DigitalMarketingTrendsYouNeedToKnowContents03050811NothingstaysthesameTheyearofdisruption:Social-in-placeTherisingtideofsocialcommerceOutspokenbrandactivism14Ephemeralcontent:Point,shoot,storyTheexpandingworldofAR172023262932Dataprivacy:UnderthemicroscopeNicheSoMeplatforms:AbroaderhorizonAforkintheadvertisingroadVideoformatsopennewdoorsSocialmediaaspublicrelations2.0r34Welcome!#welcome#2021#digitalMarketing#trendsLet’sgettheelephantintheroomoutoftheway:2020hasbeendownrightbizarreintoomanywaystomention.And,asthisoverallstrangenesstranslatestothemarketingrealm,thenotionofthe‘ever-changingmarketinglandscape’hasneverbeenmoreapplicable—ifnotunderstated.Nothingstaysthesame—inlifeorinmarketing—andthisyear,itfeelsespeciallyimportanttoexaminethetrendsanddevelopmentstakingplaceindigitalmarketingandsocialmedia.In2020,we’veseenunprecedentednewsstorieshitourfeeds,fromaglobalpandemictocivilunresttonaturaldisaster.And,intheseturbulenttimes,marketinghasrequiredagreatdealoftactandsensitivity.That’swhy,aboveall,theabilityto‘readtheroom’isanoverarchingimperativeatopeverythingcompiledhere.Thatbeingsaid,thefollowingisalistof10keydigitalmarketingtrendsthatareontheupswingaswetransitioninto2021.Manycompaniesarecurrentlycapitalizingonthesetrendssuccessfully,andwithproperexecution,youcantoo.32021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.ioWebinarSummitTheunskippable:2021TrendsVirtualSummitDiveinfurthertorevealthesecretsofthisyear’sdigitalmarketingtrends.SavemyseatTheyearofdisruption:Social-in-placeWhenthewholeworldisfocusedonthesamething,werelyonsocialmediatoexpressourselvesandfeelconnected.2020hasbeentheyearofdisruption:ClimateCrisis,COVID-19,RacialJustice,#BlackLivesMatter.Whatcanwetakeawayfromallthis(inabusinesscontext)?Andwhatonearthcanwesayonsocialmedia—asabrand—whentheentirecountry/worldislaser-focusedononehotbuttonissue?Apparently,alot.A?erall,thosealivetodayhaveneverexperiencedanythingofthesamemagnitudeaswhatiscurrentlyhappening.2020wasaperiodoftransformation.Ayearofchangeandayearto

change—andinprofoundways.TheCOVID-19pandemichasforcednearlyeveryonetoalterthemeansinwhichtheyinteractandcommunicate,atleasttosomedegree.Consequently,onafundamentallevel,beingsocial

haschanged.SocialmediausageduringdisruptionInMarch2020,whenthelockdownsandsocialdistancingprotocols?rstbegan,Facebook’sanalyticsdepartmentreporteda50%surgeinmessaging.Similarly,WhatsAppsawa40%li?inusageandTikTokglobaldownloadsgrew5%month-over-month—addingover12millionuniqueUS-basedvisitors.52021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.ioAllthisisindicativethat,sincesomanypeoplewereessentiallycon?nedtotheirhomesduetothepandemic,overallsocialmediauseskyrocketed.Infact,46%ofwomenand41%ofmensaythey’vespentmoretimeonsocialmediaduringthepandemicthantheyhadprior—andnewresearchhasshownthat80-90%ofpeoplenowconsumenewsandentertainmentforanaverageofnearly24hoursinagivenweek.Thisrepresentsastaggeringamountoftimeengagingwithonlinemedia—andit’svitalforyourbrandtohaveapresenceinthatequation.