economies to a standstill. It prompted digital transformation and pushed businesses to go online. Companies started leveraging digital marketing to sustain business.
Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General and Head of UN DESA predicted digital transformation at the time of COVID-19. He had said that “The new normal after pandemic would accelerate digital transformation in many areas including digital economy, digital finance, digital government, digital health, digital education and digital marketing”
As offline businesses went online, marketers redefined marketing strategies. They started working on building brands, engaging with customers on social media, increasing reach to generate leads by SEO and SEM.
Would these digital marketing strategies work in the future? Technological advancement would reshape the marketing landscape in 2023. Following are the top 5 digital marketing trends that will make marketers change their strategies.
1 Digital marketing strategy for different consumer demand
Marketers who are devoting their time to understanding customer behaviour to offer them customized solutions would have to rethink their strategies as customisation would become a thing of the past.
There would be an evolution of new consumer behaviour in which “they would co-curate their experiences with companies to have preferred choices every time. They would expect brands to know what they would buy next, “according to Forbes.
The buyer would stick to those companies that would predict customer’s next purchase. The marketers would analyse the past consumer data, which consumers consciously shared with company’s websites and social media channels while engaging with them.
It is not about consumers telling brands what they want to buy next but the companies, Forbes.
2 Digital marketing for social commerce
Social commerce is the trading of products on social media. These platforms have started offering a seamless experience, which enables discovering, researching, and purchasing a product, says Stacey McLachlan.
Facebook has proved to be one of the best seamless platforms for social commerce. “With social commerce continuing to grow into 2021, retail brands will have to adapt to these platforms with new rules, similar to what many did with Amazon,” according to Forbes. Based on the development of social media, it becomes even more important for marketers to start devising social media marketing strategies for the consumers who would trade on social media.
3 Digital marketing for social media channels
Companies would limit their social media channels to only relevant ones, which would help them reap a good return on their investment, provide buyers information and analytics, engage them and help generate leads. So, marketers should have a nose for the right social media platforms that fulfil customer requirements.
4 Augmented Reality in digital marketing
Pandemic gave a boost to Augmented Reality. According to ThinkMobile’s 2020 report, over 50% of smartphone owners use Augmented Reality applications when shopping. This advanced technology enables consumers to try out products from anywhere using their camera and monitor.
AR gives digital information overlaid on the real world. For example, we can see the names of the stars, planets, and constellations if we overlay our smartphones with the sky by using Google SkyMap. With AR in demand, marketers would have to change their way of making ads from photoshop to real-time product narrative.
5 Virtual events over physical events
Although face-to-face interactions in physical events always leave a lasting impression, virtual events are considered more beneficial to the company than physical events. Thanks to the technology that enables a large audience to attend the event. Virtual events not only cut down company’s cost but also help it to have a larger reach.
The key to marketers is to be more creative in driving engagement. They can do that by creating engaging narratives which would give the audience a good experience.