If you are still having a hard time deciding on your marketing priorities you came to the right place. Hopefully, by the end of this blog post, you will have a clearer vision and at least an idea of how to proceed with your digital activities and marketing in 2021. Let’s dive in!
- Pay your dues in regards to SEO
- Choose one or two social platforms and go to work
- Use paid social
- Bet on long-term practices
- Grow your tribe and work on retention
- Start a podcast
- Explore content marketing (video and live videos)
- Pay your dues in regards to SEO
You need, need, need to put in the time, work, and budget to get your A-game when we talk about SEO. What the global lockdown taught us is that it takes very little for the internet and search engines to become the only method for everyone to get information, shop, and entertain.
Granted SEO is not the quickest of marketing tools but is one of those long-lasting tools that you will keep on giving. If you do the job right, of course. Think of it as planting seeds and nurturing the crops. This is the only way to ensure the much-needed results that you are after.
A BONUS TIP is to dive into Local SEO. Especially if you are a small or medium-sized business. With fewer people traveling to distant locations it is best for you to try and tap into your local market. Make yourself visible locally.
2. Choose one or two platforms and go to work
The times of omnipresence are not over but everyone is more aware of the fact that quality beats quantity. Every single time. So don’t be just cross-posting the same content everywhere.
You should start with the strategic decision of which platform is hosting your ideal customers. Are they Millenials? Or Gen Z? Or maybe even Generation C? Know your target if you want to be able to hit that target.
And when you know where you should focus double-down on getting the job done!
Another BONUS TIP is to not rely entirely on your marketing agency for the job. Your job as a founder or chief executive officer of the business is to know better than anyone what direction you are leading your ship towards. This includes not only which platform is best for you and why, but also how are you going to position yourself. Cause the options are endless. But more on that later on in the blog post.
3. Use paid social
If you’ve wondered whether or not you should invest heavily in paid social the following quote is just for you:
“In the new world, it is not the big fish which eats the small fish, it’s the fast fish which eats the slow fish.”
– Klaus Schwab Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
It is the right time to advertise on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, or TikTok. There is no reason for further delay. Similar to SEO advertising will payout in the long term as well because you will start positioning your brand in the minds of your potential customers. And when the right time arrives they will think of you.
4. Bet on long-term practices
At Spread It we are not really fond of the so-called discount culture. Simply because we are well aware of psychological factors and take them into consideration when we make business moves.
Discounted prices mean that in the brains of your customer they are the real prices. And when the discount ends they will hold off from buying because they are waiting for the next discount. This is short-term thinking and you don’t need it.
Continuing that same line of thought discounted prices will teach to falsely raise the prices so that when you discount them they will be at the regular price level. Which is cheating your clients. Which means the game is rigged. All of that puts a timer on the trust people have in your brand and ultimately a timer on your business. You don’t need that as well.
There are lots and lots of similar examples. Just think about it and cut the crap.
5. Grow your tribe and work on retention
One of the books we recommend is “Tribes” by Seth Godin. A masterpiece on social structure and information channeling. And a must-read.
To put it in a few words we all belong to different tribes. Not like Indian tribes, not exactly that is, but more like groups of people. And like every tribe there is a leader that forms the shape, size, thoughts, and actions of the tribe. And you have a tribe as well. And you are the leader of that tribe.
Think about what message you put out to the world. Think about how you behave and how you nurture your tribe of clients, fans, supporters, and coworkers. It is up to you to make the change you want to see.
And if you focus on nurturing your tribe you will actually start the process of client retention as well. And in an economic downturn is wise to retain your clients and not solely focus on getting new ones.
6. Start a podcast
Podcasts are here to stay. And podcasting is much more than just speaking in front of a microphone because in order to do it properly you have to incorporate a few of the previous advice we gave you – think of the long-term strategy, nurture your tribe, collaborate, focus on a few things rather than disperse everywhere.
If you decide to embrace podcasting you can expect some or all of the following results:
- gain new clients
- nurture existing clients
- create new partnerships
- broaden your worldview
- adopt new processes
- create new service
- develop your presentation skills
- develop your negotiation skills
- position your brand globally
- and many more
Remember what we told you about the faster fish? Spread your message now!
7. Explore content marketing (video and live videos)
Content is king and video is the best content out there.
We’ll narrow it down to 4 options of content that you need to focus on:
- Scripted Videos with the service of professionals. This is the option that requires the biggest budget but has the biggest potential to catch a whole lot of attention. Think of all the YouTubers, Influencers, and web-based shows out there. All of them are scripted video content that is well thought of, well-targeted, and marketed.
- Animated Infographics is another form of scripted video which is gaining momentum and is really engaging for the younger audience. Definitely cheaper than recorded video but you still need to plan a budget. Our advice here is to find a company that can produce your animated videos far away from the USA and countries with a high standard of living. We are a good example of such a company because we are based in Bulgaria.
- Vlogging is your third option that can require more time and effort than money because if you learn how to shoot and edit yourself you will only need to buy a camera or a good phone. Of course, there are little details behind making a vlog interesting but you can manage. We believe in you!
- Live streaming is your cheapest and most casual option. Just open your platform-of-choice and hit the “Go live” button. The most important thing here is to decide in advance what you want to talk about and keep your video consistent. Let’s not talk about zebras if you want to tell me how good you are in bookkeeping.