#social#in#placeVideostreamingincreasedby12%inthe?rstweekofquarantineintheU.S.So,whileitcanbedi?cultto?gureouthowtospeaktoyouraudienceonsocialmediaduringtimesofcrisis,beingpresent,interactingregularly,andfocusingoncommunity-buildingisevenmorecriticalnowthanitwasbefore.Asfewercustomerscrowdintostores,they’redoingmoreshoppingonline.Or,attheveryleast,they’respendingalotmoretimeonsocialmedia—whichmeansthat’swhereyourbrandshouldbestrivingtoreachthem.And,bycultivatingmeaningfulengagementwithyouraudience,thisfamiliaritycanbolsterbranda?nity,brandloyalty,andultimately,yourbrand’ssurvivalandsuccess.CommunitybuildingintimesofcrisisBrandsthatinvestinbuildinganonlinecommunityofsocialfollowerscanreachouttothemimmediatelytocheckin.Asabrandthattrulycares,youcanserveyourcommunityand?ndwaystohelp.Youcanaskquestionsandlisten.Youcangetinstantfeedback,and,conversely,yourfollowerscanreceiveinstantanswers.Theycanfeelheardandsupportedinchallengingtimeswhentheyneeditmost—andthiswon’tgounrecognized.Forthisreason,businessesthattakethetimetobuildcommunitiesstandtoreaptherewardsthroughperiodsofbothturmoilandrelativeharmony.62021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.io#2021digitaltrendsSocialmediahasgrownatanaveragerateof12.5%year-over-yearsince2015.BacklinkoTherisingtideofsocialcommerceAswellinbothat-homeshoppingandsocialmediausagehascreatedtheperfectstormforsocialcommerceto?ourish.TheCOVID-19pandemichasimpactedfarmorethanthewaywesocializeandinteract.It’salteredthewaywework,thewaywetravel(orlackthereof),and,perhapsmostimportantlyforconsumerbrands,thewaywebuy.Lockdownmeasureshaveacceleratedtheshiftoecommerceby5years—andsocialcommerceisrisingalongwiththatwave.Mostbrandshavealreadyembraceddigital—andconsumersarelargelyaccustomedtobuyingonline.Now,withpeoplespendingmoretimethaneveronsocialmedia(duetoprolongedlockdowns),thestagehasbeensetforahugeuptickinsocialcommerce.Butwhatexactlywillthatlooklike?TheevolvingsocialcommercelandscapeAsfarasmarketsegments,Chinaisthetruejuggernautinthespace,withover300Msocialbuyerscontributingto11.6%o?overallretailecommercesalesin2020.AndChinesecompanieshavebeenrushingtocashin.Forexample,WeChat(amulti-purposesocialapp)startedinvestingheavilyinsocialcommerceasearlyas2017withtheintroductionofMiniPrograms,whichareonlinestoresthatcanbeintegratedwithinWeChat.82021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.ioOnthatnote,let’stakealookatwhatthemajorplatformsaredoingtofacilitatesocialcommercewithmoreseamless,in-appbuyingexperiences:Instagram

hasdominatedthesocialcommercegameforyearsandisstillatrailblazerwithshoppablefeatureslikeproducttaggingandnativecheckout.Thesearealreadypartofthemainfeed,andInstagramexpandedshoppablefeaturestoIGTVinOctober2020Facebook

launchedFacebookShopsinSeptember2020,andthisfeaturecouldbecomeaviablealternativetoAmazonMarketplaceformanyvendors.However,Facebookhasencountereddi?cultiesinthereleaseofitsowncryptocurrency,Libra,whichwasintendedtofacilitatetransactionsonitsplatform.(Reelswillbenext).TikTok

isalsomakinginnovativemovesinthespace.ItSnapchat,whichwasquicktorolloutshoppableadsin2018,nowprovidesAugmentedRealityand?ltersforitsuserstotryonmake-up,clothes,andevenshoes—whichtheycanbuyviatheplatform.launchedits‘ShopNow’buttonincollaborationwithLevi’s,enablinguserstopurchaseitemsdirectlythroughTikTokvideos.And,inSeptember2020,TikTokannouncedanintegrationwithmerchandiseplatform,TeeSpring.Aprimaryappealofsocialcommerceishyper-personalization.So,forbrands,oneofthekeysuccessfactorsisknowinghowtoharness/analyzesocialdatatoproducerelevant,personalizedcontentandshoppingexperiences.Thatbeingsaid,aquestionmarkstillremainsonwhetherbrandswillbeabletotargetwiththesamelevelofgranularityinthefuture,giventhecontextofincreaseddatasecurity.As2020comestoaclose,theglobalsocialcommercemarketnowweighsinatahe??