2020 was a crazy year for most small businesses who are now trying to keep their position and stronghold in the market. With an increasing number of people spending more time at home and working from home, we know that in 2021 your business needs to be visible and convincing online.
Buyers are shopping and looking for services from the comfort of their home or home offices, so a key focus area for your 2021 marketing plan should be your digital strategies.
Here are 4 things to do to create your 2021 digital marketing plan…
- Develop your digital strategy. Although vaccines have begun to be distributed, we can speculate that at least the first quarter of the year will remain much like 2020– socially distanced with few large events going on (especially indoors). The reality is, is that we don’t know when large scale events will happen again so build a strategy without tying it to events. As part of the strategy, you want to streamline your existing digital assets beginning with your website, and then come up with a content strategy. The content will vary based on how far into the sales cycle, or how aware your audience is of you. Your content strategy can vary from month to month or quarter to quarter, but make sure you have one for all of your digital marketing endeavors.
- Set up a PPC (pay-per-click) ad campaign calendar. It’s likely that in 2021 you are going to rely even more on PPC ad campaigns to drive incoming revenue. So, before you begin your campaigns, set up a plan and calendar. Know who your target audience is, separate your audiences and manage their campaigns separately. Identify keywords to use to reach that audience and come up with calls to action and landing pages that will generate inbound leads. Perfect the message and run ads with offers and information that specifically appeal to your audience. This might seem overwhelming to do for the entire year, so in some cases we recommend doing this quarter by quarter. We can help you get started with keyword research if needed, as well as crafting a content and ad campaign calendar.
- Set up email campaign funnels. Do you have an online tool or platform that helps you set up and manage your email campaigns? We partner with Mailchimp and Constant Contact–both reliable automation and email management platforms. Start off the year with strong email campaigns that are ready to go when you have new leads or prospects contact you. Have email campaigns ready to send to clients that haven’t been in contact with you in over 6 months. And be ready to send emails to your existing clients. Now is a great time to clean up your list and run A/B tests as well before you launch into 2021 email campaigns. Create sales funnels that differ for your different audiences. For example, a faithful returning customer should receive different emails than a new prospect who hasn’t used your services or purchased from you before. We can help you strategize and develop these email campaigns.
- Update your Google My Business and Facebook page. When someone searches for a product or business in Google, Google populates a list of verified listings. So, if you don’t have a listing on Google you are missing out on potential customers online and in person. Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that helps business owners manage your online presence across Google. This blog post details best practices for setting this up and optimizing your listing. Once you have updated your GMB page, take a look at your Facebook and other social media pages. Make sure all of your information is up to date such as your address, phone number and email address. Look for ways to add links from one social account to another. For example, link your Instagram account to your Facebook page and vice versa. Here are some other important tips to remember when you’re updating, setting up and using your social media accounts.
Now is the time to plan and strategize your digital marketing endeavors for 2021. Now is the time to make sure your website is optimized and in order, you have a defined marketing strategy, you are ready to launch email campaigns, your social media pages are set up and updated, and your business is showing up in Google search results.
Follow us along this year for more tips on social media marketing, digital marketing, pay-per-click campaigns, digital content, and more.
Are you looking for help with your 2021 digital marketing plan and actions?
Contact us for a digital marketing audit and recommendations!
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