As we head into the fourth quarter and budget planning for the new year, it is also not too soon to consider marketing strategies. Here are a few marketing resolutions to consider executing now for 2021.
 
Creating Content That Connects
A goal of your content marketing should be to provide value to your target audience, which often results in more genuine connections. For example, leverage your company’s expertise to deliver guidance, tips, or other substantial information of value, not just how great and wonderful your product is. This approach will help your company generate a better connection with its target audience as well as strengthen brand loyalty.
 
Brand Partnerships with Influencers
The era of social media is in full swing and retail brands need to up their game. More and more, brands are continuing to collaborate with influencers. It is important to research your target influencers to make sure they will deliver quality engagements that hit your target demographic. This means going beyond simply checking out what influencers are posting about on their blogs and social media accounts. You must also review who their followers are and their comments on social media as well. Some companies have learned the hard way that not all comments or observations are positive.
 
Outsourcing Recognition
You might think you can do all your marketing communications in-house. Often a company feels in-house marketing creation is a way to save a few bucks. That may be, but going this route can also be a way you not only stretch yourself thin timewise, you can also miss key metrics as well as an opportunity to take advantage of developing strategies that hit a homerun.
 
Sometimes the key to growth or the successful roll-out of a new marketing plan or new product campaign is outsourcing. Yes, that means using the often-dreaded words—hiring an experienced marketing communications consultant. Be honest with yourself and your team about the strengths of your department and the best use of their time and your budget. And let them know the consultant is not on the scene to take their job, but rather help in achieving company goals. A few areas to consider outsourcing may include public relations, graphic and website design, digital advertising, blog content, influencer development, and social media.
 
Work Smarter
Face it, 2020 has been a real challenge. But we need to keep moving forward in a positive direction. You may want to consider repurposing old content from the past 12-18 months or showcasing useful content in new ways. Another tip is to block out a portion of your day to create content and do not let anything interrupt your space. Once you zone into one topic, or task, such as blog writing, try to knock out as many short articles as you can within that timeframe. When you keep moving along with one consistent task, you are more likely to create a collection of great content that you can use for several months.