Let’s face it, 2020 has brought significant levels of uncertainty about the future of almost every industry. Terms like “new normal,” “unprecedented times” and “social distancing” have become common nomenclature both in our daily lives and in the advertisements of brands. Now more than ever, it’s apparent that marketing cannot be looked at as just an expense anymore. This is because increasing new business and keeping existing customers engaged are now pivotal. 

As many industries have adapted their operations to this “new normal,” their marketing strategies must do the same. Keep reading below to explore five marketing initiatives your brand needs to implement in 2021. 

1.User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is any content (images, posts, content, reviews, etc.) created by the consumers themselves, rather than the brand. This is in no way a new trend in marketing. However, lockdowns and social distancing have increased the need and authenticity of UGC. 

Not only is it more authentic, but ads based on user-generated content also receive four times higher click-through rates and a 50% drop in cost-per-click compared to average ads. Although this is the case, as few as 16% of brands have a strategy regarding user-generated content.

Tasking customers with not only generating your content, but also marketing it for you, is undeniably a fantastic marketing strategy.

2. Conversational Marketing

Conversational marketing is all about engaging with users rather than talking at them. Personalizing your content to specific audiences rather than blanketing it across multiple sectors will go a long way. This will allow you to get more users engaged with your brand. 

Additionally, adding chatbots or livechat to your website gives users the chance to engage with a brand on their terms, rather than picking up the phone, filling out a form or sending an email. With more than 45% of businesses today having already implemented bots as part of their marketing efforts, this will soon become common practice, and users will expect this feature when they visit your site. 

“With a quarter of Millennials and Gen Z users looking to stories for information about brands and products, and with social media platforms exploring more and more ways for users to connect shopping to this experience, I only expect it to grow in 2021. The biggest challenge for brands is to look for new ways to create innovative content that will stand out and stop their followers from scrolling.”

– Mireille Ryan, CEO, Social Media Marketing Institute

3. Video Marketing

The popularity of video has undoubtedly been one of the biggest upwards trends in the past couple years. Cisco has even predicted that by 2022, video will make up 82% of all IP traffic.  The current digital landscape provides plenty of opportunity for brands to capitalize on longer video content to build trust with audiences such as filming video interviews of key opinion leaders of organizations, behind-the-scenes videos or any other piece of video content that intends to deliver valuable information to build a connection and trust with your audience. 

Many digital trends seem to fade over time, however, video is not one of them. 

4. Mobile Marketing

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals are spending more and more time glued to the screens of their phones. 39% have been relying on their phones more due to social distancing. This provides brands with a significant opportunity to insert themselves into the conversation through different digital forms of advertising such as geofencing, paid social campaigns and YouTube pre-roll. 

5. Google My Business

This seems obvious, but with more than a billion users of Google My Business every month, it’s extremely important to make sure your information is up to date so it ranks highly in your local market. As many business owners and decision makers turn to their local market first, this could make or break a potential sale, or give you a competitive advantage over others in the market. Be sure to keep your Google My Business listing complete, detailed and updated on an ongoing basis

By the numbers: 

• 900% increase in mobile searches for “___ near me today/tonight” (Think With Google)
• 5 billion+ people use Google Maps every month (Google Cloud)
• The average business is found in more than 1k searches per month, with 84% coming from discovery searches. Between Q4 2017 and Q4 2018, direct searches grew 38%, website clicks from GMB listings 29 percent (BrightLocal)
• 5 million+ apps and websites use the Google Maps Platform every week (Google Cloud)
• 500% increase in “near me” mobile searches that contain “can I buy” or “to buy” (Think With Google)

Do you want to implement these tactics into your 2021 marketing campaign but aren’t sure how? Connect with #TeamBurkhart, today, and we’ll get you on the right path.