While 2020 has come to an end, it’s fair to assume that the new year may hold onto the same stresses and forced changes the last one challenged us with. Even so, it’s time to push forward and keep your sights on better times ahead. At Zero Gravity Marketing (ZGM), we believe the best way to do so is by setting your business up with a strong plan for success. Gain insight on the benefits of a marketing strategy and why you need one for 2021:
Pay-Per-Click Is a Cost-Effective Way to Gain Traffic
If you haven’t used Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising in the past, consider it now. It’s an effective way to get your brand out there and attract more people to your site. The beauty of PPC is you set your budget and only pay when a user reaches your website, so it’s a fantastic value for your money. You have complete control of how much you want to spend, and that amount can be changed at any time. It also targets the audience you want to reach by allowing demographics to be set, such as location, language, and device.
Search Engine Optimization Is A Powerful Tool
The companies that have continued to thrive in 2021 have a strong search engine optimization (SEO) plan. A great place to start is by looking at what worked well in the past and what didn’t. To view this data, you should reach out to SEO specialists to complete an audit. This will help you understand your website rankings better, how well your keywords are performing, and identifying holes in your SEO strategies. If you find this confusing, take time to better educate yourself by reading articles, listening to podcasts, and asking the SEO strategists you’re working with for more information.
Content Plays a Crucial Role in a Successful Strategy
Start by defining your purpose. Is your main goal in creating great content to increase brand awareness, convert users, or attract past customers? Create a plan that ensures your audience’s questions are answered. You want to build trust and connect with your clients to generate leads. Make your content creation the piece of your marketing plan that consistently defines who you are and the expertise you bring to your industry.
Influencer Marketing Can Bring Measurable Results
The best results when implementing influencer marketing come from setting goals for why you want to use influencers. Start by asking yourself how they will bring your business results. Whether that be an increase in brand awareness and social engagement or conversion-driven through increases in sales and site traffic, determine which key performance indicators (KPI) you’ll use to measure success. Select an influencer tool or agency partner who can help find you micro- or macro-influencers that align with your goals and brand. This is to solidify strong partnerships and relationships for you long-term.
Influencer marketing is growing significantly in 2021 because social users look for genuine, trustworthy people to follow for feedback on products and services. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, for every $1 that brands spend on influencers, they are getting a return on investment (ROI) of $5.78.
To gain measurable results, work with a partner that understands how to look for an influencer that fits your needs and perfectly matches your brand with people whose audiences will resonate with your messages. They should know what content and messaging would work best for your unique social audiences to align your influencer’s and your own future campaign to be in a position for success.
Email Marketing Matters
Email marketing may have been around for more than three decades, but it is stronger today than ever before. Here are three crucial things to remember when you craft your emails:
- Keep it personal. Make the user feel as though the email was written just for them. Ensure the content closely matches their interests before they even open it.
- Plan to see a lot more text-only emails in 2021. Not every email has to include GIFs and eye-catching images. This, again, makes for a hyper-personal feel that customers appreciate. Think “letter style” written just for them.
- Consider interactive emails this year. Give your subscribers the ability to view products, shop, and explore additional content straight from your email. Make it easy for the visitor to take the one-stop-shop approach by making it easy for them to add to their cart directly, book a room, or take a quiz.
The Power of Social Media Is Here to Stay
Social media may have changed over the past few years, but it isn’t going anywhere. More than just a trend, social media is a powerful tool for connecting with users. Conversational marketing continues to grow as a way for clients and brands to engage and build relationships. Simply posting and hoping for the best is no longer an effective strategy. Users are looking for a two-way conversation about important topics, especially during the trying times we are faced with today.
As often as possible, use chatbots, live video-streaming platforms, and social channels to connect personally and show the brand’s human side. Be genuine and as transparent as possible about your product or service, as well as your pricing structure.
Visitors are more socially conscious than ever before and want to engage in conversation surrounding key topics such as mental health and education. Be aware that people are searching for brands that express values that are in line with theirs and avoid brands that do not.
Predict the Unpredictable in 2021
If 2020 has taught marketers anything, predicting consumer behavior isn’t easy, especially when facing significant changes in the way society operates. However, we have seen that the companies pushing through challenging times are those who have stayed flexible. Create marketing calendars that can be easily altered when trends and events change and foster transparency to maintain trust with your clients. We don’t know what 2021 will hold in the industry, but if you make room to pivot and modify your marketing strategy when necessary, your business will continue to see success.
Don’t go into 2021 alone; Zero Gravity Marketing has the tools and experience you need to figure out where you have been successful in the past and improve other areas for the future. Reach out to ZGM today to get started on your 2021 marketing strategy!
