While the number of internet users was continually increasing in India, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sudden surge in the number of people accessing the world wide web.
According to a Kantar report on LiveMint, the pandemic is expected to increase India’s monthly active internet user base to 639 million. Not just the number of users but also the amount of time people spend online has increased.
The digital growth in 2020 has been such that no business, big or small, could afford to not have a digital marketing strategy. With a new year around the corner, what digital trends brands and marketers should focus upon? Here is a list of top 3-
1. Sell with Social Commerce
In the past, social platforms such as Facebook were used by brands to help consumers discover their products or services. For instance, people used to discover products through Facebook ads. After clicking on the product, they were redirected to the seller’s website to complete the purchase. But 2021 is expected to be the year of social commerce.
Consumers no longer need to visit any other webpage to complete their purchase as it can be directly done on the social platform where they discover the product. According to Bain and Company study, social commerce is expected to be a $70 billion industry in India by 2030.
2. Increased Brand Authority with “Position Zero” Listing
Over the years, SEO has been about getting listed at the number one position for the target keyword. But as per the recent trends, marketers should try to get listed in “position zero” or “featured snippet” if the digital goal is increasing brand authority. These snippets from the post are listed above the search rankings in a separate box.
Long-tail query phrases, such as questions, generally trigger the snippet. Often, these snippets are read by voice assistants when a user uses voice search.
However, as the user will find the answer to their query directly from the snippet, there is a possibility that he/she might not visit the webpage. But this is still a great way for brands to get recognized as a leader in the industry and improve brand authority.
3. Make Your Content Interactive
Brands should also consider making their content more interactive to provide more value to their audience and engage with them. For instance, a finance company can use an interest rate calculator on their website. Similarly, e-commerce portals can experiment with virtual try-on solutions to keep the audience engaged.
Marketers can also use quizzes, polls, games, contests, surveys, etc., to boost visibility and reach. For instance, you can use a referral contest wherein the people who share the content with their friends are offered a voucher or a discount coupon. This a cost-effective way to reach more people.
Achieve Your Business Objectives with Digital Marketing in 2021
As more and more people are spending a considerable amount of time on the internet in India, this is a golden opportunity for businesses to grow and increase their bottom line.
As 2020 is coming to an end, take a proactive approach, and start working on your digital strategy for 2021. While working on your strategy, do not forget the trends discussed in this post.
