2020 was tough for everyone. Almost all companies had to cut their marketing budgets, and they will be quite accurate with it in 2021 as well. That is why it is time to start thinking about marketing ideas for your business next year.
First of all, you have to consider what inexpensive marketing channels you can use next year. And these channels have to comply with your goals. If you want to generate more leads next year, then you have to work in this way. If you need to retain your existing customers, then, of course, you have to think in another direction.
Anyway, there are always good ideas on how to reach your goals in difficult times, when you have a limited budget, and mostly can rely only on your marketing team. And today I want to share with you some ideas that will perfectly work both for B2B and B2C, small to medium, and even large businesses.
Content Marketing
You might have heard the saying that content is king. I would say that today content is the king of the whole marketing. Creating valuable content for your customers, readers, subscribers is one of the key marketing priorities for 2021. All you need is time, patience, and desire.
Sometimes good content can accelerate your business in no time, but usually, it takes a bit more. If we speak about your website promotion, then of course you can choose a quicker way to generate traffic – advertising in Google and other search engines. But with growing competition now you have to spend much more to achieve the same goals. And that’s not what we want from our marketing efforts. We need better ROMI, and that means that we have to choose more flexible marketing channels.
That is why creating useful, interesting, solving the problems, and answering the questions content is a must for everyone in 2021, especially for companies that want to keep their marketing budget low. It could be an updated FAQ for your product or services, application notes, manuals, and guides. You can ask your customers to share their experience using your product in a video or short feedback letter.
For 2021 I suggest you and your marketing team try some brainstorming to generate as many content ideas as possible. Remember to use relevant keywords or phrases in all of your content, but do not overload it. For texts with 1000-1500 symbols, it is enough to use 3 to 5 keywords. To make the content start working for you it is necessary to be alive at least 2-3 times per week. You need to update information every second day. And in several weeks you will see that such a pace will bring more target traffic to your website.
Well, you have the whole of December before 2021, so it is time for marketing brainstorm.
Social Media Marketing
My suggestion for SMM is quite similar to the previous one for content marketing, however, the content you create for your social media should be different depending on the audience of each social media platform. Make it a bit less official, add a little bit of humor or irony. People love that, people need that, especially in times like these.
Make your audience stick to your accounts with some catchy articles, how-to videos, and reviews. We are lucky that social networks are still free to join for everyone, and still free for businesses to create and share their content. Do not miss the opportunity to use it for your own profit.
In 2021 I recommend using YouTube as your primary channel for video marketing – from short product videos to full-length presentations and webinars. I’m positive that the first six months the situation in the world will not change a lot, and everyone will be spending more time on video conferences, webinars, video presentations, etc. That is why you have to be there.
You can engage your audience with live broadcasting via Instagram, YouTube, or any other platforms that are more suitable for your customers and subscribers. Be there for them. Show that you care about them. Entertain and educate them via these marketing channels. Similar to content marketing, you just need to generate ideas, create your calendar plan, and start delivering. You will be surprised how quickly you will generate more traffic, subscribers, and leads.
… and action!
Marketing Cooperation
It happens to be that not only your company may consider a moderate marketing budget next year. And this is one more opportunity for you. Two heads are better than one, and two companies combining their marketing efforts are stronger and more successful.
You can team up with any company that has similar goals and work our your marketing plan. But what will be even better is if you team up with the company you already work with. It can be your supplier of materials, service provider, or your customer, your distributor, or agency. It is up to you which way to choose, in any way both companies will benefit.
You can create mutual social media posts, articles, even videos. You can repost each other, and split the cost when taking part in some marketing events both online and offline.
Get in touch with the marketing team of your partner company, discuss all the benefits you can get working together, present it to your management, and after receiving the green light, start implementing your mutual plan.
Last week I came across a very interesting African proverb that proves the importance of what I suggest. It says “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”. So if you want to achieve your goals in the future, find those who can help you do it. This should be your marketing philosophy in 2021 and after.
Associations
Every industry has various commercial and non-commercial associations. They are established for many reasons – promote the industry, set the rules, provide information and support.
For your company cooperation with associations can have many advantages. First of all, every association is like an encyclopedia of the industry you work with. They have information almost about everything you need to know. They can help to define your target audience, run marketing research, promote your content.
Many associations have a list of free services they can offer to your company. They can include your company profile in their catalog, share your content on their website and social media. They can compensate for some of your marketing expenses. In return, you can promote them as well as using your marketing channels.
Becoming a member of the association is a very positive marketing move. That’s why in 2021 you need to define your target markets and find the associations which work in this field. You shouldn’t try to cover everything in a single step. This is not a sprint, consider it a marathon. At the beginning of the year focus on one market segment and try to properly work in this direction. After you succeed, you can move on, and based on your experience choose more directions.
Contests
The last but not the least marketing idea for your business in 2021 is to participate in various social events. Here I mean various contests, industrial ratings, etc.
There are many events like these being held annually, and many of them are absolutely free of charge. This is a chance for you and your company to promote your brand and product. This is a great marketing channel. Usually, every contest is highly represented in various media – from social to TV networks. So your company can get huge coverage.
Even if you do not win, you will be listed among the participants, and get your minute of fame. And that means more traffic to your website or social media. Isn’ t that what you were looking for?
Starting today ask your marketers to scan the internet and find all the social events you can take part in next year. These could be the leader of the industry, best product or service, contribution to the development of the industry or market, and other events.
Of course, this list of marketing ideas for your business is not complete, and I have more ideas on how to promote your business in times of marketing budget optimizations. Especially when it comes to B2B power electronics marketing. So if you need any help with that feel free to get in touch with me. I will be happy to share with you some ideas on how to help your business.
You can also go to the Marketing Ideas section and find more helpful information for your business. Be creative! Be positive! And stay focused!
