A decade or two ago, marketing was pretty much limited to print media and TV and radio commercials. Nowadays there are countless marketing channels and techniques that can put you in touch with your ideal customer and influence the success of your business. However, the problem is that these marketing channels are evolving so fast that it is difficult to keep up. Here are some new marketing trends that can help you stand out from the competition.

1. Social media posts offering an option to buy

Social media has become an important part of most businesses’ marketing and communications strategy. If your business does not have an online store and you don’t use social media placements to trade, you’re losing sales. Social media platforms offer online merchants a massive opportunity. About 72% of Instagram users indicated that they bought a product they saw on the Instagram app. Therefore, it is important to use your social media platforms not as a marketing platform only but also as a sales channel. Tag your products in your posts and stories to make it easy for customers to buy those products. To do this, however, your website must be linked to your Facebook page. These posts look like regular posts but are linked to the seller’s website to give customers easy access to the products.

2. Adjusted reality

The technology that mixes reality with the digital world is still very new in marketing, but it will be seen more and more in the future. At one point, for example, Ray-Ban made it possible to “try on” their sunglasses online by using your computer’s camera so that customers could see if a pair of glasses fit their face. This technology has become increasingly sophisticated and is used in various industries. The Swedish furniture company IKEA, for example, has made it possible for customers to visualise what a piece of furniture would look like in their home. Customers can move their phone or computer across a room in their home and place the piece of furniture in the room to see if it will work or not.

3. Personal marketing

Customers no longer like generic emails that are not directly aimed at them as a person for marketing purposes. One of the big marketing trends for the next year is making personal contact with your customer. According to a recent survey completed by 1 000 respondents, 80% indicated that they would be more inclined to do business with a company that creates a personalised experience. It can be as simple as a personally addressed newsletter. For example, companies like Netflix show programs to the user based on complex personal data. Each Netflix user, therefore, sees a different homepage based on previous shows they have watched. New research indicates that up to 90% of marketers will start using personal marketing by 2021.

4. Interactive content

Blog posts are still useful for users who want more in-depth information, but by 2021 there will be an increase in interactive content. Visitors to your site will be looking for alternative content like interactive maps and graphics that will hold their attention for longer. The nature of the content is obviously going to differ from industry to industry. One example that has worked very effectively for the company VenturePact is to put a calculator block on their website. VenturePact builds applications for customers, and visitors could use the calculator to work out what an application would cost them. Within two weeks, they had a 15% increase in visits to their website and a 28% increase in sales.

5. Video marketing

The use of videos in marketing is nothing new, and it remains essential in 2021. Videos can display information about a product or service without the user having to read much. In a world where everything has to happen faster and more efficiently, videos are ideal for reaching your customers.

Technology is changing rapidly, and it is important to be aware of the latest trends so that your business does not lag. It is not necessary to use all the new trends, but make sure to use those that will benefit your customer base.

This article originally appeared on the website of AfriForum Sakenetwerk.

AfriForum Sakenetwerk is an initiative of AfriForum where consumers can find businesses in South Africa on a web platform.

AfriForum Sakenetwerk delivers a service to clients as well as small and large businesses across South Africa.