In recent years, we have seen technological and scientific advances due to an increasingly globalized world and connected to the Internet and the way people relate to products and services is not the same as decades ago.

In response, the market has been working to meet the demands of an increasingly demanding public. Outdated sales techniques have lost space for smart solutions designed for the consumer and a good example of this are marketing strategies. But, after all, what is marketing, how has it evolved over the years and how can companies keep up with these transformations? Find out with us and stay on top of marketing trends for 2021!

CONCEPTING MARKETING

In general, marketing is a set of processes aimed at winning and retaining customers, that is, generating value for a target audience, and its objectives go far beyond converting sales for a company.

Understanding how marketing has evolved and how it has been used today is an opportunity to rethink the strategies, goals and objectives of a business, following trends in the segment and creating your own space in the market.

Philip Kotler, one of the pioneers of studies on the subject, divides the evolution of marketing into four eras, from Marketing 1.0 to Marketing 4.0, and each of these phases is marked by progress.

MARKETING 1.0: FOCUS ON PRODUCT

It is not known for sure when marketing came into being, but its concept, as we know it today, came to be outlined shortly after the First Industrial Revolution. At the time, the companies' objective was to produce on a large scale with a focus on their own production, since the scenario was of little competition and the customer was still naive in relation to consumption practices.

During Marketing 1.0, the strategies that became popular were word-of-mouth marketing, product distribution on shelves and the creation of labels.

MARKETING 2.0: CONSUMER IS THE PROTAGONIST

It was in the 70s that Marketing 2.0 started to gain space. The great evolution is the change in the company's mindset, which in addition to having a quality product, also needed to deliver functional and emotional value to consumers. Awakening emotions in the customer has become the goal of many businesses.

In the 90s, the segmentation of a target audience started to become more valued and companies started to think about specific actions for each type of customer. Consequently, some concepts like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) started to emerge.

MARKETING 3.0: VALUES MATTER

The 21st century started differently from all others, with more aware people and changing their shopping habits. In addition to being part of the Digital Age, Marketing 3.0 gave companies a little push to think about solutions to society's problems. Having a purpose, mission, vision and values ​​and putting them into practice became the focus of the strategy.

This era is connected to Digital Marketing and strategies such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Marketing, Inbound Marketing and Social Media are the main highlights. On websites and blogs, the most participative and collaborative user is the central agent

MARKETING 4.0: INTERNET AS ALLY

Marketing 4.0 is 100% focused on the internet and the digital environment. Consumers no longer have time to waste, so developing relevant and personalized content is the best way to bring them together.

In this era, the great challenge is to think digitally, which requires preparation, agility and connectivity. To achieve this goal, strategies such as Artificial Intelligence and Big Data. 

MAIN MARKETING TRENDS FOR 2021

There is no way to think about 2021 without remembering the challenges of the previous year, marked by the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic. Due to social isolation and economic uncertainties, all sectors of the economy had to adapt and this was the moment to think: "How to reach my client without leaving home?"

The pandemic accelerated movements that were evolving at a rapid pace. The central question still remains, but it is possible to include marketing strategies to strengthen your business and reach your customer assertively, wherever he is. We have listed for you the main marketing trends to keep an eye on in 2021:

Customer Experience (CX): 

The idea of ​​Customer Experience (CX) comes from the concept of User Experience (UX) and is about making sure the customer has a unique experience when consuming your product or service, increasing the chance of loyalty. It is the entire relationship process of before, during and after consumer contact with the brand.

SEO

SEO is one of the main trends for this year and it is about the technique of optimizing and leveraging websites in order to position them on the first pages of search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing.

Chatbots

Chatbots are software developed to automate conversations and simulate human service interacting with the customer. They streamline processes in the most diverse areas and have the main advantage of reducing operating costs.

Voice search

ComScore estimates that this year, at least 50% of internet searches are done by voice. The functionality aims to facilitate the user experience when performing a search, because instead of typing he can only speak. 

Lives and webinars

Videos were already a trend, but live broadcasts will become even more popular in 2021 due to the need to promote personal and remote meetings.

Data Driven Marketing

Also known as Data Driven Marketing, Data Driven Marketing is a strategy that uses consumer data to guide the decision making of a business, which may include approaches such as market research, automation, analysis, among others.  

Marketing Automation

Automating actions and processes in the marketing area, such as triggering e-mail, using chatbots and scheduling posts, without losing the personalized relationship with the customer, is also a strong trend for 2021 and the gain in productivity and agility are its main benefits.

Integration

It is not possible to achieve success with marketing strategies without integrating your company's channels. Social media, websites, blogs, chatbots, among others, need to speak the same language to strengthen your brand image.

Now that you've read a little about the evolution of marketing and the main trends in the area for this year, further improve your knowledge about Marketing Digital. 

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