Marketing Challenges and Key Points for 2021

01 December 2021 | Marketing

From one minute to the next, marketers had to optimize the strategies according to the circumstances.

And now we know this is not the time to lower our guard against changes, but to be resilient and put out there everything we have learned to face the challenges of 2021 and whatever comes in the future.

During Crises, Great Opportunities Arise

Associating change with negativity is not an option. The COVID-19 pandemic did bring an economic recession, but also, like any crisis, it is paradoxically a landscape for unique opportunities that the most experienced will leverage. One of the main advantages is the expansion of remote communication, which removes many limits and connects us with more people than usual and immediately.

Marketing will face great challenges and offer valuable opportunities in 2021. Here are some of the most important:

• Main and Alternative Strategies

Planning has always been one of the main tasks of marketers, but now strategies must be raised in a broader and more flexible way; also, we can create strategies for emergency cases. Prevention always come handy, especially in such changing times for the market, where it is necessary to visualize many possible scenarios in order to face them in the best way possible. That is why we should consider many paths for our strategies for 2021.

Try and come up with the best and worst-case scenarios and work on the tools you will need to face any of both cases.

• Main and Alternative Strategies

The numbers do not lie: consumers’ daily activities have changed. Now online shopping is a reality for most people, and you can make the most of it. We know that in order to offer what your audience wants, you need to know it thoroughly. During these circumstances, thanks to digital marketing, it is possible to analyze the behavior of your customers. That is why one of your main activities should be studying constantly the information provided by all the channels where you have a presence (social media, website, apps…).

Although it is difficult to understand, COVID-19 will continue to change our habits and that includes consumer behaviors. So, measure, analyze and measure again. Only then will you be able to fine-tune your strategies to the needs (constant and new) of your audience.

Retos y puntos clave del marketing para 2021

• Say Yes to E-commerce

Many companies that already had a strong digital presence were able to deal with the closure of physical stores due to confinement in a lighter way; however, many others just found the digital world and fast learning was one of the challenges to overcome in order to use online sales platforms for the first time successfully. However, the path of e-commerce is still long for everyone because the changing circumstances we are living in cause constant development of tools.

E-commerce is the best ally for companies, especially those whose products or services are not essential. For this reason, it is of vital importance to offer it and optimize it on a regular basis. The goal is to create a simple and personal purchasing process.

• Social Conscience

As a result of the pandemic and the effects on a social, economic, and environmental level, Corporate Social Responsibility is today. Not only the offer matters, but also the values behind it. It is a key moment to reflect on the values that your company promotes, what are they and if they are really executed in both external and internal processes. Coherence goes first, as this improves your internal work relationships and helps your clients trust you.

Betting on a CSR strategy will help you differentiate yourself as a company that not only sells, but also adds value to society.

• Constant Learning

We marketers have always distinguished ourselves by looking for the latest trends and studying the tools that allow us to incorporate the best strategies to optimize our campaigns. And 2021 looks to be the year to learn more than ever.

Fortunately, there are an infinity of online resources (mostly free) to continue learning. Do not forget to keep up to date with our blog.

Changes You Should not Miss

The Cookie Monster

Chrome is the last player to openly accept the idea that cookies -yes, that box that appears on web pages and that we accept by default- do nothing but disservice, and that needs to be optimized to improve privacy. That is why, at the beginning of 2020, it announced the elimination of third-party cookies within two years and is currently working on the “Privacy Sandbox”, the tool that, perhaps, will replace cookies.

Tverything points to Chrome using "differential privacy", which, in brief, offers large, specific databases, but with less personal information. It is a controversial issue that we must not lose sight of to be aware of privacy regulation issues and, of course, to know and take advantage of the new tools available.

• Facebook Will Limit Ads Circulation

In October 2019 Facebook announced that in 2020 it would limit the number of active ads per ad page; however, this will not happen till February 2021. What can we expect from this? An optimization in the quality and effectiveness of advertising on this social network. Hence, we will need to improve our Facebook campaigns because this will become a much more profitable strategy and, perhaps, it will cost less.

Without a doubt, it has been a period of profound changes, but now we are better suited and prepared. We learned and grew much more than we imagined. It is true it will be necessary to constantly observe and react, but also 2021 will be the beginning of a great era for marketing.