Emerging Marketing Trends for 2021

Marketing is a dynamic and self-reflective industry. When consumers’ wants and needs change, marketers tend to step back to get a wide view. Typically, we like to ask ourselves what’s behind the evolution of consumer behavior. As we analyze the emerging marketing trends for 2021, we’ve found that technology continues to be a driving force for the industry. 

Consumers are using and responding more actively to both short-form and live video content. They’re also engaging positively with companies that thoughtfully improve the user experience through automation (such as chatbots) and authentic communication via audio. As these trends will likely persist well into 2022, marketers can gain an advantage by exploring both best practices and success stories across the industry. 

1. Short-Form Video Content Is Becoming a Standard

Short-form video content is certainly not new. YouTube has been a primary source of short-form videos since it launched in 2005, while the Vine phenomenon was popular for several years, even spawning its own subculture and meme-worthy terminology, such as “Do it for the Vine”. Yet short-form video has matured in the past several years thanks in no small part to Gen Z and its video-first perspective on social media usage.

There’s a highly engaged audience that now uses short-form video apps daily and responds incredibly well to businesses that have learned how to use this medium to connect with customers and clients. According to App Annie, short-form video app TikTok was the most downloaded app worldwide in 2020. That stat highlights the dramatic interest among consumers for this type of content.

Meanwhile, even Instagram, among the most popular photosharing apps, has gone all-in on video. Its 2020 launch of Reels proved successful, alongside its other video features, such as IGTV and Stories. As a sign of the times, Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri explained in a June 30, 2021 post that the company “wants to embrace video more broadly”.

Taking advantage of this trend also means staying on the right side of what users find acceptable with short-form video content. Researcher indicates that nearly 70% of people will watch a video if it’s under 1 minute long, while nearly 55% of people want brands to use video for marketing. Businesses will need to meet current and potential customers where they are, and currently, that’s on video-centric social media like TikTok and Instagram.

2. Live Video Brings Feeds a Demand for Authenticity

Short-form video is not the only type of video trend businesses should be latching onto for 2021. Live video is also taking hold as consumers are showing an increasing interest in brands presenting their real, authentic selves in unedited formats. This is not to say that consumers are looking for off-the-cuff unscripted live video. But businesses can leverage live video formats, such as webinars and Q+A sessions, to create informative, down-to-earth experiences for customers. 

Why do people watch and respond to live video? It’s easier to consume and allows them to more easily multitask. In fact, 82% of people prefer brands’ live video content to social media posts. A further 87% would prefer to watch live video if it also included content that went behind the scenes.  

Live video also holds lasting benefits. It’s recordable and shareable, giving it legs beyond the live broadcast. It’s also exceptionally good at getting the attention of users, especially if the content is planned and marketed, giving users time to tune into the live broadcast. That’s also the downside to live broadcasts. You’ll need to plan accordingly to ensure your live videos have the type of impact that makes them good for marketing your business. 

New to using video for marketing on social media? Contact Madison Ave Media today for a complimentary consultation. 

3. Chatbots and Automation Are Improving Customer Experience

Without a doubt, consumers loved to hate early iterations of business chatbots. They were often ineffective at answering even basic questions, lacked any sophistication, and could even break when asked certain questions. Chatbots have steadily improved with time, and 2021 will likely continue to see consumers appreciate the experience offered by a well-deployed chatbot system.

Chatbots have reached a market saturation point where most consumers are comfortable with using them. Around 80% of people have chatted with a business chatbot. And those who have used chatbots appreciate the speed and convenience that chatbots can offer, especially for simple questions. 

This is exceptionally beneficial for businesses leaning into social media to engage with customers or clients. Chatbots can be used to smoothly launch into one-on-one conversational engagements with customers over private messages. This speeds how quickly relationships can be established or continued with customers and reduces the monetary and human capital that needs to be committed to actively responding to customers. 

Considering chatbots can answer between 40% to 80% of customers’ inquiries, it’s a tool that’s now a win-win from a marketing perspective. Chatbots can improve how quickly customers get the answers they need and help businesses reduce costs.

4. Audio Allowing for More Intimate Engagement Methods

Consumers increasingly look for brands that want to form a real, human connection with customers. That can come in many forms, communication is critical for that. As Sprout Social its blog post, #BrandsGetReal: What Consumers Want from Brands in a Divided Society, “connection is the new currency”. Within that, Sprout Social reports that 64% of people want to shop at brands that connect with consumers on a personal level, and 76% would patronize that brand over competitors if it prioritizes building relationships with customers. 

Audio has become an excellent tool in building that connection that people want with the brands they use. Social media apps make audio easy, but most of the popular apps are video-focused. Comparatively, the app Clubhouse has taken off as a way for companies to maintain two-way communication with customers. With over 13 million downloads in its first year, Clubhouse is a proof of concept that brands that get personal with audio can make the type of connection that customers want while building brand loyalty. 

In fact, Clubhouse has been so successful as a social audio app that larger social media services, such as Twitter, are now looking to design their own audio features. Why audio? According to research analyst Jeremiah Owyang, “Text is not enough, and video is too much; social audio is just right.”

Holding two-way conversations with customers is only one example of how brands have been hedging their bets on social audio. Others have found success using the medium for brand ambassadorship, event promotion, and storytelling.

Podcasts are en vogue again

In case you're wondering: The re-invigorated attention on audio also coincides with new attention to podcasts. After getting sidelined by video, podcasts are seeing new life. eMarketer projects the number of podcast listeners to grow 16% into 2021, with Spotify likely experiencing the biggest growth. Although a one-way form of communication, businesses can use podcasts as an educational marketing medium, which consumers desperately want right now and which aligns well with a Customer Education strategy. 

Get Ahead of the 2021 Marketing Trends

Social media takes center stage in some of the biggest marketing trends for 2021. Businesses without a strong presence or without much experience in social media apps may be left playing catch-up as these trends mature. We can help. Madison Ave Media offers years of experience in the social media apps and practices that are driving the latest marketing trends, including short-form video, live video, customer interaction tools, and social audio apps.
Contact Madison Ave Media today for a complimentary discovery call today.