$89.4B,withtheUScomprising$26.9Bofthat.Andwe’restillintheearlystages,withthemarketforecastedtocross$600Bby2027.Fromthesestats,it’sclearthatbrandswhoactnowwillbepoisedtocapitalizeonthismassivetailwind—whilethosethatdon’triskbeingle?inthedust.92021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.io#2021digitaltrendsOver76MpeopleintheUSwillmakeapurchaseviaasocialnetworkatleastoncethisyear(38.4%ofUSsocialnetworkusers).BusinessInsiderCompaniesthattakeapublicstanceoncontroversialissuesgarnera?nityfromconsumers—butwithsomerisks.Today,o?eringafantasticproduct/serviceatanattractivepriceisn’talwaysenough.Consumerswanttobuyfromauthentic,purpose-drivenbrandsthatstandforsomethingandalignwiththeirpersonalvalues.Inaneraofdivisivetopicsandstaunchopinions,thestatementsabrandmakesaboutsocio-politicalissuescanbethe‘X-factor’thatdrawsaloyalcommunityofcustomersandfollowers.Givingnewmeaningto‘brandvoice’AstudybyAccentureStrategyfoundthat62%ofconsumerswantcompaniestoadvocatefortheissuesthey’repassionateabout.Similarly,33%ofconsumerswouldintentionallybuymorefromabrandthatvoicedacontroversialopinioncongruentwiththeirbeliefs.Giventhis,it’snosurprisethatpurpose-drivencompaniesenjoyhighermarketshares,growingthreetimesfasterthantheircompetitorsonaverage.Thesenumberspaintaclearpicture:brandactivismwillcontinuetobeapotentbusinesscatalystin2021.So,iftheleadershipwithinyourorganizationhasstrongopinionsaboutaparticularcause,thenpubliclyengaginginactivismcouldbeawisemove.Notonlywillitbeinherently112021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.iorewarding—itcanalsospurgrowthwhilesimultaneouslybene?tingemployeemoraleandcompanyculture.AvoidingthepitfallsofpanderingBrandsmustbeverymindfulintheirapproachtoactivism,asdisingenuouspanderingwillbemetwithbacklash.Attemptstoincreaseyourbrand’ssocialcapitalshouldneverbeaperformativegesture.Iftheissuedoesn’tresonatedeepdowntothecoreofyourbrand,it’sprobablybesttostayneutraltoavoidtheappearanceofbandwagoning.Onsocialmedia,authenticity(acrosstheboard)iskey—butit’sabsolutelyparamountwhenexpressingopinionsaboutsocio-politicalmatters.61%ofconsumersfeelthattoomanycompaniesusesocialmovementsasamarketingploy.And,withthatinmind,thedecisiononwhethertopursuebrandactivismcanfeellikeacatch-22—asconsumerswantbrandstospeakout,yetareo?enskepticalofthosethatdo.#brand#activism75%ofMillennialswouldagreethatit’simportantforbrandstogivebacktosociety.Forsomecompanies,thedecisiontopursueactivismwilldependonaudience/customerexpectations.Ifyouhaveanardentandengagedcustomerbasethat’swonderingwhyyou’veremainedsilentonakeyissue,itmightbetimetoletyouropinionbeknown.A?erall,weliveinoutspokentimesandconsumerswon’thesitatetoshunabrandwhentheyfeelithasn’treactedappropriatelytoasocialissue.Andthismakessense,asmoreandmoreconsumerswanttobeabletorelatetoacompany’spurposeandmission.Peopleareincreasinglylookingtoconnectwithbrandsonadeeperlevel.But,intoday’shyper-polarizedlandscape,it’simpossibletoappealtoeveryone.Forthisreason,brandactivismcarriestheunavoidableriskofrubbingsomeprospectsandcustomersthewrongway—butyoustandtogainamorezealousfollowingbydisplayingthecouragetotakeaside.122021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.io#2021digitaltrendsPriortothe2020U.S.election,DavidBarrett,CEOofExpensify,sentanemailto10millioncustomerswiththesubject“Protectdemocracy,voteforBiden.”Atthetimeofwriting,noemployeeshavequitoverit.Ephemeralcontent:Point,shoot,storyRaw,un?ltered?eetingcontentisovertakingpicture-perfectnewsfeedpostsasthepreferredformattoengagewith.Thisyear,storiesandotherephemeralcontenthavecontinuedtoexplodeinpopularityacrosssocialchannels.Thedisappearingcontentformat—whichinitiallywentmainstreamviaSnapchat—hasbecomeafull-?edgedengagementpowerhouseacrossmultipleplatforms.Instagram,Facebook,WhatsApp,Linkedin,andevenTwitterhavealljumpedonboardtheephemeralcontenttrain—andit’snotslowingdownanytimesoon.Anoverwhelming86.6%ofusersnowpoststoriesonInstagramand70%viewstoriesdaily.Leavehigh-productionvalueatthedoorThepostsandadsthatrunintheephemeralspacetendtobemorescrappyanddown-to-earththantheglossyperfectionismwe’vegrownaccustomedtoseeinginthenewsfeed.Storiesaremore‘o?thecu?’and,assuch,resonatewithviewersinamoreauthenticway.Andthisapproachcanbeamajorbrand-builder:62%ofpeoplehaveindicatedtheybecomemoreinterestedinaproduct/branda?erseeingitfeaturedinastory.Manycompaniesaresuccessfullyleveragingthistrend,withbusinessesmakingupone-thirdofthetop-viewedstoriesonInstagram.142021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.io#point#shoot#storyWhatisephemeralcontentanyway?Ephemeralcontentreferstoanymediathat’sonlyaccessibleforalimitedperiodoftime(i.e.24hours)beforedisappearing.Itcantakemanyforms,butusuallyconsistsofimagesandvideos.WhatsAppandInstagramareleadingthepackasthe#1and#2most-usedstoryproductsintheworld—butotherplatformsareeagertoclaimasliceofthepie.InSeptember2020,Pinterestaimedtogetinonthestories-styleactionwiththereleaseofStoryPins,butwithonenotabledi?erence:StoryPinsarenottechnicallyephemeralastheydon’tautomaticallydisappeara?er24hours.Rather,theycanbesavedlikeregularPinsanddiscoveredovertimeviasearch.Theirinitialpresentationtoviewers,however,isverysimilartotheephemeralstoriesthatappearontheothersocialsites.ReasonsbehindthebuzzSo,whatisitaboutthistypeofcontentthat’scausedittogainsomuchtraction?Forstarters,ephemeralcontent,bydesign,isfast-pacedand?eeting,creatingmoreopportunitiestointeractwithfollowersandnurturetherelationshipwithyouraudience.Storiesarealsomorecasualandlessstaged,allowingthefreedomtopresentyourself(oryourbrand)inanauthenticlight—whichiswhatpeoplewanttoseenowadays.Furthermore,storiesdon’tclogupthefeedandareorientedvertically,makingthemperfectforquick-and-easymobileviewing.Akeycomponentthatmakesephemeralcontentsoe?ectiveistheFOMO(FearofMissingOut)factor.Sincestorieswilleventuallydisappear,usersaremorelikelytotuneinandtakeaction,astheywon’thavetheopportunitytodosolateron.So,fromamarketingperspective,ephemeralcontentcanhaveasimilare?ecttoacountdowntimer—whichispartiallywhymanybrandshavebeenseeingbetterresultswithStoryAds(asopposedtonewsfeedplacements).So,whilestoriesonlylast24hours,ephemeralcontentisheretostay.AndbrandswhohaveyettotakefulladvantageshouldbefeelingsomeFOMObynow.152021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.io#2021digitaltrends500millionaccountsvisitInstagramStoriesdaily.FacebookTheExpandingWorldofARAsARcontinuestoblurthelinebetweendigitalandreality,brandsareharnessingthistechtoelevatecustomerexperience.Thoughaugmentedrealityandvirtualrealityhaveexistedforsometimenow,they’vedramaticallyriseninprominenceoverthepastyear.MoreandmoresavvybrandsareadoptingARandVRtechtoreachnewaudiences,buildimmersiveexperiences,andsigni?cantlyincreasesales.So,thequestionisnot‘if’—but,‘how?’OnlinestoresnowuseARtoo?erdeeper,morerealisticvirtualshoppingexperiencestocustomers.Thiswasespeciallyvaluablein2020ascompanieswerescramblingto?ndsuitablewaystomarketandselltoconsumersundershelter-in-placeprotocols.NotableadoptersincludeMulberry,BMW,L’orealParis,andIKEA,whichhavealldeployedARtogreate?ectsincetheonsetofthepandemic—andthistrendisnotlimitedtotheretailsector.ARforentertainmentandproductinteractionOnsocialmedia,AR?ltersarehugelypopularandcanworktodriveengagementandbrandawarenessacrossmultipleplatforms.WiththeexpansionofFacebook’sSparkARStudio,usersandbrandscannowcreatefree,customizedAR?ltersforInstagramStories,Messenger,FacebookStories,andPortal.Thisinnovationhashadahugeimpact,172021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.ioessentiallybirthinganewsocialmediamarketingtactic:InstagramARFiltercampaigns.Usersspendanaverageof75secondsinteractingwithARcontent,whichisastellarengagementrateinthedigitalrealm.TheapplicationofARextendswell-beyondsocialmediaplatforms,too.Amazon,forexample,hasmadeuseofARintheirViewinYourRoomfeature,whichallowscustomerstovirtuallyimposeaproductwithintheirhomes.Usersarepromptedtoscantheroomwiththeirmobiledevice’scamera,thensimplytapwherethey’dliketheproducttobeplaced.And,although62%ofcustomersprefertophysicallyinteractwithproductsbeforetheybuy,ARexperienceslikethisarethenext-bestthing—andthey’llcontinuetogetbetter.OnemajorobstacletotheproliferationofARandVRtechhasbeendatausage.But,as5Gbecomesmorewidelyavailable,theuseofARandVRwillbecomemoreaccessible(anditsbene?tsmorepronounced).Asurgein5G-equippedmobiledeviceswillhitthemarket—meaningmorepeoplewillhavethebandwidthtohandlerichARexperiences.And,concurrently,brandswillcreatemoreephemeralcontentandfocusonmobile-onlyplatformstodriveengagement.ThedataprivacyimperativeCompaniesneedtobeextremelymindfulofsecurityanduserprivacywhenimplementingARtechnology.AugmentedRealityworksby‘seeing’theuserandtheirsurroundings—anditneedstocollectalotofdatatofunctionproperly.Therefore,ARcangatherinformationaboutwhotheuserisandwhatthey’redoing(similarly,andmoreintenselythansocialnetworks).Assuch,ARissubjecttothesamescrutinyregardingdataprivacythat’sbeenaimedatsocialmediaplatformsinthepastfewyears.But,nevertheless,it’sstillclearthatAR/VRtechwillcontinuetobecomemorewidespreadandimpactfulin2021andbeyond.182021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.io#2021digitaltrends“Augmentedrealitybridgesthegapbetweenthereal-worldandthedigitalworld,andgivesbrandstheopportunitytoexploreconversationalcommercethroughcompellingstorytelling.Ifbrandsaren’texploringaugmentedrealityactivationsnow,thentheymightmissahugeopportunity.”Dataprivacy:UnderthemicroscopeTwoyearsaferCambridgeAnalytica,personaldataisstillatthe?ore?ronto?theconversation.WhatdoGenX,Millennials,andGenZhaveincommon?Theyallcarevehementlyaboutwhatcompaniesdowiththeirdata.InarecentsurveybyTranscend,astaggering98%o?Americanconsumersagreedthatdataprivacyisanimportantissuetothem.Theresultswereuni?ormacrossdemographics,makingonethingveryclear:privacyisoneveryone’smind(notjusttheolder,wealthierbracket).Thepandemichasonlyacceleratedtheseconcerns,whichmarked2020asasigni?cantyear?ordatamanagement.Asbusinesses?acenewtechnologicalchallengesamidCOVID-19,thetopico?privacyhasdrawnanincreasinglybrightspotlight.Bytheendo?2019,a?rmmajorityofconsumers(76%)wereuncom?ortablewiththewaytech/socialmediacompanieswereusingtheirpersonaldata.Sincethen,thissensitivityregardingdataprivacyhasonlybeengrowing—andcompaniesarerespondingaccordingly.Newinitiatives,newplatformsInJanuary2020,Googleshookupthemarketingworldbystatingitsplantophaseoutthird-partycookiesinChromeby2022.Indoingso,ChromewilljoinSa?ariandFire?ox,whichalreadyblockthird-partycookies.Then,202021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.ioAppleannouncedthat,come2021,Identi?erforAdvertisers(IDFA)—whichisusedformarketingattribution—willnottrackmobileuserswhohaven’texpresslyoptedin(essentiallycripplingthefeature).Whatdoesallthisindicate?That,bypopulardemand,consumersare?nallygainingmorecontrolovertheirpersonalinformationandthetrailofdatatheyleaveonline.#data#privacyInaPwCpoll,84%ofrespondentssaidtheywouldswitchservicesiftheydon’ttrusthowacompanyusestheirpersonaldata.2020hasalsoseenrapidgrowthinthemarketforCustomerDataPlatforms(CDP)—andthistrendwillcontinuetoextendthrough2021.Why?Fragmenteddatafromdisconnectedsourcesposesasigni?cantchallengefordata-drivenorganizations.AndCDPsstepintoresolvethismodernpainpoint.It’ssopainful,infact,that‘baddata’costsU.S.businessesaround$3trillioneveryyear.Giventhis,theneedforuni?ed,cohesivecustomerdatahasbecomeamission-criticalendeavor.Aparadigmshif?ordigitalmarketersTherecentuproarsurroundingTikTok’spotentialthreatstodataprivacyhasmadepeopleevenmoreaware(andsuspicious)ofwhattheirsmartphoneappscanaccess.This,inturn,isleadingmorepeopletodemandgreaterprivacy—especiallyinthesocialmediasphere.And,astheTikTokheadlinesspurredanewfocusondataprivacyfromaninternationalstandpoint,there’sagoodchancewe’llbeseeingsomeregulatorypoliciessproutfromthis.As2020comestoanend,companiesneedtohaveprivacyattheforefrontoftheirdigitalmarketingmentalityandgameplan.Theecosystemisbeingrebuiltfromthegroundup,withtrustandtransparencymakinguptwoofitscorepillars.Marketerswillhavetogobacktothedrawingboardandstartrethinkingthenewstreamofbrandrevenueinapost-cookieworld.Butthosethatembracethisshi?canpositionthemselvestosucceed,asregulatorymeasureswillmakeitalevelplaying?eld.212021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.io#2021digitaltrends“AsIthinkaboutthefutureoftheinternet,Ibelieveaprivacy-focusedcommunicationsplatformwillbecomeevenmoreimportantthantoday’sopenplatforms.”NicheSoMeplatforms:AbroaderhorizonBranchingoutandbuildingapresenceonnichenetworkscanbethekeytounlockingvaluablenewaudiences.Socialmediaevolvesrapidly(asanyonewhoworksinthespacehassurelynoticed).Yetahandfulofsocialchannelshaveconsistentlydominatedoverthepastseveralyears,givingtheappearanceofstability.But,evenwiththisdominanceofthe‘Big5,’youshouldnevergettoocomfortableinsocialmediamarketing.Yes,FacebookandInstagramarepowerhouses,butTikTokcameoutofnowhereinthebackhalfof2019andsoaredto800millionactiveusersin2020—illustratingtheimportanceofstayingagile.