It would be somewhat of an understatement to say the current COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the business world into disarray. In response to the restrictions and limitations imposed on businesses, more goods and services are moving online than ever before, and more people will continue to work remotely or in a hybrid setting for the foreseeable future. 

With that said, businesses have had plenty of time to adapt and respond to the challenges brought about by the current global situation, which means we now have an insight into the marketing strategies that are operating and succeeding in the "new normal."

In this interview, we sit down with digital marketing maestro Jesse Willms and discuss the top digital marketing trends for 2021 and how businesses must adapt in moving forward given the current circumstances.

Can you talk a bit about your history and how you got into digital marketing?

My first digital marketing experience came about when I decided to sell the books I had finished reading on the internet. Before long, I got a taste for it and quickly scaled the business and began making a decent income from my efforts.

Following that, I shifted my focus to computer applications. It was here that I started to understand my true potential as a marketer, and using the expertise I had acquired during my bookselling endeavor, the computer software business ended up being a huge success. 

It wasn't long until I dropped out of school to fulfill my marketing and entrepreneurship ambitions. In just one year of selling computer applications online, I sold more than $40 million worth of products which set me on course for the career I find myself in now.

How much of an effect has Covid-19 had on the digital marketing industry?

As we have all witnessed, consumer behavior shifted significantly towards online purchases as millions of people remained quarantined, unable to work, and forced into isolation, causing many e-commerce companies' stocks to skyrocket. 

As a result, COVID-19 has been a huge triumph for some companies in the industries where the business is booming, albeit in a rather bittersweet scenario. Others have experienced a series of unfortunate setbacks and have suffered disastrous consequences from which many will not recover from. 

However, the businesses that failed to change with the times and shift to online engagements, regardless of industry, we're very likely to lose out to their competitors.

Can you give us an insight into any future trends you can foresee in 2021?

The most difficult task for marketers in the coming year will be determining which current customer behaviors are fleeting and which are permanent. Despite the global landscape being unpredictable, brands continue to be adamant that social, search, and video will be the most important digital growth drivers in the market.

As for particular trends, I expect that brand image and the portrayed values of each business to be more critical than ever. People are curious about a company's position on topics such as the economy, sustainability, and global cultural movements. Consumers are becoming much more conscious of the brands they are buying from, so we should expect brand transparency to increase as well as customer engagement over social channels.

Although, it's important we recognize that nobody knows how long this current situation will last or what the outcome will be when a solution is finally found. This means that all businesses would benefit from embracing change and doing what they can to digitize themselves. 

This involves migrating products and services to digital platforms and rebudgeting ad-spend on digital strategies and away from traditional media methods. Digital advertising spend is expected to account for at least 51% of all ad expenditure in 2021 as open-source software and easy-to-use editing tools have made it as simple as ever for business owners to create their own creative ad campaigns.

If one thing is for sure, digital marketers should proceed to improvise with the current circumstances, seizing the opportunity as consumers from all over the globe continue to turn to online purchasing. 

As an expert digital marketer, what advice would you give to the up-and-comers in the industry?

People tend to look at digital marketing in a one-dimensional aspect. I'm talking about the people that see marketing as a means to attract new customers, and that's it. However, most business professionals are aware that retaining an existing customer is far more beneficial to a business than finding a new one. 

What is the rationale for this? Customer acquisition is expensive, and based on the campaign's nature, approaches like social media ads and SEO marketing can result in a high cost per lead. Of course, this is an oversimplification because this is not true for all industries. With that said, you should expect to see customer satisfaction and brand loyalty become even more of a top priority for companies looking to capitalize on the shortcomings of their rivals.

To hear more stories like this, connect with Jesse through his website or on his social media channels on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin.