Most of us are looking forward to 2021 as a recovery and rebound. When it comes to building up businesses and creating brands that can outlast tumultuous times, there are several ways in which we have collectively begun a seismic shift. We at Relevance International are leaning into a new age of technology, purpose, and transparency and would love to take you along with us, starting with these five trends that are already gaining momentum.
Virtual: Our New Reality
How we work, live and socialize has been consolidated over the past year. Now more than ever, we’re spending most of our time on screens. While it was a forced adjustment for most, companies are steadily gaining confidence in the power of virtual productivity.
Companies like Zoom, Microsoft, Slack and many other communicative online platforms have made getting together easier than ever. Adjustable schedules, personal connections, tons of platform options – virtual meetings are likely here to stay for the long haul. This shift has also meant that employees are easily accessible both internally and externally, allowing for even more free flowing communication. While there are many benefits, many are starting to argue that a distributed workforce means employees are becoming too available, working longer hours than ever before and at a higher risk of burnout. The solution? Stay aware of your team’s schedule, encourage staycation time and mental health days, and take some time to turn off every day.
Getting Pixel Personal
Pre-pandemic the world was trending towards more in-person, experiential engagements with global consumers. Research shows that Gen Z is increasingly influenced by in-person interactions with people, products and brands, but inevitably many businesses had to make unplanned adjustments to their business models as a result of the pandemic. What was once an opportunity to connect face-to-face was thwarted overnight. That shift has changed the way businesses engage with consumers, forcing creative strategies that drive personal, nuanced brand experiences all online.
We saw an increase in E-commerce launches, website redesigns more apt for easy user experience, a resurgence of apps, out-of-the-box social content and mailed experiences mixing the tangible with the virtual. All of these tactics seek to showcase a brand clearly, effectively and instantaneously, meaning the online footprint of a company needs to convey a precisely accurate picture of the entire brand, down to the very last pixel. It’s a challenge, but we are seeing many companies rising to it.
Digital Ad Age
Without in-person brand interactions, driving new exposure within target audiences is an increasingly digital effort. After decades of finely tuned tactics for tapping into the right buying, searching and location habits, today’s digital ad buying tools are more precise than ever.
The same way that Amazon provides suggestions based on recent purchases and Netflix recommends movies and shows based on what has recently been watched, companies are gaining more knowledge about their customers and clients every day. Brands that are not embracing these tools are on track to get left behind. Using automation through specially targeted ads can help strengthen your brand and your understanding of your audience’s habits, wants and needs. This type of marketing takes the guesswork out of creating effective ads over time.
Not-So Picture-Perfect
The race to ROI is on. Companies are trying to make up lost ground from 2020, putting companies at risk of forgetting the basics of social media manners. Blast-posting, upping content to maximum capacity, and creating haphazard campaigns is a quick way to turn followers off your feed. For 2021, brands need to go back to basics. Get back to what matters, content that resonates with followers, and messages that matter. Instead of going solely by the numbers, look at engagement on new terms – what posts had the comments that were most genuine? It’s not always a numbers game. Plus, instead of the perfect pose, a little bit of vulnerability and personality in a post is likely to help you retain an engaged following and get new audiences relating to you and your brand more quickly.
Do What Drives You Forward
Consumers are evolving, the world is changing, and now more than ever, brands need to look inward to identify what really matters beyond making money. The purpose to a business gets to the heart of why the company does what it does, and that starts with its people and culture. While we are all clinging on to anything feel-good these days, finding purpose and a public-facing company ethos has gained a new and important place with consumers. Purpose isn’t only driving brands, it’s driving better business.
