As the new normal continues to take hold in 2021, businesses are remaining agile and strategic with their operations in an attempt to navigate the ever-changing conditions of a global pandemic.
In the case of advertising, this means many have chosen to focus on their digital channels instead, as consumer spending has shifted towards various online mediums in replacement of their physical counterparts.
With that being said, we’ve narrowed down the 4 digital advertising channels businesses need to be using in 2021 if they ever plan to leverage their brands in these avenues to capitalize on those various opportunities for growth and profitability:
1) Search Engines
It's no surprise that people use Google search everyday.
This makes the company’s search engines one of the most important advertising channels for businesses to focus on as billions of people use it to look for various goods and services.
Not to mention, they regularly rely on it to help solve their problems on a day-to-day basis, which means plenty of opportunities to market your company and its offerings to a global market that is enormous yet diverse in size.
To get started on this, you can approach it in several ways:
a) Creating a website (corporate, personal, ecommerce etc.)
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If you don’t already have one, having a website for your business creates an online presence for your company, which allows users to find you when entering their search queries that are relevant to your industry.
b) Optimizing your SEO
If you already have a website, then it’s time to improve its Search Engine Optimization (SEO) score. In simple terms, an SEO score is a ranking given to a website to determine how relevant it is to users when they’re searching for something related to your business.
For instance, if your business was selling healthy ice cream, then Google will have your website show up on the search results within the first page (assuming you have a high SEO score) when users type in the keyword ‘healthy ice cream’.
With a low SEO score however, Google will prioritize other websites who have a higher score as they consider their content to be more relevant than yours.
In essence, the higher your SEO score, the more likely you’ll appear in the first page of the 1st few search results as it’s where most users will click on compared to 2nd, 3rd and etc.
c) Using SEM as part of your digital advertising strategy
Besides that, you can also advertise your business using Search Engine Marketing (SEM) which is commonly referred to as paid search.
Basically, you pay Google to advertise your business on the first page of your target audience’s keywords. Compared to SEO, SEM is often used for the short term because of its ability to boost sites to the first page as an ad.
SEO however, requires more time, effort and expertise, but will yield better and sustainable results in the long-term.
As shown, these are just some examples on how your business can appear within Google search itself.
But that’s just scratching the surface of search engines as there are other factors one needs to consider when advertising on it!
2) Social Media
Likewise, social media is a must-have advertising channel for many businesses in this day and age...
With consumers spending more time online, being active on those platforms can play a key role in customer acquisition as many are not only using it to make online purchases, but also to discover other brands who offer similar products and services.
For instance:
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Fashion retailers often utilize Instagram and TikTok to reach Millennials and Gen-Z because of their active use of the platform for socializing and connecting with others.
Naturally, this makes it a great advertising channel to not only promote your apparels but to also build a brand that’s well-loved and desirable amongst a new generation of consumers.
By doing so, you’re strengthening relationships with potential customers who will not only become aware of your company’s presence online, but also in developing brand loyalty for the long-term to improve customer retention after putting in the hard work to acquire them.
Essentially, social media is effective for businesses looking to build their brand as the platform allows you to expand your advertising reach whilst creating an active community who supports and engages with your various marketing campaigns, product launches and promotional deals.
3) Videos
In recent years, platforms such as Youtube and Instagram have made it possible for literally anyone to create video content, which gave rise to vlogs, webinars, interviews, product reviews, how-to guides and more.
With consumers spending more time online, being active on those platforms can play a key role in customer acquisition as many are not only using it to make online purchases, but also to discover other brands who offer similar products and services.
With the pandemic in 2020 however, video consumption exploded by a whopping 120% as shown in this study because of the need to stay indoors, which drove up its demand as consumers look to entertain themselves with all the extra free time they have on hand.
Thus, it’s no surprise that many companies are jumping on this channel by producing videos related to their business as they find this medium useful for a variety of reasons:
a) Mobile Optimization
Consumers aren’t just spending more time watching videos, but also more time on their phones in messaging apps, social media, ecommerce sites alongside others, proving its effectiveness for reaching them at where they’re found throughout the day.
b) Customization
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Videos aren’t just limited to a single format, as they can be created however one chooses to.
Whether it’s a short vlog, an in-depth guide on how to use a product or even a ‘behind-the-scenes’ on the company’s daily operations, videos can be easily tailored according to a brand’s marketing and advertising objectives.
c) Better Engagement
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It’s reported that videos are one of the most engaging content because it combines both audio and visual together as 95% of the messages conveyed are recalled by audiences after watching it..
Not only that, but it allows you the ability to convey large amounts of information within a short time as opposed to reading large blocks of text, which is perfect for products and services that require more attention to detail.
d) Budget
While high quality videos require professional expertise to create, businesses have other budget-friendly means of producing content that is equally engaging as well such as live-streaming or starting a Youtube channel.
As such, these benefits become extremely enticing because it provides businesses new opportunities for engaging with their target audience about their company and its brand without resorting to the idea of spamming advertisements or deceptive marketing tactics used by snake oil salesmen.
4) Email Marketing
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What makes email marketing an attractive advertising channel is it’s ability for businesses to build a personal, 1-on-1 connection with their target audience.
As an open communication channel, 90% of messages sent through email are delivered to its intended recipient as compared to social media. That’s because these platforms actively limit the number of users your post can reach unless you’ve paid to advertise it.
For instance:
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Essentially, you’re making sure that your promotional messages are seen, which then creates the opportunity to engage with your customers on a person-by-person basis while continuously nurturing the relationship as often as you’d like.
Not only that, but studies have shown that 72% of people prefer to receive advertising about products and services through email as they consider social media a channel for staying updated with personal friends and family instead.
This then makes it a perfect medium to promote your offerings continuously (not to the point of spamming) without fear of being penalized by the platforms themselves.
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Even more so, email marketing is an incredibly cost-effective tool due to several aspects:
- Creation - The design of the promotional newsletter can be simple while still being attractive.
- Execution - Compared to other advertising channels, sending promotional emails does not require any external costs.
- Reusability - Based on your objectives, the email marketing campaigns can be reused and customized as often as you’d like.
With that being said, it’s easy to see why most businesses tend to invest in email as these factors allow them to execute their marketing and advertising plans at cost-effective scale, which can significantly impact their company’s margins in the long run.
Conclusion
To recap, these are the 4 digital advertising channels that businesses need to be using in 2021:
1) Search Engines
2) Social Media
3) Videos
4) Email Marketing
While there are plenty more channels that could also yield similar results, these will provide most a good start in leveraging the many opportunities presented in our modern, technology-driven world.
However, some may find it difficult or frustrating when it comes to using them as there are many hidden technicalities involved that could significantly impact its effectiveness and negatively affect your objectives in the long run.
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In that scenario, outsourcing such work to an advertising agency is much better as their years of experience in various industries combined with their specialization in advertising and marketing, makes them the perfect partner to help execute your business plans as effectively as possible.
Doing so will not only free up your time and effort for other important matters related to your business, but also generate the results you’re looking to get from investing in these channels so you can confidently accomplish your business goals for the coming years ahead.
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