When we compiled our list of 2020 marketing tactics at the end of 2019, no one had any idea what was really in store for the year to come. Now, we know 2021 will continue to see ripple effects from the pandemic and, even when it’s over, consumer behavior will never go back entirely to the way it was before.
11 of the best ways to market your business in 2021
The following list provides insights into many strategies you've already heard of, including SEO, customer retention, ecommerce, and video and influencer marketing. It also includes new strategies related to cookieless advertising and privacy changes, as well as new approaches to help you cater to the new COVID-weary and social change-conscious consumer of 2021. No matter the strategy, the idea is the same: to market personally and value your customers, but also efficiently so you can save time, scale up, and keep running your day-to-day.
1. Optimize for Google’s next update
With Google’s Page Experience Update coming in May 2021, new metrics called Core Web Vitals—which will measure site load time, interactivity and content stability—will start to impact overall search rankings.
“Pages and elements must load fast and not leave users waiting,” said Lee Savery, content executive at digital agency Ricemedia. “The delay before a first input must be very short, allowing users to interact with pages as fast as possible. There mustn't be any unexpected changes in layout while users load and scroll the page. Not addressing these elements could lead to your site dropping fast.”
2. Prepare for the end of third-party cookies
2021 will also be the year marketers prepare for two big changes to come in 2022: the end of third-party cookies and new privacy regulations in California.
“We have to get comfortable with privacy-first data collection practices. That means focusing on list-building and developing one-to-one relationships with customers,” said Harry Maugans, CEO of consumer privacy service Privacy Bee. “Make sure that your campaigns in 2021 help you build your first-party data so you rely less on Other People's Data.” The death of third-party cookies will change how digital ads are targeted and tracked, but Dave Toby, director of digital marketing agency Pathfinder Alliance, said there’s still “considerable confusion about how campaigns will be affected.” In addition to getting comfortable with privacy-first data collection practices, brands will also have to build their own data collection infrastructure to comply with coming regulations in 2021.
3. Foster first-party relationships
In 2021, having direct relationships with customers will be even more important as the online landscape becomes even more cluttered with brands trying to reach digital consumers. But it will also be important because one-to-one relationships mean brands can personalize content for better experiences. Houman Akhavan, CMO of CarParts.com, said a first-party data strategy yielded “incredible results” in 2020, including “record conversions.”
“A critical part of this first-party data strategy has been using the correct customer data platform technology—one that is scalable to process millions of records of customer insights, including real-time signals that must be acted upon immediately before they go stale,” he said. “Thus far, leveraging our customer data platform has allowed us to generate over a quarter billion personalized one-to-one messages. We’ve seen our click-through rates increase by as much as 400% and our email revenue has doubled.”
4. Focus on customer retention
And for brands struggling to recover from the events of 2020, focusing on existing customers may be wise.
“In an uncertain economy, most brands—especially niche retailers— should focus on existing customers,”
For his part, Jim Pendergast, SVP of commercial financing platform AltLine, expects to see B2C brands emphasize mobile marketing for customer retention. “Think things like personalized push notifications on smartphones and loyalty incentives if you download mobile apps to shop or transact in directly,” he said. "Keeping existing customers happy is cheaper than acquiring new ones because brands have bypassed the early stages of the customer journey and have more data to work with for personalized messaging," Pendergast added.
6. Follow statements of purpose with action
“After the murder of George Floyd and the global human rights outcry we saw in late May, companies and brands will need to continue their promise towards inclusion and cultural competency efforts,” said Tara Miremadi, digital brand manager at health and fitness marketing agency Margaux Agency. “Many statements were released, but the key for brands looking to solidify their relationship with consumers is how they follow through with continued action.
7. Build trust
Meanwhile, the pandemic accelerated a trend in which consumers are looking to spend money with brands that not only share their values, but brands they trust.
“As consumers have become even more selective of where they spend their money, they want to know the businesses they support have their best interests in mind,” said Colin Palfrey, CMO of espresso equipment retailer Majesty Coffee. “Building trust doesn't require a big budget. All you have to do is make a promise to your customers and keep it.” Mark Wood, CEO of glass fence manufacturer National Pool Fences, agreed brands have to focus their messaging on giving consumers peace of mind—even after the vaccine.
8. Grow communities
In addition to demonstrating they are trustworthy, brands should foster communities of loyal customers in 2021.
“The notion of community building isn't novel, but brands in 2021 need to understand that loyalty is coming back and brands that know what it is their customers want, as well as how to engage them through transparency and humility, is what will become the difference maker,” said SEO consultant Itamar Blauer. “Their existing customer base has come this far with them throughout the pandemic—it’s stable to some extent,” she said. “By switching from customer support to a customer success strategy, a business can ensure that customers receive maximum value from a product.
9. Optimize for voice search
We’ve seen voice search in previous year-end predictions. However, 2021 may be the year it really takes off as consumers used their voice-enabled devices more while they were at home during the pandemic.
10. Lean into local SEO
Speaking of which, local SEO is another marketing strategy to make a repeat appearance on this list. This time, it’s because brands can update their Google Business Profiles via their Google My Business Accounts to include pandemic-friendly details like online appointments and curbside pickup and delivery, said Sarah Blocksidge, marketing manager at digital marketing agency Sixth City Marketing.
11. Go casual in social videos
Mark Hayes, head of marketing at video-based advice platform Kintell, noted TikTok has over 500 million users and is available in more than 150 global markets. It has also spurred copycats like Instagram’s Reels, which launched in August 2020. (Twitter’s Fleets, which came out in November 2020, offers similar 24-hour-only video capabilities.)
“While video content has a certain expectation to be high quality, Reels owns a unique territory where they don't have to be beautifully shot or exceptionally designed to gain attention,” she said.
Courtesy: business consultancy in lahore
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