We are about to put a difficult year behind us where lots of things were out of our control. Many businesses are struggling but by executing a few strategic moves, they could effectively pull themselves back from the brink and into a position of strength.
Without revenue, there is no business. A major trend is taking shape for 2021 in how to go about attracting new clients and holding onto existing ones – content creation. The coronavirus has been keeping us holed up in our homes and offices – separate from one another – for almost one year. The way in which we conduct our business has undergone major changes, hence the word for 2020 – pivoting.
Hubspot and Canva just released a report based on an in-depth survey of 500 marketing leaders about how the virus has affected their businesses and what they are doing in response. Since the start of the pandemic, 47% have seen website traffic increase and 44% have seen an increased need for design assets.
Generating consistent, quality content is going to either make it or break it for many businesses in 2021. Hootsuite also just published an exceptionally detailed report at the end of 2020 based on a survey of over 11,000 business leaders. 73% of them are focusing their marketing efforts on client acquisition and 64% on increased brand awareness.
Content generation covers writing, graphics and video for websites, social media, email marketing, collateral, advertising, etc. For large corporations, hiring or contracting talent isn’t necessarily an issue. For small businesses, it is often a major financial struggle. Compounding their struggle are marketers who can’t deliver on the grandiose promises they routinely make.
Accompanying the trend of a multi-faceted approach of content creation is the demand for ROI. This is what separates the marketing pros from the charlatans and will protect the fragile budgets of the small business owner.
If you want to capitalize on this trend to grow your business in 2021, you’ll need to start by auditing your website, social media pages, advertising campaigns, email marketing, etc. to see what is working and what needs improvement.
Meet with at least 3 marketing teams to determine the right fit for you and your business. A few key questions to ask are (there are many more critical questions to ask – this is just a starting off point):
· How long have your clients been with you?
· What level of success have your lead generation programs yielded for your clients?
· Do you have any case studies you can give me? Or can you verbally walk me through a few success stories?
· I’m told videos are important. What types of videos do you produce and why? What success has it brought your clients?
· Can you give me a list of referrals that I can call?
Here is another thought I’d like you to consider regarding content creation. The statistics for shopping online and receiving services remotely have gone through the roof since the outbreak of the coronavirus. However, not being able to see and touch products increases
consumers’ insecurity when making a purchase from their keyboard.
One huge trend, to deal with this issue, is the use of video in new and innovative ways to bring personalization and the social aspect back into shopping – not just making commercials or videos. While Facebook Live and Zoom are amazing tools, they often can’t deliver on the client experience or visual/audio quality that is required.
Here’s to wishing the best for 2021. Get the year started off on the right foot by aligning yourself with marketing pros who are aware of the latest trends, have an innovative approach and can prove their effectiveness. The goal is to have a marketing plan that brings in way more cash flow into your business than what that plan is costing you.