As we’ve wrapped up the strangest year in recent memory, I think everyone wants to put a bow on 2020 and leave it in the past. Many people make New Year’s resolutions; for some, it’s to get on a regular exercise plan, start a new diet, or make a goal to quit a bad habit. We use it as an opportunity to focus on improving ourselves. The same can be said for businesses. Business owners work with their leadership teams to look at what worked and what didn’t during the previous year, then make plans for improvement. 

Here are 3 steps you can begin to implement to improve your marketing strategy in 2021:

Keep Everything up to Date

The pandemic has been frustrating for businesses and the public. What restaurants are open? What restaurants are only doing take-out? Is this store really open until 9 pm? Is it worth driving 15 minutes across town to potentially be disappointed? You could inadvertently be driving your customers away by not providing them with the most up to date information. Let’s use a restaurant as an example:

You and your significant other are going out for the evening and want to get some tex-mex for dinner. Chips and queso sounds amazing (it always does). You Google the restaurant you want to go to; it says they are open until 10 pm on both their website and their Google My Business page, so you head over there. You get there and find a sign on the door saying they are only providing take-out orders due to a positive COVID case. 

Situations such as this can be quite frustrating for customers. Frustrated customers are not ideal for the health of a business. The customer should always be top priority. Not just by saying they are the priority, but by going above and beyond to over communicate and to make them feel cared for. Communication is key for the health of any relationship and that includes the relationship between a business and its customers. 

Review Which Social Media Platform Works Best for You

People will tell you that you need to be on “x” social media platform, or else you’re missing out on a captive audience. While that may be true, understanding what kind of consumers are on each social media platform is essential in deciding which platforms you should focus on.

Choosing to focus on a platform(s) that your customers and, maybe even, employees seem to engage the most on can be beneficial in several ways. Positive engagement on your social platform will lead to more business. Encourage the customers you know are happy with your product/service to leave reviews. Positive reviews draw in more customers and they are great for SEO! When your employees like, comment, and share posts made by the company it gives off the perception that your company is a desirable place to work. 

For B2B (business to business) businesses, Facebook and LinkedIn are what you are looking for. Everyone is on Facebook, be on Facebook. LinkedIn can be a great networking opportunity for you and your C-Level employees to communicate with potential clients and vendors. 

For B2C (business to consumers) businesses, Instagram and TikTok are the way to go. Creating visually appealing content that: generates interest, has a link to a shop, or a good landing page can be a game-changer for your product. For more information on how you can capitalize in this space, check out our blog on Instagram Reels.

Post One Video a Week

This one can be the most daunting out of all of the resolutions. Many people dread being in front of a camera, but posting a video doesn’t mean you have to be on camera. For instance, if you own a winery, you could post a short 10-15 second video of labels being printed onto your bottles. Or if you own a gym, you can show one of your personal trainers working with a client on a muscle group they’ve been struggling with. The video will do the talking, and the caption of the post can say something like, “Client X has been working with personal trainer Y for 3 months and has already lost 10 pounds and 4 inches off their waist! Way to go X!”.

If you do choose to go on camera, or have someone speak on camera, make sure you follow these tips and tricks to ensure you are making the most out of the equipment you have.

Don’t break this marketing diet after 2 weeks! Communicate, engage, and focus on creating interesting content like your pocket depends on it.