What Works in Digital Marketing Now: Key Trends for the First Half of 2023

New in SEO

In 2021, standard SEO with technical optimization will not go anywhere. However, the following trends will come to the fore.

New Google ranking factor – Page Experience

It will take effect in May 2021. The update will allow sites to be evaluated based on how users interact with them. Of particular importance will be the loading speed.

If we talk about the list of metrics worth paying attention to, they are the rendering time of the main content, delay after the first input, cumulative layout shift during rendering, mobile adaptation, the presence of https and browsing security, as well as the absence of intrusive and interfering blocks.

Optimized for voice search

This trend was also relevant in 2020, but in 2021 the share of voice search will only increase. To provide specific answers to user queries, it is necessary to optimize sites. Particular attention should be paid to voice search for local businesses (restaurants, convenience stores), information sites, various services (food delivery, cabs), and entertainment businesses (theaters, cinemas, museums, quest rooms, concert halls).

New in formats

In 2021, various advertising formats that used to work solely for reach, building brand knowledge, and now have become part of performance, will continue to evolve. A prime example is advertising on YouTube. While we used to run video ads to increase reach and awareness, there’s now a TrueView for Action format. It is at the intersection of media advertising and performance, allowing us to attract more potential customers and increase the number of conversions through a call to action.

Also, advertisers, especially large advertisers, will be adopting more sophisticated attribution models that give the ability to measure media ad formats in the same way as performance. Moreover, in familiar performance formats, this will begin to be applied in more depth. Take contextual advertising campaigns, for example.

It used to be that several keywords weren’t very effective. Now, I think there will be tests using multichannel attribution, which will show just how they work at the start of the funnel and in the middle of the funnel, when a person has not yet made a purchase decision but is already considering different options.

In addition, at the end of the year we see a great demand for analytical systems that integrate all advertising channels, both offline and online. I think this trend will be relevant next year as well. Separately, I would like to see more open platforms, rather than being locked into their ecosystem, become a trend. We see great potential in using, for example, media trackers, but unfortunately because of this paternalistic approach this potential is not fully revealed.

New in content marketing

One of the key trends of 2021 is the increasing complexity of communication with consumers. It is not enough to write one article a month or a press release to get their attention, create a need to buy, interest them, and do everything to make them remember you.

You need to communicate with your audience at every step of the user journey: send push notifications, newsletters, publish posts on social networks, post articles on your own blog, industry and business publications, and so on. Only then is it likely to lead users to a purchase.

What other content marketing trends will be relevant in 2021?

Content based on personal experience

These are cases with figures and facts, stories of victories and defeats, and so on.

Interactive content

This is content that engages users in brand communication, simplifies perception and prompts action: quizzes, polls, contests, slideshows, photo stories, and multi-format texts with infographics, videos, and timelines.

This includes reviews, reviews, videos, photos, comments on posts. They fuel interest in the brand and encourage further interaction with the company. So, motivate users to create such publications with bonuses, engaging challenges.

Podcasts

They allow users to receive content in a convenient format, and they allow brands to increase recognition and communicate company values to their audiences.

We talked about mobile marketing, SEO, SMM, performance channels, and other advertising tools. As a result, each podcast was listened to by an average of 1,000 users, not including paid promotion.

Video content

Video gives you the opportunity to show the product face-to-face and demonstrate its benefits live. Expert videos and training webinars will be especially popular.

If we talk about promotional videos, here is the main axiom of 2021: the video should be short and convey a key brand message in a few seconds.

Own branded media

This is another way to have a dialogue with users. You can develop your own blog If developing a separate website is not in your plans, you can launch your own telegram channel, content mailing list, or create a separate page on social networks. This allows you to be constantly in touch with your audience and create the right images in their minds.

And most importantly, for content marketing to really work, conduct A/B tests, evaluate the effectiveness of different formats and scale the most effective options.

New in CPC

Here are a few contextual advertising trends to focus on in 2021.

Auto-strategies in Google

This is an opportunity to adjust strategies to the client’s business: the number of conversions, their cost, reach, clicks and so on.

User personalization

Personalization by setting audiences, their interests, the devices used (desktop or mobile), as well as personalization at the level of operating systems: Android, iOS. Thanks to the abundance of settings in advertising systems and tools, it is possible to choose a personal approach to each user, which will increase the involvement in communication with the brand.

Using autotargeting

Autotargeting campaigns have become more effective. The growing popularity of machine learning leads to an increase in the quality of autotargeting and makes it possible to identify hidden market segments.

Using video

The requirement to stay at home has forced users to turn more often to online video for information, entertainment and communication. As a consequence, the popularity of TV has grown, as everyone wants to watch videos on the big screen. Involvement in this format is quite high, so the trend to use video will be more relevant than ever.

Working with search

Tougher competition leads to the need to consider prominence and work to improve positions.

Using updated analytics tools, such as Analytics 4

In particular, it is planned to introduce cross-platform traffic analysis (example: conversions from YouTube), work without cookies, increased focus on automation, as well as make the connection with the applications even closer.

Developing a strategy for working with mobile applications

The pandemic has accelerated the shift of shoppers online, accelerating the growth of apps for food delivery, shopping, education, and entertainment.

Audio Ads

With the development of music services, YouTube, and podcasts, this seemingly forgotten format has found a second wind.

Experiment

Of course, these are not all trends. New tools, advertising formats, and, as a consequence, new opportunities for business promotion appear on a regular basis. To understand what works specifically in your case, conduct A/B-tests, experiment, evaluate the effectiveness, compare different options, see what users respond better to.

How to increase the efficiency of business with the help of digital tools?

  • Set up speech analytics to optimize your sales funnel and increase your average check.
  • To improve productivity use employee monitoring tool
  • Use smart call distribution to save on communication costs and improve service.
  • Connect a virtual PBX to communicate with customers in a single window.
  • Introduce gamification to liven up communication and increase leads.
  • Make voice bots part of your team to save money on your call center.
Bhanu Garg: