The 24 best marketing ideas of 2021 as well as upcoming trends.
With the advent of the Internet, marketing has evolved and transformed. Businesses just starting out in this field don't always know where to begin, and there's a lot of unclear advice floating around on social media and the Internet in general. Here are 24 marketing tips that worked in 2021 to help you in your business development efforts.
1 - Brands have invested in content marketing
Content marketing is a marketing strategy in which a company produces content that is likely to interest its customers, prospects and community.
Content can be in the form of texts, videos, infographics, podcasts, etc. Brands use this type of content to respond to consumer needs and build loyalty.
The content marketing strategy must allow you to multiply your visibility and capture new customers.
Thanks to this type of strategy, you could increase your conversion rate as well as your sales.
2 - Brands have invested in social selling
Social selling: This concept is part of the marketing ideas that uses tools and social media to sell its products and services. The goal of social selling is to get qualified traffic to your website and create business contacts.
Social selling is a pillar of digital transformation. Indeed, many companies have already adopted this strategy.
Why?
Because it is a method to increase your visibility and boost your sales. It also allows to be more reactive to the competition.
3 - brands have invested in influencer marketing
Digital marketing and content marketing are two marketing ideas that have allowed companies to improve their digital performance. However, brands have also invested in influencer marketing.
Influencer marketing is a strategy that uses influencers to create content on a blog or on social networks. Influencers are people who have a certain authority and a strong reputation. They like to share their experiences and knowledge.
Why influencer marketing?
Because it allows you to promote your brand, but also to target people who have a need to satisfy. It is also possible to increase your audience through influencer marketing.
Companies have already invested in this field. Most of them use well-known influencers, such as bloggers or youtubers.
Why?
Because these people have a large audience and can influence a large number of people. Companies therefore use their fame to promote their products or services.
But influencers don't have to be famous on the web. They can be perfectly known in their city.
Indeed, influencers are not necessarily people who exceed a certain number of followers on their social networks. They are people whose opinions are respected and appreciated. It is therefore thanks to them that you will have a positive return for your brand.
How does an influencer campaign work?
You can use influencer marketing to promote your brand on social networks, but also in the street. Influencers can for example organize a tasting of your products for their audience.
With this type of marketing, you are guaranteed to have a much larger audience than if you had done it alone.
Influencers are used to receiving gifts or benefits. This is their way of compensating brands for their work.
Influencer marketing can be very profitable if you have a product that appeals to young people and moms for example. It is also very profitable if you have a product that appeals to a very specific audience.
In conclusion, influencer marketing is a way to advertise effectively. But it can also be restrictive if you don't master the subject. You can see now that it's not as simple as it seems!
With these marketing ideas, you have no excuse not to advertise on social networks
4 - Video has become a must for brands
Video is one of the marketing ideas that are more than a trend. It is a great way for companies to explain their products and services, describe their values and talk about their culture. Brands that do so will have a better chance of attracting the attention of their customers.
With the advent of smartphones, the consumption of video content has exploded. It now accounts for more than half of all content consumption on the Internet.
By 2020, the global online video market was worth over $112 billion. Brands have followed suit and started producing videos.
Brands are struggling to find videos that represent them credibly and honestly. A study by Unruly shows that 47% of consumers agree that brand videos are too nice or too positive.
Today, about 20% of brands that make video use sponsored videos on social networks like Facebook or YouTube. What's more, only 5% of them use a consistent and effective sponsored video strategy.
Video will become a must for customers
Consumers want to see content that helps them better understand the products and services offered by brands. Many people read descriptions on websites, but most would much rather watch videos.
A study conducted by Animoto shows that nearly half of consumers would rather watch a video than read text. Another study by Brightcove shows that 76% of people prefer to watch a video than read text.
That's why businesses will have to adapt to consumers' use of video. Even if this technology was first used for the enterprise, we need to start thinking about consumers.
In fact, 90% of consumers believe that brands should respond to their messages in video.
Brands have no choice. Indeed, consumers are now receptive to video and don't want to just read text anymore. That's why companies must embrace video to meet consumer expectations.
Video will change the way people communicate on the Internet. So do like all brands, adopt video to generate traffic and boost your sales.
5- Advertising has become essential
Video advertising is an investment for brands that want to differentiate themselves, position themselves and convince their customers. With video, brands have the opportunity to tell stories, share experiences and create emotions.
With the development of the Internet of Things (IoT), you can broadcast your video ad to millions of different screens.
The arrival of social networks, brands must be able to communicate live with their customers. Video is a component of marketing ideas that offers a great way to share your products, offer exclusive content and engage your customer base.
For businesses that want to stand out, embracing video advertising is a must.
5 Live video: a new source of revenue
Live video or live streaming has become a very popular way for brands to engage their customers. In the United States, American brands like Coca-Cola and McDonald's have even found more success promoting their products via Facebook Live videos than on their own Facebook accounts.
One of the tips for taking video is to use an external microphone for better sound quality. Indeed, the sound of your camera is not always enough to capture the voice.
