Digital marketing is as dynamic as the amalgamation of the two rapidly changing niches (digital &
marketing) suggest. If there’s one thing trending on the social media and other media(s) today, it
may not be as much a ‘hot topic’ tomorrow. To be a marketer in a digital world one needs to pace up
and walk alongside the mind-set of the present generation. By present-generation I don’t mean the
ones by age, but rather the blooming and most-followed celebrities of the time. By celebrities, I
intend to include the leaders of all the fields. So when I say ‘the present-generation’, I am hereby
including both, the youngest person to complete the PhD as well as the 60 years old entrepreneur
who is working to make the world a better place to live in.

A marketer of today would keep everything in mind while creating and promoting the solutions
to everyday problems. 2020 was a year of disruption. But alongside the fear and chaos of the
pandemic, it also brought about a shift in the paradigm of business and marketing. People began to
look into marketing via a different perspective. They began to find ways to stay in the market even
amidst adversities. This is when we all realised that however much it had been viewed as an
alternative to traditional marketing, digital marketing indeed is the future of marketing. It is the
need of today and the only support for tomorrow!

Looking beyond the upcoming year, here we have the trends that one must follow to stay at the
top of the market. Let’s focus on long-term goals.

1. Live Streams And Increase In Influencer Content

When the whole world went hushed, the loudest noise came from the online meetings and live-
streams. People loved to watch their favourite people or celebrities and learn how they are spending
their lockdown sessions. This led to the boosting up of the live-stream culture. In Facebook, during

the lockdown period, the live-streaming audience boosted up to about 50% more than before. The
spike was 70% for Instagram and so was the case for other social media platforms.

Taking a cue from these several entrepreneurs and brands began their own routines of live-
streaming. Human-driven content videos create trust and boost the audience for brands. Amazon-
live was one of the most successful live-streams where Influencers promoted their favourite
products with this platform.

Now, even if the pandemic has lowered its impact, the audience all around the world has not
recovered from the cosy, comfy setting and the habit of watching their favourite celebrities live. So,
as a matter of fact, the live-streaming is the new normal for 2021 as well. And I believe that this isn’t
going to change for a long time now.

2. Customer Experience Enhancement

Customer experience is the talk of today!

Customer of the present-day wants to feel as much connected to their favourite brand as
possible. They want to be reminded constantly that they are valuable for the brand. For that matter,
brands need to bring good experience for their customers for them to stay constant with their brand
choice.

User-Generated Content (UGC) ticks all the above-mentioned requirements with utmost
perfection.

• UGC helps to build and strengthen communities.
• It is relatable
• It helps brands to meet their customers

UGC has been a super-hit in 2020 and in the beginning of 2021, and is going to stay hit beyond
that.

3. Sustainability

The customer of today has become aware and concerned about Mother Nature.

The customers want their favourite brands to be as much worried about sustainability as they
are. They want these brands to feel connected with the greens.

Sustainability has been a hot topic since the last few years; the pandemic was just another drop
of gasoline to the fire. The more we watched the environment getting clearer over the period of
time with the least number of vehicles moving around in the roads, the more we wanted this to
remain forever. And, why not? It’s the nature that has given the world everything that it has today,
and it’s high time that the world gives it back. Several brands have joined the sustainability drive
today, and the scene is not going to change after 2021 either.

4. Easy To Consume Content

No one wants to spend too much time in understanding stuff. Gone are the days when people
used to make time to read magazines and newspapers (sadly enough). The audience of today wants
to get their information on-the-go. This need has promoted the era of ‘podcasts’ and ‘inshorts’.
People want to get access to everything in the half of time as compared to before. They want to
know all about what’s going on in the world while driving down to their offices.

Also, they want to get content which they feel related to. The brands need to understand the
language of their customer and communicate with them using the same.

Are You Ready?

Drastic times call for drastic measures. Even though the time has been drastically adverse, the
wonderful solutions for marketing and digital marketing that it brought to the world are surely going
to stay for a long time. Brands have been pushed to branch out to touch different dimensions to stay
connected with their audience. Over the next 12 months (or, even after that), we won’t see this
changing. Brands need to stay equipped to meet their customers’ demands in this new normal. So,
are you ready for the tomorrow of Digital Marketing?