Guest contribution by Lis Anderson
When it comes to marketing, 2020 led us to be agile and consider our creativity. As we listen to our target audience and measure the success of everything we do, it remains vital for us to test the waters of new approaches in order to stay competitive. Here are five things to try in 2021:
Balance ad spend with a robust content marketing strategy
Content marketing is a very effective way to build relationships with your target audience. It can help you build a sense of goodwill and loyalty to your brand. At a time when we’re exposed to thousands of ads every day, content marketing is more likely to get your audience noticed than talked about you. you talk about her.
Your content strategy should be informed with in-depth knowledge about your target group, what makes them tick and what current weaknesses and insect bears they have. Your content marketing should then be designed to support your audience and make them feel part of your community.
You can make your work harder by customizing it for each of your different marketing channels like your website, email, and social media. It’s also a great way to expand your reach by appearing on credible third-party media. This is also known as “earned media”.
Try paid channels to reuse your content
Content marketing is very effective when used in your own and earned media channels. But if direct leads are the primary goal, why not try some sponsored content? This is a way to target an audience they’re already looking at, and a great way to reuse your existing content.
It’s a guaranteed method of getting noticeable, but not as disruptive as other forms of paid advertising, so it offers a higher level of engagement. If you use LinkedIn for your sponsored content, you can add a lead generation form when you set up the campaign. This can turn your content into a new business funnel by providing the contact details of those who want to learn more about your new business team.
Host a monthly webinar
Digital video may not replace face-to-face contact in the long run, after all, it will be difficult to replace these vital non-verbal cues, but recent events have certainly made digital interactions more meaningful. Grow your content marketing strategy and demonstrate your industry knowledge and connections by hosting regular webinars.
Whether you run them monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly, think about the topics ahead of time and promote them through your website and social media channels. This is a great way to increase credibility and build brand loyalty.
Ask some independent industry experts to talk about a selected topic instead of just worrying about you. This should rarely come with a fee as you are providing a platform for them that is mutually beneficial. The most important thing to remember is to think about what can be stopping your audience from doing it. If you provide expert advice or help solve a specific problem they face, they will most likely return for more.
Get Podcasting
In 2020, approximately 15.6 million people listened to podcasts, a number up from the previous year. It has become a place where listeners engage, learn, and grow. For industry professionals, they are an effective way to build a deeper relationship with an audience and attract new listeners.
The long format of a podcast allows you to spend more time with your audience. Therefore, it’s perfect when your products and services are quite complex to understand and you need a platform that allows deeper involvement to make your messages effective.
Similar to webinars, the involvement of other experts in your industry really makes your content stand out and believable to a wider audience. Podcasts are inexpensive to create and can be promoted in a variety of ways to reach new audiences.
Channels like iTunes and Apple are gaining traction, but what about targeting your major industry media? Many online media now either have their own podcast or support external ones. And then there are your own platforms to really shout about it.
Paid socially
If you’re a retail brand, you can’t ignore paid social networks in 2021. As more of our lives exist on social media, social commerce continues to grow. Facebook and Instagram offer several paid options.
In addition to banner and timeline advertisements pointing to your website, they have now enabled a consumer to shop through you without leaving the platform. This means that you can continue to produce engaging content on your social media platforms that will suit your audience’s interests, but also sell seamlessly through them. With other forms of paid advertising declining, paid social advertising may be an effective sales route for you in 2021.
It’s easy to settle for your marketing and fall back on the best practices. However, in order to gain a competitive advantage and reach new audiences, it is more important than ever to test the waters of new marketing approaches. With an effective measurement, trying something new and failing isn’t a complete mistake – it’s just a chance to refine your approach. The worst thing you can do is not try!