‘Mediumasmessage’Previously,theassumptionhadbeenthat,whenitcomestosocialmedia,youshouldfocusonFacebook,Instagram,Twitter,Linkedin,andpossiblyPinterest.However,theexplosionofTikTokhasreignitedthetopicofhowtousenicheplatformsoutsideofthe‘Big5’tostrategicallyreachnewaudiences.Up-and-comingchannelslikeTikTok,Twitch,andHousepartycanprovideopportunitiestotapintofreshsegmentswhilealsoharboringauniqueculturethatallowsyoutoreachyourtargetaudienceincreativenewways.232021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.ioDiversifyingacrossSoMechannelsdoesn’tmeancopy/pastingthesamepostoradoneachplatform(andifyou’recurrentlydoingthis,youneedtoreconsideryourapproach).Rather,it’saboutunderstandingthedi?erencesbetweenplatforms,thentailoringyourtoneandstrategyaccordingly.Yourmessagingandcontentshoulddependontheinterests,demographics,andculturewithineachsocialchannel.GoingthisextramileiswhatwillmakeyournicheSoMee?ortstrulyworthwhile.Theperksofgoingniche(andwhennotto)Gettinginonthe‘ground?oor’ofnewerplatformsmeansit’llbeeasiertorisethroughtheranksbeforetheplatformgetstoocrowded.You’llhavelesscompetitionand,therefore,moreopportunitytoreachyourintendedaudience.Furthermore,runningadsonnicheplatformsiso?enlessexpensive(againduetolesscompetition).Nottomention,newresearchindicatesthatusershaveamorepositivesentimenttowardadsonTikTokthananyotherplatform.Plus,you’llenjoyhigherlevelsoforganicsearchtra?consmallerchannels,whichhasbeenpareddownonthelargernetworks.Thatbeingsaid,it’salsoimportanttoacknowledgewhenyourbranddoesn’t

alignwithagivenplatform.Noteverycompanyneedstobeoneverysocialchannel.And,whileyoumaybeableto‘shoehornit,’thetimeande?ortprobablywon’tbeworthitifyou’renotabletoengageauthentically.Attheendoftheday,acertaindegreeofmarketingintuitionwillberequired.It’salsookaytofocusononespeci?cchannel,masteringthatspace—especiallyifit’salreadyworkingwell.Butyoushouldalwayskeepamindfuleyeoutforrisingplatformsandtakesometimetoexperimentwiththem.Remember,weliveinaneraof‘EvolveorDissolve’—andmarketingisinaconstantstateofadaptingtothelatestdevelopments.Youneverknowwhenanewcomernetworkwillturnintothenextbigthing.Or,attheveryleast,thenextbigthingforyourbrand.242021DigitalMarketingTrendsFalcon.io#2021digitaltrends“Advertisersandagenciesneedtodevelopamorequanti?edunderstandingof‘mediumasmessage’andtheimpactdi?erentmediachannelsandplatformchoicescanhaveontheirbrandgoals.”A?orkintheadvertisingroadPersonalizationhasgrownincreasinglynecessary—butwithnewdataprivacyregulations,astrategyshif?aysoonberequired.Today,personalizationplaysakeyroleinthee?ectivenesso?digital?arketingandadvertising.In?act,80%ofconsumersare?orelikelyto?akeapurchasewhentheyarepresentedwithapersonalizedexperience.Giventhis,itsee?sobviousthatbrandsshouldbedoingeverythingtheycanto?aketheiradsaspersonalizedaspossible.And?anyare—buttheco?pletepicture,especiallyinregardstothe?uture,is?oreco?plicated.WiththelatestadvancementsinAdTech(e.g.AI,MachineLearning),personalizationhasbeco?easophisticatedscience.And,whenitco?estos