Technology Trends

Marketing Technology

Marketing Technology Trends Of 2021

Q: Trend 2: Virtual Business Meetings And Events Are Here To Stay (And The Technology Used To Facilitate Them Will Get Better)

In their report, Marketing Predictions for 2021 and Beyond, Gartner's top prediction was virtual events. The report concludes that events will remain remote throughout 2021 (hooray for social distancing!). Still, more importantly, most companies will start incorporating a combination of "virtual" and "physical/real" elements to give a sense of tangibility. This hybrid strategy to virtual business meetings and events will be an innovative approach that relies on marketing technology to pull it off - like pulling a rabbit out of a magician's hat.

By TechDogs Editorial Team

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Overview

Last year, businesses across the globe were forced to rethink how they communicated with consumers owing to massive disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which was as unpredictable and shocking as Jane's death in Breaking Bad. The shift in consumer behavior was jarring, and the change in marketing approaches those businesses had to take was essential to improvise, adapt and overcome.

Marketing Technology was already transforming the way businesses operated; however, after 'pandemic' became a household word, it has become central to how businesses communicate, work, and grow. It has compelled a rapid pivot to automation, increased reliance on data-driven digital marketing, and virtual business meetings and events. We've compiled the 2021 Marketing Technology Trends using industry-leading research from top firms, including Salesforce, McKinsey, and Gartner, reflecting this enormous change.

The only constant here is "change"-ongoing and ever-present change. Martech platforms, apps, and tools have enabled businesses to adapt and thrive in this environment of continuous uncertainty. They are the key to helping companies evolve and grow through 2021.

TechDogs-Oh My! What Are They Saying About "Martech" Now?-"Marketing Technology Trends Of 2021"

2020 was a year of massive change, where we experienced unprecedented disruption in how we live, work, and communicate. Who here doesn't remember stocking up on coffee and toilet paper?! The global pandemic and resulting lockdowns also created seismic shifts in consumer behavior, forcing a monumental reimagination of how businesses operated. To this day and beyond, Covid-19 will continue to affect how companies and consumers interact, and the adoption of marketing technology will be at the forefront to drive successful business continuity.

Martech platforms, apps, and tools are enabling the much-necessary pivot to automation. They're solving the need to deliver personalized and relevant experiences by enabling data-driven marketing, sales, and customer experience approaches. They're also transforming the way we conduct business meetings and events. In short, they're expanding the possibilities of how businesses can reach out and engage with consumers in this unfamiliar landscape.

With this in mind, we've compiled a list of the top five Marketing Technological Trends for 2021 using industry-leading research from Salesforce, McKinsey, Gartner, and others. Take notes, marketers!

Trend 1: Marketing Technology Is Now A Critical Ingredient For Business Growth

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A July 2020 survey by McKinsey revealed that digitization of customer and supply-chain communication had accelerated by three years. Nearly 100% of the 899 respondents, all C-Level executives, said they had implemented new technology solutions to accommodate customer and employee needs, and they expected these changes would last long term.

McKinsey says, "To stay competitive in this new business and economic environment requires new strategies and practices. Our findings suggest that executives are taking note: most respondents recognize technology's strategic importance as a critical component of the business, not just a source of cost efficiencies." (McKinsey, 2020).

A Salesforce survey of over 7000 marketing leaders found that high-performing marketers used various digital tools and platforms to engage with customers. The data collected in early 2020 (ahh, the good ol' days) revealed that marketers planned to increase their use of various technologies in the coming year.

TechDogs’ Opinion: Businesses (who want to thrive, duh!) will continue to embrace marketing technologies throughout 2021. Marketers will get better at leveraging tools to improve customer experience, drive revenue and exploit data for marketing and growth. Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, social marketing tools, and marketing trend analytics tools will equip businesses to brave the rough seas of uncertainty.

Trend 2: Virtual Business Meetings And Events Are Here To Stay (And The Technology Used To Facilitate Them Will Get Better)

In their report, Marketing Predictions for 2021 and Beyond, Gartner's top prediction was virtual events. The report concludes that events will remain remote throughout 2021 (hooray for social distancing!). Still, more importantly, most companies will start incorporating a combination of "virtual" and "physical/real" elements to give a sense of tangibility. This hybrid strategy to virtual business meetings and events will be an innovative approach that relies on marketing technology to pull it off - like pulling a rabbit out of a magician's hat.

