What’s the buzz for 2021? You’re in the right place to find out!
Over the past year, digital marketing has gone through a whirlwind of changes. While COVID-19 impacted us in many ways, the digital world has become a positive and nearly essential outlet for businesses to reach customers.
As we approach 2021, it’s time to think about what digital marketing buzzwords you’ll begin or continue to hear and what they mean for your business.
Viral
Okay, I know this isn’t exactly a new buzzword, but it has been thrown around a lot recently!
When something goes viral, whether it’s a social media post, video or advertisement, it means that people are rapidly sharing it across the internet.
A great example of a viral video that (hopefully) everyone knows is Charlie Bit My Finger. While that video might be old (it’s only from 2007), there have been thousands of viral pieces of content across the web since then.
TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube are great platforms for businesses to create video content that could potentially go viral. Even if your business doesn’t go viral, it’s still important to have content of all types (Psst – 72 percent of consumers prefer to learn about your product or service via a video).
Marketing Funnel
As a business owner, you should know and be using this digital marketing buzzword! The marketing funnel is a tool you can use to track and gather leads for your business.
If you’re familiar with the consumer’s buying journey, it’s a similar process! Understanding where the consumer is in their journey toward making a purchase/scheduling an appointment has a huge impact on how you should strategize your approach in communicating and reaching them.
To learn more about the marketing funnel, click play on our video below.
Click-and-Mortar & Buy Online Pickup In Store (BOPIS)
This digital marketing buzzword combo is brought to you by Sabrina Morrison and Sara McCarville, two of RevLocal’s team managers.
These buzzwords are huge for the retail industry, but many businesses have taken advantage of them during COVID-19 and will continue to utilize them throughout 2021.
Click-and-mortar is a business model that includes both online and in-store operations. With this, some businesses that fall into the click-and-mortar category are offering customers to Buy Online Pickup In Store (BOPIS).
BOPIS was implemented due to health concerns regarding COVID-19. This shopping option allows consumers to buy online and have the item(s) ready for curbside pickup, allowing for limited exposure and to receive the item faster than having it shipped.
Shopping is evolving as we speak! So, whether you are offering this curbside pickup option, or simply allowing customers to purchase your products online, your business will see a positive response from customers.
A/B Testing
With more and more types of consumers using the internet, it’s vital to test your strategies to see which performs best. And A/B testing is the tactic you need to do this!
A/B testing is the process of showing two different items with the same goal to online searches to see which item performs best and provides more conversions.
Most of the time, A/B testing is used with paid advertising and email marketing.
Picture this, your business is debating between two different subject lines to feature in your upcoming email. Rather than taking a guess and choosing between the two, A/B testing is a strategy that sends out both subject line options to then run tests to see which performs better.
This can then set the groundwork for your future emails, paid ads and much more. When it comes to experimentation for reaching customers, A/B testing can be your best friend!
Retargeting & Geofencing
While we’re on the subject of paid ad-related buzzwords, let’s talk about retargeting and geofencing.
These two buzzwords probably aren’t new to you, but they have resurfaced as businesses begin utilizing digital marketing to attract customers.
Retargeting is a way to get consumers back into the marketing funnel (remember, how I mentioned you should know this buzzword?) after they’ve left your website.
Geofencing is a paid advertising strategy that allows you to target consumers based on their location by creating a “fence” or boundary.
Both of these strategies give you the opportunity to target specific individuals, providing you an increased likelihood of a conversion.
Third-Party Delivery
Although this digital marketing buzzword is focused on the restaurant industry, third-party delivery has blown up and will continue to be huge throughout 2021. And who knows? It may become more than just a restaurant industry phenomenon!
Currently, third-party delivery allows restaurants to partner with service providers to deliver food (similar to pizza delivery but now spread across many types of restaurants).
The promotion for third-party delivery services starts with your business’s website and local listings as well as social media.
If you want to learn more about third-party delivery for customers, check out our blog.
Bonus Buzzword: QR Codes
Many restaurants are utilizing QR codes for dine-in customers to access their menu online.
If you haven’t experienced them yet, or maybe you haven’t added them to your restaurant’s strategy, you can learn more in this blog.
Google Attributes
Throughout 2020, Google made numerous changes to Google My Business (GMB) listings to help businesses navigate the changes COVID-19 brought. One major addition is the use of Google Attributes.
To break it down, attributes are features of GMB listings that provide detailed information about a business. So, if a Google searcher is looking to find out if a business has available parking at their location or which payment options they offer, attributes are what provide them with this information.
With the changes that 2020 brought, GMB attributes have grown significantly. For example, GMB listings now provide consumers with information into whether a business offers online care, appointments, classes, etc.
Ultimately, these attribute additions should not be overlooked for your small business! You want your customers to have all the latest, up-to-date information about your business, right?
Google is the first place they look to learn more, so make sure you are providing all of these essential details to interested consumers!
Read up on some of the most recent Google Attribute updates here.
Personalized Communication
So, what exactly could we mean by personalized communication? Well, it’s more simple than you may think.
Take a moment right now and think, who are your “regular” customers? Who are the people that continue to purchase your business’s products and services?
Now, when was the last time you wrote them a thank you note or sent out a personalized email? Has it been a while or have you never considered sending out an individual thank you note?
First, know that it’s never too late to show your appreciation!
Take a moment and gather some information about your current customers and use this to work through different options for personalized communication.
Consider sending out a thank you email to new customers or writing a note to returning customers when they make a big purchase.
It’s a simple and thoughtful way of showing your customers that you care about them as individuals! This is especially true as we enter into the unknowns of 2021. Your customers will need reassurance and reminders that their business is valued, so build and grow those connects with help of personalized communication!
Final Thoughts
So, how familiar are you with these buzzwords? Is your local business prepared to implement some of the marketing strategies behind these terms?
Whether your business has been preparing and strategizing for 2021 for months, or it has not been top of mind, RevLocal is here to help.
Check out these resources for more information as we head into the new year:
And contact us with any questions about our services or if you would like to learn more about how we can help you with your 2021 marketing plans.