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Five Challenges Facing Marketers in 2021

September 28, 2021

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Adapting to the new normal may prove to be the ultimate test in 2021, as both customers and marketers are now facing new challenges and dealing with new shopping habits. Consumer habits have not changed temporarily in response to the pandemic, but rather, it seems that many of these changes are here to stay, at least until the crisis ends. With so many new issues now on everyone’s mind, it may be difficult to distinguish between small problems and challenges that have the potential to disrupt digital marketing for years to come. 

Digital marketing has always been an industry for new tools, innovative technologies, and novel challenges, but the COVID-19 pandemic has also accelerated the pace for marketers across the world. With many brick-and-mortar stores closing, and traditional marketing strategies disrupted, digitalization quickly became necessary for most businesses. However, as the healthcare crisis continued to grow in scale, marketers also started to face additional problems. Not only have consumer habits changed, but it also seems increasingly difficult to build and boost client trust, communicate the most important news during a global crisis, and find the best tools available to build a successful digital marketing campaign. 

Marketers everywhere are now facing multiple issues that are likely to change both their plans and the future of their brands. However, the first step in dealing with these issues might be choosing which battles to fight. Here are some of the most pressing challenges faced by marketers in 2021:

The COVID-19 Pandemic

While vaccines and treatments have already changed the course of the crisis, different variants of the virus are giving people a new cause for concern. Tracking the new variants is now more important than ever, as these variants could bring transformations that may affect the virus’s properties—changing the way it spreads or the severity of the illnesses it causes. New variants also have the potential to reduce the efficacy of vaccines, the medicines used to treat the disease, as well as the public health and social measures designed to contain the pandemic. That is why marketers worldwide should follow the news and regularly check updates about the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Consumer Habits

The pandemic has dramatically changed the way people across the world live, work, and shop. With multiple long-term trends now accelerated and digitization also becoming a more important part of people’s daily lives, it may be safe to assume that some of the more substantial changes are here to stay. Multiple habits formed during the crisis will probably last more than the crisis itself, changing beliefs, attitudes, and performances across different industries. According to a new study, 85.9% of US and UK consumers plan to continue shopping as they had during the COVID-19 pandemic, although many brick-and-mortar stores are now open. 

Sharing Information Effectively

After more than a year and a half of fighting the pandemic and keeping up with the news, it’s important to provide potential customers with relevant, useful information that will ultimately make them come back for more. A useful website backed by multiple SEO tools is mandatory, and so is updating social media accounts with necessary information. With careful keyword research and good optimization practices, marketers can help their brands achieve high rankings in the major search engines without exposing their potential clients to information fatigue

Adjusting Strategies

Marketers should always monitor SEO progress and social media performances, and adjust their strategies after checking the results. Not only is the success of an SEO or social media campaign measured in results, but so may be that of a future campaign that could depend on making the right adjustments. Furthermore, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt industries and behaviors globally, results are now more difficult to predict—regardless of prior experience. Evolving situations often demand strategy adjustments, and nowhere is this more applicable than in digital marketing: an industry that supports the fastest and most flexible in adapting to changes.

Choosing the Right Tools and Technologies

While the COVID-19 pandemic did prompt many businesses to go digital in 2020, not all brands know how to choose the right digital tools. It’s up to marketers to make sure that their brands invest the money wisely by choosing the best technologies available to fit their specific needs. While virtual events and influencer marketing might be the best options for certain brands, some may also need artificial intelligence (AI) tools to promote existing products and services, create new products and services, or develop better relationships with their customers.

Marketers in the US and abroad are already facing numerous challenges in 2021 and will continue to encounter hurdles thereafter. However, with new technologies now easily available, and important progress already made in fighting COVID-19, the future seems bright for those who are not afraid of overcoming the obstacles ahead.