What’s your 2021 marketing strategy? Haha we know you don’t know yet

So we’re a month into the new year. Odds are the resolutions you vowed to pursue are a thing of the past. The workout plans and juice cleanses may be a thing of the past by now, but your new year marketing strategy shouldn’t be. The new year is a perfect opportunity to reevaluate your business’s marketing strategy, and it’s not too late to make it happen! 

The first couple of months of a new year always seem to fly by. As we wrap up the holidays and try to get back into the swing of things after a winter break, one week currently turns into one month and next thing you know, here we are in February. While it’s easy for things to start to get away from you, your new year marketing plan shouldn’t be one of them. 

Establishing an annual marketing strategy doesn’t have to be something to dread. It’s hardly rocket science, but it does demand some time and research into your goals for the future of your business. The hardest part is knowing where to start … but hey, we’re to help you jumpstart your strategy with the steps below! 

Segmentation

If there’s one thing marketing is NOT, it’s one size fits all. Market segmentation is the process of diving a large market of consumers into smaller, more specific groups. Ideally, your target market should be as specific as possible based on the demographics, psychographic, behavioral, and geographic differences of the consumers you want to appeal to. For example, if you’re selling surfboards and swimsuits, you may want to avoid targeting ice fishers in Minnesota and instead focus your efforts on young adults in Southern California. 

Segmenting your market will help your business pinpoint the exact customers you’re going after in order to align your strategy to meet their needs. Doing so will likely save you time and money in the long run. 

Pursue Consistency 

Consistency represents professionalism and planning and is likely to help build a relationship with your clientele. When clients have a sense of clarity of what to expect, you are more likely to gain their buy-in and loyalty. 

It may be worth your while to produce a brand manual or style guide when aiming for consistency in your branding. While it may not necessarily be exactly the same across brands and clients, a brand manual typically details the visual consistencies and proper usage of the brand as a whole. Solidifying a certain voice, color scheme, messaging, and imagery will serve as a reference point as you continue to share ongoing content with your clientele. 

Delivering consistency across your brand platforms doesn’t have to be difficult, it simply requires the dedication to determine WHAT factors you want to keep consistent.

“Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently.”

Mobile Friendliness 

It’s critical that all elements of your marketing strategy are compatible with mobile search. Over 61% of Google searches are via mobile devices. As this statistic continues to grow, it’s necessary that your business is properly-suited to appeal to a mobile audience. This includes ensuring that your site can be viewed properly on a mobile sized screen in addition to optimizing your on-page content to meet mobile user needs. 

Competitor Analysis

It should come as no surprise that your marketing strategy should include analyzing your business’s competitors. It should be noted that an annual analysis of the market is not enough. New companies are constantly joining the market and are working to claim their share of the market. You should maintain constant awareness of recent developments within your industry regularly throughout the year. 

The benefit of consistent competitor analysis is making sure that you don’t fall behind the current moves in your industry. If you shield yourself from what’s going on around you on an ongoing basis, the market is sure to leave you behind. 

These steps serve as a starting point for planning out the coming year. As you determine what your marketing goals are for the future, you may determine that you need to dedicate more time to establish a more concrete strategy. On the other hand, you may determine that the things that you want for your brand, aren’t attainable on your own, in which case, outsourcing your marketing strategy may be the best more for your business. 

For more support in developing your marketing strategy, reach out to our team of experts at Digital Storyteller. We’re here to help make sure your business is ready to start the new year strong.