Look, whether we like it or not, but the worldwide pandemic has caused some significant changes in consumer behavior. As governments may impose new lockdowns every day, marketers who are looking to build strong relationships with customers need to adapt their plans to a new sense of “normal.” We could say that as consumers’ thoughts, feelings, and actions have changed drastically during isolation, a new future has emerged. For example, online entertainment has become more popular than ever. People have discovered that internet entertainment with cool games like the Book of Ra, can be as entertaining as a night out. Another new situation comes from the fact that most customers have come to expect companies to deliver their products with a minimal amount of human contact involved.
So with all these changes happening, what are going to be the main changes in the digital marketing world? Here are the five major trends that we see coming, plus suggestions on how to react to them. Sounds good? Let’s dive in.
1. Brands Will Be Held Accountable
More than ever before, brands have become socially conscious. Consumers prefer to buy from companies that have environmental values and use ethical marketing. This trend has only been accelerating during the crisis. What this means for marketers is that they need to find ways to spell out a strong purpose for their brands. Make people feel like they’re part of a bigger cause when they buy certain products.
Needless to say, if a company’s marketing strategy includes promoting a bigger cause, they need to be sincerely committed to it. Otherwise, the backlash might cause serious damage to the brand.
2. Personal Health Continues to Be a Priority
People have always been concerned about their health, but in the past months, health issues have truly become the main focus in everyone’s lives. Consumers are likely to keep away from malls and other public spaces to prevent the further spread of the virus. So this leaves marketers no choice but to think about the customers’ shopping experiences in broader terms. There needs to be more efficient coordination between sales teams and various operations within the company. Marketers can build their campaigns around consumers’ new preferences like self-checkouts, self-scanning, and home delivery options.
3. Experiences Have Become More Local
Since traveling abroad is not as easy as it used to be, the local communities and networks have become more active. That means that businesses now need to put more emphasis on localizing marketing. Functions developed for increased personalization like test-and-learn practices and trigger-based messaging will probably become more prominent in marketing campaigns of the future.
4. Digital Marketing Needs to Reach the New Entertainment Hubs: Homes
Because of self-isolation, the home has become a place where people shop, learn, work, live, and play. You can even play a game of Alias with a group of friends via a Zoom conference call. So the future for marketing involves spreading the promotional media across new emerging home entertainment platforms. Virtual reality devices are getting better every year, and marketers need to engage with the novel technology to reach their audience. That requires new methods to deliver your messages to TV screens, tablets, and other home devices in a seamless and non-intrusive way.
5. Shopping Is Now Mostly Done Online
To reduce physical contact during the pandemic, many consumers are actively seeking access to products via the Internet. And guess what? Shopping online is so much more convenient (and often cheaper) that this trend is most likely to grow even after the pandemic is long over. So marketers need to come up with new solutions for digital channels. Social media marketing has become more important than ever in connecting with consumers. It gives a fast way to market products and services, which has enabled many companies to recover their lost revenues quite quickly.
6. the Rise of E-Services
The thing is that people are not only buying more online. They also use the web to get medical advice, education, etc. That is an opportunity for marketers to form new connections with consumers on various service-platforms. Tele-health, for example, could be used as a channel to promote so much more than just medicine. All products that enhance a healthy lifestyle, from sportswear to health food, could find new customers via this new service.
Conclusion
The bottom line is this: if companies want a good marketing ROI during this “new normal,” they need to use their imagination. No one can know for sure if the trends of today will continue after the crisis. But keeping an eye on the six main trends from this article should give you an advantage over the competition. It’s time for bold changes and vigorous responses to the quickly changing world of consumer behaviors. Are you ready to prepare your company for the future?
How do you think the future of digital marketing is going to look like? Leave your predictions in the comments section. We’d love to read them.
Author Bio:
Thomas Glare is a freelance blogger. Through his extensive research, he has written many articles and blog posts about digital marketing and how to yield results in a short period. Thomas spends time interacting with important stakeholders in the marketing sector to get first-hand information.
