DIGITAL MARKETING GLOBAL TRENDS IN 2021

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to evaluate the most important trends in digital marketing. We analyzed the last trends and popular tools in digital marketing of global companies and highlighted the most significant. The world is changing very fast nowadays thanks to the influence of technology. The pandemic has only accelerated the process in all spheres of our live, especially in work and business processes. It has created new trends in marketing. The current study describes such general tendencies as the importance of ethics business, shops in social network, brand's values, voice search, smart chat bots, being in touch with customers, personalized content, video content. Our results also highlight the importance of customers-toward politics of companies in modern world.

Keywords: marketing, digital, trends, social networks, personalization.

We have now a world where customer's behavior moves fast — and hard to predict. The competition is over the world and users expectations are higher than ever. Digital technologies have changed business. 2020-2021 waves of COVID-19 pandemic changed the way people do their shopping. They realized the efficiency of web stores and numerous organizations have gone online. It also makes competition in the global market harder. Companies could win this competition by using the most appropriate tools in digital marketing. There's a lot of new trends, some of them could be able to survive the pandemic and stay in our everyday life. This article aims to discover the most significant trends of the last year through the literature review of studies and reports in digital marketing.

The first and most popular trend is shoppable posts on social networks. According to SproutSocial [Selling on Instagram: everything you need to know URL: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/selling-on-instagram/] studies, more than 46% of Instagram users prefer to purchase one or more products that were put in front of them in a sponsored IG post. Social media platforms are exploding and getting more and more impact on our lives. People started to trust recommendations of their favorite bloggers more than advertisers on Tv or anonymous internet banners. The integration allows them to complete purchases without even leaving the app. For a trader, this means more and faster trade.

According to Deloitte research [https://www.deloitte.com], more than 70% of people agreed that they prefer digital solutions that connect them with a brand, and 63% believe that they could rely on the digital market more nowadays. The most important insight from this research is that people prefer brands to help them with their important needs in the current moment. The more quickly it helps, the more customers trust and appreciate it. According to Elderman, 62% of 12 000 people from Brazil, Canada, China, France, Japanese, South Africa, South Korea, Great Britain and USA.

Amost intelligent chatbots became popular. Chatbots can be used for 70% to 90% of all brand communications with clients. Chatbots save time and money for the company in all communications: from communicating on the site in an online consultant to confirming an order in a messenger.

Business drives toward customers aimed to predict their needs. Purpose-driven companies inherently understand why they make business, who they are built for. This trend comes out during the pandemic when customers needed brands positively responding to COVID-19. A lot of companies have shown us the example of care: donations, pausing overdraft fees, corporate policies changing toward supporting employees, and rebuilding workspaces [CBS Baltimore, “Maryland business recognized for making clear masks,” July 14, 2020.]. Business changing: brand's mission getting combine both profit income and social impact values. With modern digital tools and positive feedback from customers nowadays is a good time for companies to provide agile marketing. Anticipating, conversation with people, quick responsibility, content created by users.

The next trend is branding and advertising based on the human experience: value, emotion, and trust. People like to feel part of a company from which they buy goods, to know its life from the inside: that is why company pages in social networks are gaining in popularity. Simply creating a platform on social networks is not enough: today, to succeed on the market, you have to reevaluate your priorities in favor of interacting with your audience and moving away from a "faceless" brand. Challenges, live streaming with giveaways fuel consumer interest. Make them feel on the same page as the brand.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are spending more time at home than ever before. However, people still need to feel that they are not alone. Users increasingly prefer online video for information, entertainment, and communication.

According to the Deloitte Global marketing trends [URL: https://www.deloitte.com] consumer pulse survey, more than 35% of users began to prefer the following digital services: video communication, online courses, educational applications, ordering food at home from the application, watching movies with friends remotely. This has caused organizations to think about not only improving their existing digital services but also what other needs of their customers they can meet through technology. For example, ConvergeHEALTH Connect offers its customers a range of remote services, from video consultations and interaction with therapy groups to the secure exchange of electronic documents.

For a company that wants to enter the international market nowadays, it is impossible not to take digital trends into account and promote them. In 2021, you should be clear and straightforward about how and why you will use their data. This will help you build trust. Automation will optimize the services you provide, but that's only possible if both parties get something of value.

So, what marketing trends can be highlighted in 2021? Interactive content and augmented reality, visual storytelling and podcasts, brand media and chatbots, as well as optimizing sites for voice search, personalization, and communication through several channels at once: blog, mailing list, social networks, messengers. And, of course, the automation of advertising campaigns. Depending on how well a company understands its consumer, he can either feel comfortable and in a community of like-minded people, or feel like an outcast. A recent Deloitte customer survey found that one in four people would prefer to refuse the services of a company that acts solely in their interests.

References:

1. Gerald Zaltman (Joseph C. Wilson professor of business administration, emeritus, Harvard Business School, interview with author, January 13, 2003.
2. Deloitte Digital, “Navigating uncertainty: the Protector, the Pragmatist, and the Prevailer,”2020.
3. CBS Baltimore, “Maryland business recognized for making clear masks,” July 14, 2020.
4. Ramon Laguarta,“PepsiCo CEO: ‘Black Lives Matter, to our company and to me.’ What the food and beverage giant will do next,”Fortune,June 17, 2020.
5. Dimple Agarwal et al., The rise of the social enterprise : 2018, Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends, Deloitte Insights, 2018.