Online Marketing Trends That Will Stick Around for 2021

You might have heard there’s nothing new under the sun, but that doesn’t mean you can’t revitalize old ideas to ensure your online marketing shines

BY WELTON HONG

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s each year closes and another opens, marketing experts flock to websites and industry magazines to opine on what’s new for the coming year. What will businesses need to change to remain competitive, and what’s the next big thing that might shake up the online marketing world?

That’s not what this article is about. Because the truth is that the more marketing changes, the more it stays the same. I’m not saying innovation doesn’t exist and that you shouldn’t be looking into it. If you sell goods and services online and aren’t already investing in automated chat box options, for example, you’re behind the curve and might be losing clients to the competition.

But I am saying that the heart of online marketing rests in some foundational elements that are important regardless of algorithm changes or new technology. Those foundational elements ensure that many of the “trends” of 2020 will remain in 2021. Here are two things you should have been doing last year and should continue doing this year.

COMPREHENSIVE SEO

SEO is certainly nothing new; the term “search engine optimization” dates back to around 1997. Early on, all you had to do was shove a couple of keywords on a page enough times and you could rocket to the top.

Search engines—and human internet users—are more sophisticated now. Your SEO game has to be much more comprehensive.

Relevance was an enormous factor in 2020, and that remains true in 2021. So, take time to ensure that the keywords you’re choosing aren’t just popular with searchers. They must be relevant to the intent of your pages. If your blog post is about choosing the right color for window blinds, targeting the keywords “window repair” or “window installation” won’t get you anything but a lot of disappointed traffic and a demotion in the page ranks.

Semantic completeness also remains important. That just means that if you cover a topic, you do so completely with an eye toward relevance for the primary search terms and intent of the user. For example, if you have a landing page selling vertical blinds, the old-school content method would be to include a couple of related keywords and a lot of sales content to push the reader further into the funnel—perhaps onto your product category pages. But semantic completeness involves answering as many questions the user might have about the topic as possible, providing solid educational content as well as sales content.

Do you have to give away everything on the landing page? No. You can pose the questions and topics, provide high-level overviews and link to deeper pages on your site. When you’re reaching for comprehensive SEO, gather information before you create content, so you know what types of information to include. Start with keyword research. Choose a primary phrase and a couple of secondary options. Then gather semantic keywords—phrases people would use naturally when talking about the topic. A page on curtains might naturally include words such as window, windowsill, floor, ceiling, rod, tieback, installation and color. Including as many of these words as possible naturally signals to the search engine that your page really is about curtains.

Google the primary keyword yourself and look at what’s ranking. What’s included on those pages that you can include in a better way on yours? What questions are shown under the “People also ask” box that you can answer?

These steps will help you create comprehensive content that’s more likely to perform in search engines in 2021.

VIDEO MARKETING

It’s not all about text content, though. Video marketing continues to grow. In 2018 around 63 percent of people regularly watched videos online. In 2019, that number jumped to 81 percent. And video consumption on mobile devices regularly sees an annual jump of 100 percent.

Some experts believe video will account for more than 80 percent of internet traffic by 2022, so if you’re not already taking advantage of this media format for marketing, 2021 is the year to jump on the wagon.

You don’t have to invest a ton of money at first. You can start small with videos you make on your smartphone. Consider investing in a tripod to keep the image stable—no one’s going to see your window coverings if they’re dizzy from a shaky video—and a decent microphone so people can hear your message. Begin with short video spots for your social pages. You can use Instagram Reels to publish 15-second how-to videos or product highlights and address followers with videos in Stories on Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat.

If you have longer content, such as full how-to videos for designing the ideal window dressing or installing specialty curtains, publish it on YouTube or Instagram TV. Then embed the content on relevant pages on your site to increase visual appeal, engagement and behavioral metrics—which, in turn, can have a positive impact on your SEO.

Whether you planned ahead or are just getting started with online marketing strategies in 2021, these two tips from 2020 remain powerful this year. And they’re easy to put into action at any time. V

Welton Hong is the founder of Ring Ring Marketing and a leading expert in creating case generation from online to the phone line. He is the author of “Making Your Phone Ring with Internet Marketing for Window Covering Companies.”

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