While most of us are hoping that the tough times of 2020 are behind us, many of the shifts and changes we had to adapt to in 2020 are here to stay. The workforce saw a huge shift from in-office work to work from home to accommodate COVID-19 regulations and guidelines, and to keep employees, customers, and clients safe from the virus. This means that a huge number of businesses and companies saw a huge shift in their marketing tactics in order to keep up with the changes.
Because of the severely decreased number of in-person meetings, both within the workforce and between employees to customers, businesses shifted to focus mainly on increasing digital marketing efforts. With 2021 well on its way, it’s time to consider which trending marketing tactics are here to stay, and why you should invest in marketing using those channels. Here are some of the biggest marketing strategies to focus on this year:
- Search Engine Optimization. Let’s say you’re looking for a local plumber or electrician to help service something in your home. You’re more than likely to turn to Google, search “plumber near me,” and choose one of the first few options that come up, or at least an option that appears on the first page. But what about the thousands, if not millions, of other results that appear on Google that you didn’t even look at? Businesses and marketing experts know that consumers aren’t likely to search beyond the first page of Google results, and that’s why they invest in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services. With SEO, your business will improve its ranking on Google and other search engines by using targeted key words, marketing strategy, content creation, and website development relevant to your business. Don’t overlook the importance of SEO as it’s one of the biggest and best ways to drive more customers and sales!
- Facebook Ads. Although the market has become saturated with online ads and social platforms, paid social media advertising, particularly those on Facebook, is still essential to success. Use Facebook data to assess the life cycle of your customers, customer records, average customer spend, new and loyal customers, and what is most engaging to your clientele, and tailor your ad strategy to fit your base. For example, since Facebook is giving more attention to Instagram Reels and TikTok, two platforms and content forms that saw enormous growth in 2020, video content may be more successful and engaging than photos.
- The Power of LinkedIn. LinkedIn experienced a huge amount of growth in 2020, not just without the addition of stories, polls, and events, but also with the reliance on the platform to mimic a work environment. Since employees were obviously no longer in the office to create team-bonding experiences, many turned to LinkedIn to connect with employers and fellow colleagues. LinkedIn is a great platform for businesses looking to push their brand, while also adding a personal feel where people can interact with them by starting conversations on social, political, or public issues. Businesses were also using LinkedIn to create more real connections for their client and employee base, creating more prospects for new business with lead generation. Many brands underestimate the power of a strong LinkedIn presence, but with a little more attention, Linkedin can significantly improve your marketing strategy and outreach.
- Automation to Create Human Experiences. Customers feel best when they feel they are interacting with a real employee behind the screen. On the business side, however, it’s obviously not possible to always have a real human answering every question a customer may have online. More and more businesses are investing in automation services to create a more humanized- online presence, which will ultimately create and build more connections for your brand. Humanized bots can get more customer feedback and increase productivity online while valuing the human experience.
- Voice Search. It is estimated that by 2022, more than half of all American households will have some sort of smart speaker like a Google Home, Amazon Alexa, or Apple Siri. These speakers thrive on voice searches, like when users use Amazon Alexa to ask, “Hey Alexa, what sound does a giraffe make?” or other facts and statistics. Optimize your online presence so that more results use your business or website to answer a user.
At Smarty Pantz Marketing, we have helped our clients generate leads, exposure, video views, engagement, followers, and most importantly, ROI. Our experienced team of digital advertising specialists understands Facebook’s unique features, and how to best use them to maximize results for your specific needs. We deliver tangible results, not just likes, shares, clicks, and followers. Contact us to see how Smarty Pantz Marketing can help you generate more leads with Facebook advertising!
Sources:
https://allwork.space/2020/12/voice-search-a-top-coworking-marketing-trend-for-2021/