In addition, it is also very important to create your own video content. This may seem a bit limiting at first, but the result in terms of customer engagement is real.
Brands need to know how to address their customers in a simple and clear way. For example, a video explaining the top 10 reasons to choose your product will be more relevant than a live video that lasts more than an hour.
Using social networks is not the only way to achieve success in content marketing. However, content marketing on social networks is a good way to reach a wider audience.
6 - Data capture
Brands cannot afford not to know who their customers are, what they buy, where they buy, when they buy, how much they buy, etc.
This data and information about it is extremely important for brands: it will allow them to better target and develop their customers' needs.
In particular, Big Data is becoming increasingly important. It will be used more and more to create marketing campaigns that are personalized. This is because brands will be able to use the data they have to find out what consumers are looking for, where they are and what products they are buying. For example, if a consumer is looking for sports shoes, they will be able to send him a message on his cell phone to suggest a merchant specialized in sports.
7 - Content marketing: the must-have strategy
When you use a website or blog to create content, you give yourself the opportunity to attract customers who are interested in your brand.
With content marketing, brands can build relationships with their customers. With quality content, they can attract and retain customers. They can also develop their reputation and position themselves in the market.
Brands must be at the heart of the content world to have a place in the digital marketing ecosystem.
Content creation as part of digital marketing is a practice that has developed over the past decade. It was introduced by influencers and then adopted by brands. They then developed their content strategy in order to create a link with their customers. And to differentiate themselves from other brands on the market, brands use what is called "content marketing". This consists in distributing quality content in order to affirm one's brand, attract customers and build loyalty.
Content is now considered an essential component of digital marketing
It is an integral part of advertisers' objectives. Brands have realized that to stay competitive, they need to be present on digital platforms. They need to create original content and be aware of market trends.
A Princeton University study of digital marketing campaigns concluded that brands that focus on their content are a more profitable path than those that focus solely on ways to acquire new customers.
The brand's presence on the web is crucial to create a link with consumers and establish a relationship during which the customer comes to the brand's aid. The quality and creative content of the brand, its ability to adapt to the needs of customers, and to meet their expectations permanently, are the right tools to create new links and build customer loyalty.
To succeed in digital, you need to stand out
Consumers are looking for brands that will meet their needs and satisfy them. A brand that doesn't provide value, that simply sells a standardized product, is not in the cards.
Consumers need to feel that a company respects their expectations, gives them importance and takes the time to know and understand them.
A brand that has been operating for decades with unchanged standards can't go down this road. It must take the time to listen to its customers and respond to them by creating a unique experience.
The brand must therefore create a unique experience for each customer, according to their age, their needs, their location, but also according to their culture, their beliefs and their way of life.
This positioning is possible thanks to the engagement of consumers in the digital experience of brands. To succeed in digital, you need to understand your role and know how to create digital experiences.
8 - Customer experience: Even more important
Brands need to be more attentive to their customers' needs, and to their experience. Customers have access to more and more information about products and brands. They want to be able to use this huge amount of information to buy the product that best suits them.
The brand that best meets the needs of its customers and creates the most enjoyable customer experience will be the one that succeeds.
Digital allows brands to respond to more and more specific needs. Indeed, digital allows brands to be in contact with customers at any time.
For this, digital must be integrated in all stages of customer relations. This goes from the after-sales service, to the quote request service, through the ordering phase and delivery.
Brands must therefore provide a relevant digital response at each stage of the customer relationship.
The customer experience is now a key element of the customer relationship. Brands must therefore always question their experience, in order to offer services that meet the customer's demand.
9 - Customers still have the power, and are at the center of the value creation process
Consumers always have the power. They have access to an incredible amount of information to choose the right product for them. They can also choose not to buy anything.
Today, customers have the power to influence brands. This is the case, for example, with digital influencers, such as influencers on Instagram. But it's also the case of customers who write negative comments on Facebook, or share their bad experience on TripAdvisor.
Today, customers are an integral part of value creation. You have to know how to talk to them and listen to them.
10 - Customers now have the power to co-create the brand
While customers always have the power, they can also be asked to co-create the brand, by contributing content that will ultimately be integrated into the brand's communication.
Customers can also co-create a brand by participating in a branded event or contest.
This can be both their participation in a brand or the sharing of content.
Finally, customers can co-create the brand by taking a survey, conducting market research, or even making suggestions to the brand.
11 - Customers now have the power to disengage
Customers also have the power to disengage the brand. For example, they can disengage the brand by sending a negative signal, or by communicating their bad experience.
Customers can also disengage the brand by sharing content that is not favorable to the brand.
Finally, customers can disengage the brand by not responding to a survey, or by refusing to conduct market research.
12 - Brands more visible on social media
Marketing is increasingly present on social media, to the point that social media has little to do with social. Divided into different types of audiences, social media are powerful tools to create content and build a relationship with customers. Brands in all sectors must invest in social media to gain visibility and therefore increase their sales.
13- Innovation at the heart of marketing
Brands that do not innovate will not survive. Companies must innovate to emerge and evolve, and thus satisfy customers.
