Key Focus Areas for 2021

Every new year brings a fresh start for business owners and entrepreneurs.  How do you get ahead of the obstacles that 2021 may bring?  Keep reading for some brief insight into my marketing research and the trends that my team and I are forecasting for success throughout 2021.

SERP RESULTS 

Whether you use Google, Yahoo, or Bing, your search engine results page rankings (SERP) are very important.  Your goal should be to have your website place in the top ten results for keywords related to your business.  Through my business Pearl Marketing, we utilize software programs which assist us in tracking down the top keywords for each business. We can then optimize the text content in your website as well as run a set of Google Ads based on these keywords.

VIDEO

Video has been dominating the marketing world for the past 5 years, and its influence is only continuing to grow.  Informational videos about your company provide focus, stimulation and entertainment for your potential audience.  By grabbing their attention, you can overpower their instinct to “scroll past” and pique genuine interest in what you’re offering.

Optimize all videos for mobile devices, since people are taking the Internet in their pockets whenever they’re on the go. Consider the various platforms for your videos – Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok — which provide access to different and diverse audiences.  Users are generating their own videos at a rate never excelled before, does your product or service stimulate video reactions and reviews from customers who can boost your brand awareness?  Consider the investment of sponsoring with a well-known face.

Lastly – I’ve noted the growth in virtual events such as tutorials and Q and A’s, could that work for you?

ROI

Tracking ROI is vital for your business, and so few companies do it thoroughly enough!  Return on investment, aka “Is this money we’re spending actually benefiting us?” ROI is a key performance indicator (KPI)  which determines profitability of an expenditure.

Solid marketing budgets are backed by a strategy with ROI as a goal.  Do you want traffic driven with target personas and paid search ads or do you want to create content specifically designed to pull, convert, and retain your target customers?  By consulting with a marketing agency, you can get visible data statistics on your collaborative projects with a flexible budget, as opposed to the blanket cost for an in-house professional.

Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-based (SMART) goals is an assuring method to identify objectives that are not only within reach but can also be tracked with accuracy, clarity, efficiency, and transparency.  Invest in automation for email and ad campaigns to free up hours for other projects!

VOICE SEARCHES

Search engine usage is becoming much more conversational.  People speak to their voice assistants (Siri, Alexa, Cortana, etc.) with personal phrases like please and thank you. They differ immensely from text-based searches, having contrasting input methods and presentations of received information. Businesses and marketers must modify their SEO strategies as voice searching will only increase in the digital marketing sphere.

Keep this in mind when creating your messaging. How does your brand appeal to those who seek a human connection in the digital sphere?  Consider that locality plays a major role in voice searches — people want to know the businesses in their proximal surroundings.  Many people utilize voice searching as a multitasking method when they’re driving (remember mobility!) or working.

Voice searching with an AI is more efficient for some than typing, and often involves a 4-8 word phrase, leaving more room for keywords.   Chat with a marketing professional (such as myself!) to strategize ideas on making voice searches work for your business!

PPC CAMPAIGNS

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising isn’t going anywhere in 2021.   Businesses still get a $2 return for every $1 they spend on Google Ads.  In terms of conversions, PPC is still a great option for more businesses.  With shifts in data transparency, the “work smarter, not harder” strategy seems to be the profitable trend du jour.  Keep PPC ads optimized with keywords and calls to action for the greatest profit margin.

CONVERSION RATE OPTIMIZATION (CRO)

The ability to perfect every step of the funnel can translate into tremendous ROI.  Conversion rate is simple – the amount of people visiting your website over the amount who are completing a transaction (either a payment or form fill).  Consider CRO from two perspectives: how people are reaching your website or digital experience (the journey from an ad, social media post, etc.), and their activity once they’re on your site.

PERSONALIZATION

90% of leading marketers say personalization “significantly contributes to business profitability.” Establishing the human, personable connection with potential clients will increase the longevity of your customer relationships.  And with a CRM tool which allows you to set up a profile on each of your customers, personalization has never been easier. 

According to research from Epsilon, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands personalize the experience. People have a need for understanding, and connect best with a brand that helps them address their needs.

Personalized landing pages can be used in conjunction with highly segmented—and personalized—email marketing campaigns to increase conversions. Tailored, personal messaging addressed to a real person and from a real person goes a long way. But new software is making it possible to take email personalization further, using AI to automatically suggest the best content to include in, say, a monthly newsletter, based on the list that the email is going out too.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND PAID MARKETING ADS

More and more people are flocking to social media platforms to search for products, be entertained, and seek information.  Did you know that Instagram has created a section in the app specifically for shopping?  Take advantage of the digital marketplace, and remember that awareness ads are the first step in drawing in new customers.