Are you looking for a way to improve your marketing in 2021? If so, you’re not alone. Business owners across all industries want to show their target audience eye-catching marketing material so they can increase sales and engagement.

The thing is, the marketing scene has changed dramatically over the last decade. Strategies that everyone uses now were mere novelties back in 2011. Simultaneously, some technological advancements have emerged that can help you connect with customers in unique and exciting ways.

Our goal today is to make sure you’re up to date on the growing marketing trends. We also want to go over several ways to put these strategies into practice and see exponential growth.

Let’s dive in!

Subscription Models are on the Rise

First, let’s talk about subscription models. It’s hard to find an online business that doesn’t offer some form of subscription service. Ecommerce storefronts like Amazon allow users to subscribe to weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly purchases. When users opt for this service, they save a percentage off of each order.

SaaS businesses offer their service to customers on month-to-month and annual plans. The goal is to get people to sign up for the yearly subscription because of the long-term savings. In the process of signing up for an annual plan, consumers are also likely to continue engaging with a company long after their initial purchase.

Research suggests that 76% of business owners saw an increase in retention and engagement after implementing a subscription-based plan. It’s easy to see why many business owners and marketing teams are focused on getting users to subscribe.

If you want to add a subscription option to your online store, think about how you can strategically bundle products and services in a way that benefits your customers. If you’re resonating with their goals and pain points, there’s a good chance a user will subscribe to a long-term plan.

Voice Search is the New Normal

Did you know that 45 million people use voice search to search for products, services, and information every day? If not, you may be surprised. We are here to tell you that the numbers show that voice search is quickly becoming the new normal.

Lucky for you, there are quite a few ways to get more traffic by optimizing your website for voice search. We suggest you first start thinking about your keyword research strategy. Specifically, you’ll want to consider whether your keywords sound like something a person might say instead of type.

The key to getting more organic traffic through voice search is to write your content, contact information, and guides in a conversational tone. Conversational content often sounds more like what someone would say instead of typing.

When consumers can quickly find your site by speaking into their smart speaker, they are more likely to show interest in your products or services. It’s estimated that voice search sales will increase nearly 2,000% between 2017 and the end of 2022, so now is the perfect time to add this strategy to your marketing toolbelt.

Live Video Events are Growing in Popularity

Another trend many of us are noticing, but few are putting into practice, is increased demand for live video. People are interested in long-term experiences with businesses, which means they want more than to buy a product.

Live events give you a unique opportunity to meet your target audience face to face. Depending on the goal of your event, there are plenty of opportunities to grow your lead list and boost sales by regularly hosting videos on your website and social media.

There’s proof that adding videos to your website can dramatically improve engagement. In fact, business owners that included videos were 50 times more likely to see more organic traffic.

Your options are far from limited to the ones mentioned here, but some of the popular live events include:

  • Product education
  • Q&A sessions
  • Live contest results
  • Interviews with other influential figures

All of these different types of content will lead to consumers coming back to your website and social media feed to see what you’re going to post next. If you’re able to capture their attention and show your product or service’s value, you can easily turn a casual visitor into a loyal customer.

SMS and Push Alerts Drive User Engagement

Email and social media are still two of the most powerful ways to connect with prospects and existing customers. However, there are two more powerful ways of delivering personalized messages directly to your customers.

That’s right, we are talking about push alerts and SMS marketing. It’s no surprise that both have grown in popularity, especially when you consider that 3.91 billion people have smartphones!

Users can now get updates about your latest blog content, flash sales, and live events, all from their smartphones. You should still gather leads for your email list but take the extra time to ask them to join your SMS or push notification list.

Businesses use these tools to keep people engaged with their brand, even after the visitor leaves. Research shows that push alerts can bring 13.17% of customers who abandon their cart back to your website to complete their order.

Similarly, SMS marketing is a great way to quickly reach users when promoting a new event or promotion. This tactic is particularly helpful because most people open every text message sent to their phones.

Back to You

It’s easy to see that these trends are not the future of marketing but the present. If you don’t have these strategies implemented, now is the perfect time to start. The technology that powers these marketing strategies is only getting better over time.

Think carefully about which of the techniques mentioned here would appeal to your audience, and start making gradual changes. Before long, you’ll have a marketing plan that leads to more conversions, traffic, and engagement.