Companies must innovate by offering new products and services, developing new technologies to meet customers' needs.
The performance of a company is directly linked to its level of innovation.
14 - Brands focus on customer loyalty and experience
Brands have invested in customer loyalty, in order to keep them, and thus generate long-term revenues. They have also invested in the customer experience, which is more than ever at the center of all attentions.
Customer experience is a key issue, allowing brands to retain their customers and thus generate long-term revenues.
Customer loyalty and customer experience are the keys to success for any company in 2022, and even more so in the years to come.
15 - Opinion leader brands
A brand's reputation is essential to stand out and gain visibility with consumers. Brands that have a good image, and a solid reputation, have the opportunity to grow more easily.
Brands will have to put forward their know-how, and their commitment on all fronts.
They will also have to take a stand on different subjects, whether it is animal welfare, environmental protection, or relations between men and women.
It is by being proactive that brands will be able to both protect their image and improve their performance.
The brands that succeed in establishing a positive reputation will be the ones that can ensure their success in the years to come.
16 - Brands will be accountable
Brands must now take a stand on all issues, from the environment to society. Corporate social responsibility is a major issue for 2022.
Brands will no longer be able to remain silent on controversial issues.
Indeed, over the next few years, consumers will tend to favor products and services that are ethically sound.
This movement will be all the stronger as the number of ecological and ethical consumers is increasing rapidly.
By committing to all issues, brands will be able to take advantage of the existing room for improvement in the food and consumer product markets.
Indeed, brands are now perceived as more responsible than companies as a whole.
17 - Communication on social networks
Social networks have become an essential element of brand communication.
As shown by the study conducted by the Gartner Institute, 94% of companies use social networks!
Brands cannot afford not to communicate on social networks, and must know how to adapt to them.
This is the case of American brands, for example, which have understood the importance of the community and interactions with its consumers to win the battle of innovation.
And this is also the case for French brands, which do not hesitate to invest in these new channels in order to improve their brand image.
18 - Brands rely on communities to innovate
Brands will also have to rely on the community to innovate, to produce original content, and even to express themselves on their behalf.
Brands will have to continue to invest in the creation of these communities. According to a Gartner study, companies that have not reached the threshold of 10% of their consumers connected to their brand page on Facebook are half as likely to succeed as those with a 20% community.
Brands will therefore have to continue to invest in communities and collaborative platforms to express themselves on their behalf, because they will be the privileged vector of interactions with consumers and will allow brands to talk about themselves.
As for innovation, it will necessarily come from the community, as we have seen with the Kickstarter platform, which has allowed hundreds of projects to innovate in fields as varied as solar energy, furniture design or eyeglass repair.
19 - Brands will have a say in taxation
Brands will have an increasing influence on taxation. Online businesses will have to make their case for tax rates to be adapted to the uses generated by social networks and mobile applications. Indeed, many studies point out that brands are investing massively in mobile, and could therefore claim lower tax rates based on the revenues generated by these investments.
Consumers today are increasingly connected, and each year they spend more time on their smartphones than on their computers. So mobile has become the main source of revenue for brands, but the investments they are making in this sector also allow them to make a case for their taxation to be adapted in the future.
20- Companies have paid more attention to security
Businesses have been paying more attention to security, especially when it comes to cybersecurity. Consumers will increasingly use smartphones and tablets to manage their personal information, bank accounts, etc. In addition, mobile applications will become increasingly intelligent. Some of them will, for example, be able to send alerts directly to a company's customer service department if it detects a security-related anomaly. As a result, cybercrime will become more and more important. As a result, companies will need to be able to combat cyber threats on a large scale.
21 - Companies have trained their employees on new technologies
Companies have resorted to training their employees on new technologies. Devices related to robotics, big data, and social media are all tied to major industry transformations. Therefore, to meet these new needs, companies will need to continue to hire more people trained in new technologies.
22 - Companies could generalize the "One Stop Shop" concept
Companies could generalize the "One Stop Shop" concept, which consists of grouping several services in the same place. Today, companies that want to build a new data center or hire qualified employees for their IT projects have to go to several different companies. Companies could consider bringing these services together in one location and billing them directly to the business.
23 - Companies will need to create dedicated blockchain technology units
With the explosion of blockchain technologies, companies will need employees who are knowledgeable about blockchain. This will allow them to better understand the impact of blockchain technologies on their business.
24 - Companies will need to develop collaborative approaches
Companies will need to develop collaborative approaches to adapt to the world of blockchain technologies. They will also have to learn to cooperate with other companies and work with technology partners to develop blockchain applications.
Conclusion
Avoiding technology is simply impossible. Companies that are not ready to change are not going to survive in tomorrow's world.
As you can see, the trends of tomorrow are already in place. All you have to do is adopt the right strategies to differentiate yourself from others and succeed in your business.
There is always a time for everything. The right strategies are the ones that will get you to the right place at the right time.
Do you feel that things are changing? If so, don't wait, act now!
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