Have you outlined your marketing plans for 2021?
All over the country, small businesses are prepping for the year ahead. The end of the year is a complex time for business strategy & planning because it’s not just the next month that needs to be sorted out. You should, by the end of the month, have at least an outline for the next year!
So…How do you create marketing plans for next year when this one hasn’t ended? Simple!
You start by assessing your current strategy. Then, you identify any new trends that can be useful for your business. And the final step? You put it all together to create a smart marketing plan that will grow your business in 2021.
Follow this guide to see a few trends to transform your 2021 marketing plans.
Table of Contents:
- Audit This Year’s Strategy
- Identify New Tactics & Trends
- Create Your 2021 Marketing Plans
- Outline Monthly Maintenance
- Get a Smart Partner
Audit This Year’s Strategy
If you haven’t already, auditing your 2020 marketing plans needs to be a top priority. When you find out what worked and what didn’t work in your business, you can make adjustments to fully optimize your marketing strategy for the coming year.
- Where are you spending your time, attention, and money?
- What results are you getting from these efforts?
- Which tactics, if any, fell short for your business?
Scan the data from Google Analytics or your reporting tool of choice. Pay close attention to the source of web traffic, entrance and exit pages, and, above all, conversions.
If you’re getting a steady stream of traffic and conversions, rather than a huge shift in strategy, small tweaks may be all that’s needed to continue growth. If however, the effort you & your team put in is not yielding results, it’s vital that you make some drastic changes in your marketing plans for next year.
Identify New Tactics & Trends
It’s easy to get a case of shiny object syndrome in marketing. There is always a new trend to chase or tactic to try that is supposed to “hack” business growth. Even still, there are many trends worth integrating into your marketing plans. Here are a few we suggest using.
- Be Smart with a Heart – Charity, community outreach, and causes taken on by businesses aren’t “new” or “trendy” however, you can’t deny that this year has seen a huge boost in companies willing to take a stand.
Research suggests that over 70% of consumers wish to do business with companies that align with their values. Making your stance on social issues clear, expressing empathy on current events, and sharing how your business aides its community are all great ways to deepen your relationship with your clients and consumers.
- Create Bite-Sized Content – Whether you like it or not, bite-sized social media channels like Tik-Tok are here to stay. And while these channels may not be quite right for your business, there are a few lessons you can learn from them.
Compelling videos that convey a message (on products, services, or relevant tips) in a few sentences or less can do wonders for your social engagement. Likewise, lightening up your brand voice to post “fun” updates is vital for even the most straight-laced businesses. Your clients want relatability – give it to them!
- Leverage Automation…Authentically – If you follow Smart Girl at all you know we live & breathe marketing automation. And with so many businesses looking to optimize their presence online, utilizing it in systems, in email, or even in chatbots, is a great investment.
The key here is authenticity. No one wants to feel as though they’re getting cold, impersonal, contact. Even if you use automated systems you want to be sure your brand voice is still shining through.
Create Your 2021 Marketing Plans
Based on both this year’s audit and any new tactics you may want to implement, you should have an idea of what you want 2021’s marketing plans to be. But creating a strategy for the entire year can be intimidating. To make things easier, break it down.
First, assess your overall business goals. Then, separate those goals into 2 categories – long term and short term. Break goals down quarterly, then monthly (or even weekly) if you need to.
For example, a long-term goal may be gaining 10 new clients for the year. If that’s the case, there are several short term goals that need to be achieved to make that happen. Increasing brand awareness, creating (and advertising) a lead magnet, then converting leads to clients might be one path to take.
Once you’ve outlined your goals, put everything together to create a strategy designed to help you reach them.
Outline Monthly Maintenance
A great way to ensure you stay on track is to lay out exactly what needs to be done to generate the best results for your business. Here at Smart Girl, we use a monthly worksheet to keep an eye on monthly digital tasks. Click below to snag a copy for your business!
This worksheet, a 6-point system for getting the most out of your digital website, identifies every single digital task we have from website maintenance, to quality content, to social media integrations, and more. Even if you craft the best strategy in the world, neglecting monthly maintenance is setting yourself up for failure.
Get a Smart Partner for Your Marketing Plans
With 2021 just around the corner creating a strategy at this time can seem daunting. But with a smart digital partner like SGD, you can coast into the new year knowing your marketing plans are in good hands.
If you are struggling to figure out where to start in the New Year or need fresh ideas on what you are currently doing, let’s chat. Schedule a free consultation with the team at Smart Girl Digital and we can discuss your goals for 2021 and how to achieve them. Contact us now!