"60% of companies that pivoted to virtual events will incorporate real-time/real-space elements into marketing experiences." (Gartner, 2021)

Virtual events became necessary as businesses shuttered and people couldn't meet in person. Haven't we all grown comfortable logging into our Zoom rooms and Google meets in pajamas and a morning cuppa joe? Even industries that were slow to adapt to emerging technologies before 2020 (e.g., Education and Law) now see the possibilities of remote meetups. (Just make sure you turn your cat filter off before you log into your Zoom trial to avoid a total catastrophe!)

TechDogs-"Virtual Business Meetings And Events"-The Technology Used To Facilitate Them Will Get Better

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A lawyer (bottom right) appears in virtual court with a cat filter in place.

In 2020, existing platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams were retrofitted to meet the sudden demand for virtual meetings. In 2021, more media and technologies are emerging to address the growing need for more engaging virtual events.

There are some roadblocks to streamlining virtual events, though. A study by an event platform found that networking and engagement were the most significant challenges and thus incorporated features that better engage virtual attendees like moderated sessions, live-chat, gamification, and polling options. Unfortunately, there's still no feature to help the host remove the cat filter for that annoying attendee.

"Offering audio attendance could help to create new ticket opportunities for paid-for virtual events as well as giving more relaxed attendance options to those who feel overwhelmed by Zoom meetings and virtual event invites." (EventMB, 2021)

TechDogs’ Opinion: Virtual business meetings and events will evolve in 2021, becoming hybrid in-person/remote experiences. Events that remain entirely virtual will need to be more engaging. As marketers learn what works (and doesn't), they will leverage robust event management platforms that take advantage of the unique benefits inherent in an all-digital environment (e.g., audio-only events).

Trend 3: Data Unification Will Be Key To Building Successful Marketing, Sales And Customer Experience (CX) Approaches

TechDogs -"Data Unification"- Key To Build Successful Marketing, Sales And Customer Experience (CX) Approaches

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B2C and B2B marketers today are adopting a data-driven, omnichannel approach for all their marketing initiatives. In their 2021 Marketing Predictions Report, Gartner suggests that by 2025, 60% of B2C brands will adopt a multichannel approach to marketing. Consumers' increasingly channel-agnostic behavior is driving this trend. Heck, Toyota, to provide a seamless buying experience to its consumers, is even active on Reddit! Talk about being everywhere - computer, mobile device, or the store.

We like interacting with businesses across various channels and devices, and we expect them to respond with personalized, appropriate and timely interactions. This, however, requires "de-siloing" of data for businesses. Tools like Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) enable companies to create a unified customer and prospect database that can leverage with other platforms.

Salesforce’s data backs up this trend, which showed that businesses expanded across every digital channel—from websites to email to mobile apps—in 2020 versus 2018.

"Omni-channel marketing is not new, but it's never been more relevant. Today's customers - whether buying for themselves or on behalf of their companies - hop from channel to channel throughout their days." (Salesforce, 2020)

TechDogs’ Opinion: Omnichannel marketing requires data unification. Businesses that don't have a comprehensive data management and data unification strategy in place will need to create one in 2021. (Better put that on your to-do list.) To that end, marketing technologies that facilitate the storage, management, sharing, and analysis of customer data, which also provide unified business insights, will be at the top of every marketer's list this year.

Trend 4: Extended Reality (XR) Will Dominate The Marketing Landscape In 2021

Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) have come together to create one mind-blowing new buzzword-Extended Reality (XR). Say what?! Extended reality is the catch-all term for all forms of immersive reality. Yes, now reality can be whatever you want.

Market intelligence provider TrendForce reported that 5.5 million AR/VR units were sold in 2020 alone. Knowing this, it won't be surprising to note that the XR market is expected to grow to $18 billion by 2023 from its current $12 billion evaluation.

Examples of XR technologies include immersive video game experience using a VR headset (e.g., Oculus Quest) and 360-degree videos that enable consumers to "try before they buy, "-a tactic used by eyeglass retailer Zenni.

TechDogs -"Extended Reality" - To Dominate The Marketing Landscape In 2021

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Zenni's AR try-on app, shown above, allows users to upload a photo of themselves to view glasses on their faces from different angles. Now, we can finally accomplish our childhood dream of trying on the signature Harry Potter glasses!

