We all know that 2020 has been a little bit of a whirlwind (to say the least). And while it’s thrown plenty of curveballs our way, it has also provided us with plenty of valuable lessons.

We all know that 2020 has been a little bit of a whirlwind (to say the least). And while it’s thrown plenty of curveballs our way, it has also provided us with plenty of valuable lessons.

Here, we’re providing an insight into what this year has taught us about digital marketing.

With respect to some of the major events of 2020, we’ve seen an increased importance of brand purpose and voice; politically, environmentally and socially. However, both purpose and voice must remain authentic to brands in order to effectively boost awareness and followers, and drive traffic and sales. Posting about a social issue is one thing, but showing followers what you’re actually doing about it is another. Brands should listen, identify and engage with what matters to both employees and customers in order to drive brand advocacy. Brands, now more than ever, have to align in values and morals to have an impact.

Be aware of what’s going on in the world, get involved in conversations and show that you care. These three points are what every brand must be considering as we enter this new age of social media – an age in which social media is more than just selfies and statuses, it’s about significant social issues. Social media has stimulated the prevalence of such issues, and has played a huge role in worldwide movements. As a result, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that social media users actually care about what’s happening around them – so brands need to step up their game too. On top of this, being human is key. We’re over the days of having faceless digital presences, people want to know who they’re interacting with online.

We all know to keep the consumer at the heart of everything we do, but 2020 has magnified this. Whether it’s through paid ads, social copy or blog content – target consumers want to feel seen, heard and valued. Instead of just appearing in the right place at the right time, the focus has shifted to appearing in the right place, at the right time, for all the right reasons.

Brands should not only be looking to get with the trends, they should be taking advantage of said trends like there’s no other option. Because there kind of isn’t anymore. With the rise of TikTok (and off of the back of that IG Reels) and Pinterest – both of which have experienced accelerated growth and significant uptake in performance this past year, brands should be encouraged to explore new marketing outlets to reach and interact with new audiences and explore new content styles. It’s imperative to be part of the community, as well as being ahead of the curve of this new wave of digital marketing.

We won’t tell you all about the so-called ‘death of the high street’, we’re sure you’ve heard enough about it already. However we will say this – it might be an obvious one, but 2020 has changed how users shop, converting in-store purchases to online. This poses the opportunity and importance to trial new placements such as Facebook Shops which enables the user to browse and make in-app purchases seamlessly. If businesses aren’t adapting and evolving in line with the latest features, and to put it bluntly – in line with everyone else, then they risk falling behind. And in this always-on, constantly-evolving, endlessly-innovating landscape we are now so prominently a part of – falling behind is a risk that nobody wants to take.