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Challenges are difficult situations or challenges that a person, or an organization, must face, and…let's just say that 2020 was full of them.
Not only did the COVID-19 pandemic create difficult situations and unexpected changes in commercial and marketing structures, but new Internet user behaviors also had an influence.
These and other scenarios generated a set of situations that are important to take into account when designing digital marketing strategies for next year.
As we want you to have a clearer view of how the environment and consumers are behaving, in this article we will talk specifically about the challenges for digital marketing in 2021 , based on the current context. So let's get started...
Challenges for digital marketing in 2021
1. Planning under uncertainty
Making predictions about market actions when planning has always been a risky sport. However, it seems that this year was much more complicated and, whether we like it or not, planning is necessary to have an orientation of where to direct resources.
As COVID-19 infections increase and a vaccine to combat it is not widely available, public and state institutions will continue to manipulate public policies in 2021 that will impact consumption, positively or negatively.
Therefore, one of the great challenges for digital marketing in 2021 is to design flexible, short-term plans in which the environment is well understood and resources are strategically allocated so as not to affect the cash flow of companies.
Given the uncertainty of the environment, it is certainly difficult to determine which consumer purchasing habits are more stable and which are not. So, in 2021, marketing plans and analysis of environments and scenarios must be constantly updated,
They should also be complemented by contingency plans that anticipate drastic changes involving, for example, a sharp drop in consumer spending due to a national quarantine.
2. Working with budget cuts
In 2020, some companies cut their marketing budgets. These financial adjustments were made for many reasons, including:
The closure of companies or businesses.
The massive layoffs of workers, who no longer have a stable income to buy goods and services.
Loss of profits.
As a result, marketers went into survival mode after the pandemic broke out and had to cancel or delay the launch of campaigns or projects.
Given these scenarios, a major obstacle for 2021 is being able to take advantage of the few resources available in the marketing department and think of low-cost, high-impact strategies that guarantee a positive exchange of value with consumers.
There is hope, however, that things will change:
According to Gartner’s 2020-2021 annual CMO Spend Survey , CMOs surveyed say they remain optimistic. 73% expect the business and economic climate to have a positive impact over the next two years, and 57% believe performance will return to normal in the next 18 to 24 months.
3. Create content focused on household dynamics
With consumer restrictions in many countries expected to last until mid-2021, the “stay-at-home” lifestyle will continue to be a driver of change and a potentially new opportunity for digital marketing strategies.
In this regard, Facebook announced that it will allow its employees to continue working from home until July 2021. This means that some companies are already hoping to continue with teleworking dynamics for next year in order to reduce risks.
Taking these scenarios into account, for some consumers improving their home lifestyle has become a priority, and brands must take advantage of that in 2021 to create content that helps them achieve it.
Marketers are therefore challenged to communicate and create content around how to adapt products and services to the home lifestyle .
4. Optimize websites and communication channels
2020 was a year marked by digitalisation, connectivity and online shopping: people spent more time connected to the Internet, having work meetings or online classes, and dared to buy more products from the comfort of their home.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the growth of e-commerce worldwide, making responding to this trend a top priority for 2021.
Marketing managers, together with other technology areas, have the challenge of ensuring that communication and purchasing channels work correctly, especially from mobile devices:
Websites must load quickly, be accessible and function properly.
Marketing and sales teams should have communication channels available 24/7 to clarify queries, using, for example, chatbots.
Websites must have a responsive design to provide an optimal user experience for people who access them with their mobile devices.
Payment gateways must be properly integrated into virtual stores.
Social networks must provide contact information and relevant information.
The reality is that if you don’t have a well-functioning website or shopping platform in 2021, you risk missing out on sales opportunities.
For many brands, it will also be a challenge to rethink the distribution of their products to adapt to home delivery, as well as to experiment with new online business models that are also more sustainable and planet-friendly.
5. Comply with data protection and user privacy regulations
The impact of data protection and user privacy regulations has grown in recent years due to political scandals, including the Cambridge Analytics case, and concerns expressed by users about how technology companies use the information they share on the Internet.
In Europe, for example, there is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which seeks to create a trustworthy environment where companies and consumers can communicate and do business, without unauthorized data processing and circulation.
Several Latin American countries have made progress on similar data protection legislation, with Colombia being one of the most advanced in this area.
Most of these laws contain information on how to store and process personal data, how to use it, amend it or delete it, and also establish different measures based on the type and size of the company.
Because a website can potentially attract visitors from any country, it must comply with laws that cover a population of its target audience. Marketers must ensure that the website is transparent about its policies on cookies, data sharing, and privacy.
Therefore, another challenge for digital marketing in 2021 is to ensure that within the contact forms for registering an activity, a newsletter, or downloading content, there are communications with options to consult the users' consent regarding the data protection regulations that are being complied with and the purposes of the information that is intended to be collected.
As well as having the correct processes and infrastructures to provide users with the ability to access, modify or delete any type of data collected.
6. Dealing with ad blockers
While many websites and platforms rely on advertising for their income, taiwan contact number ad blockers end up being an obstacle to financing these types of business models.
According to eMarketer , 27% of Internet users, mainly in the United States and Europe, are expected to use ad blockers in 2021. The saturation of ads on websites and digital applications has generated this panorama of rejection towards advertising.
Users install ad blockers not only because the advertising is invasive and constant. They also do so because it does not connect with their tastes and does not offer them anything new or interesting.
As a response to this situation, digital marketing and advertising specialists must consider making their advertising campaigns more personalized , and choosing diffusion channels that are assertive with the target audience.
On the other hand, an alternative to this operating model is for website and platform owners to directly finance content through subscriptions or donations, to avoid creating advertising alliances that do not monetize because they do not receive the expected traffic due to blockers.
You may be interested in reading: Social media and search engine trends for 2021
Ultimately, all of these challenges for digital marketing in 2021 can be overcome if the resources, both human and financial, allocated to the marketing area are managed correctly; if creative and innovative strategies adapted to changes in the environment are planned; and if the regulations that provide security and transparency to Internet users are complied with.