Michael Georgiou of Forbes writes, "There's a lot that you can do using XR. As you evolve your marketing tactics, consider creating campaigns based on 360-degree videos, launching virtual stores, showrooms, VR/AR apps, and organizing virtual events.” (Georgiou, 2021)

Recently, HBO hosted exclusive virtual reality events on VRChat, a social VR platform, which transported Lovecraft Country fans into a universe inspired by the show. Imagine seeing Shoggoth, the massive monster with razor-sharp teeth from the series, as if it were right in front of you - or maybe not!

TechDogs’ Opinion: Over the past few years, AR/VR has been embraced by consumers. From in-person shopping-like experiences to enhancing entertainment, these technologies are being widely adopted today. Marketers, spurred by consumer interest and advancements in XR technology, will continue using it to enhance consumer experience across different market sectors like e-commerce, travel, real estate, and more. XR will also play a role in enhancing virtual events.

Trend 5: Marketing, Sales And Customer Experience (CX) Teams Will Merge

TechDogs- "Marketing, Sales And Customer Experience"- 2D Image Where It Shows Teams Will Merge

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One of Gartner's top predictions suggests that marketing, sales, and CX (customer experience) will combine into one unified team (much like The Avengers, but then there will always be a "Loki" - just kidding!), a trend we already saw in the B2B space before the pandemic. By 2025, Gartner notes, 25% of organizations will have integrated marketing, sales, and CX into a team of superheroes. Platforms such as Marketo, HubSpot, and Salesforce are driving this trend, enabling sales and marketing teams to combine content, customer data, and campaign performance reports in one place. (To the Avengers Compound, everyone!)

"Cost constraints and overlapping functional activities will drive amalgamation aimed at reducing duplicative efforts and standardizing and centralizing operations across marketing, sales and customer experience (CX)." (Gartner, 2021)

While marketing and sales alignment are typically associated with B2B, it's an extension of the omnichannel trend that impacts B2C businesses. You can deliver a top-notch customer experience only when your marketing coupled with technology, marketing activity, and sales teams have assembled. It would help if you had all the relevant sections (and, of course, a cat lawyer) working on a common goal, and that requires collaboration.

TechDogs’ Opinion: Platforms that combine CRM and sales data, while enabling content creation, management and sharing will be integral tools in 2021. These platforms enable segmentation of customers and prospects, automate rote tasks and push personalized content to users which improves overall customer experience (and might just help us all from dying of boredom!).

Conclusion

Technology is the foundation for effective sales, marketing, and CX strategies-from data management to personalization to collaboration and communication. Businesses need to proactively identify and devise new strategies to engage with consumers while managing their brand. Post the commencement of the pandemic, accelerated digital transformation in the marketing, social media efforts, brand purpose, brand awareness space has become increasingly important.

The following year will see increased adoption of tools that facilitate and automate every marketing process. We will also see a continuation (and embracing of) of new business approaches that build on traditional strategies. Hopefully, we will see the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics soon because we need a good sporting event that brings us together, don't we?

As the Tokyo Olympics mascots Miraitowa and Someity might say,

“すぐに来て、私たちはあなたを待っています”

(For those who can’t read Japanese - “Come soon, we are waiting for you”).

The key takeaway here is that businesses having a comprehensive data strategy in place and an arsenal of tools in their tech stack will be poised to weather the ever-shifting consumer behavior as our daily life is far from the pre-pandemic norm.

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Marketing Technology Trends 2021 Marketing Technology Trends Martech Trends 2021 Martech Trends Marketing Trends 2021 Marketing Trends Business Growth Virtual Business Meetings Data Unification Omni-Channel Marketing Extended Reality

Join The Discussion

Marketing Technology Trends Of 2021

Trend 1: Marketing Technology Is Now A Critical Ingredient For Business Growth

Trend 2: Virtual Business Meetings And Events Are Here To Stay (And The Technology Used To Facilitate Them Will Get Better)

Trend 3: Data Unification Will Be Key To Building Successful Marketing, Sales And Customer Experience (CX) Approaches

Trend 4: Extended Reality (XR) Will Dominate The Marketing Landscape In 2021

Trend 5: Marketing, Sales And Customer Experience (CX) Teams Will Merge

Conclusion

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