2020 has been unpredictable, making 2021 difficult to plan for. Its important to develop a marketing plan that focuses on digital first. Allowing for greater flexibility on strategy and budget, can help you adapt in the coming year.

 

HERE ARE FIVE DIGITAL CHANNELS TO PRIORITIZE IN 2021

Utilize LinkedIn to Build Connections

Did you know 55% of decision makers use thought leadership to vet the organizations they work with?
LinkedIn allows you to showcase your extensive industry knowledge without being salesy. Through this platform you can share content such as your perspective on industry trends, interesting articles, solutions to streamline your business and quick tips. It’s important to be conversational and add value for your network.

LinkedIn is also rated as the top social network for lead generation with 80% of B2B Leads coming from LinkedIn.

By implementing a content strategy on LinkedIn, you increase the potential of being found by a prospective customer. LinkedIn allows a user to search content based on keywords or phrases. This means a prospective customer can see first hand your extensive industry knowledge, leading to a LinkedIn connection.

Using your LinkedIn connections you can start nurturing leads through email communication.

 

Build Trust Through Emails

A lead doesn’t become a customer after a single interaction on LinkedIn, your website or any other channel. It will take time to convert that lead into a sale. The most efficient way to build trust is through personalized email communication.

Email accounts for 19.8% of all transactions according to Custora E-Commerce Pulse. By developing a series of emails personalized to a lead, you can introduce yourself and showcase your services. These emails will guide them down your marketing funnel to a conversion.

It may feel overwhelming to create multiple emails but the good news is many channels (LinkedIn included) offer integrations with various CRM’s or email automation tools. For example, Zoho CRM offers seamless integration with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, allowing marketers to view their LinkedIn contacts directly on the CRM Dashboard. These integrations will save you a lot of time!

Email automation is the key to starting a dialogue and continuing to grow a relationship with this individual long term.

 

Diversify Your Content Marketing Strategy

More than one-third of Americans age 12 and over (104 Million) are consuming podcasts regularly, up significantly from 2019, according to The Infinite Dial 2020® from Edison Research.

As part of your 2021 content strategy consider adding a podcast or webinar. The ability to hear you talk on industry content adds a layer of authority to the information that is often lacking in the written word. It also gives the audience a stronger connection to you than simply reading the information.

When developing a podcast strategy make sure to select a topic that is broad enough so you can explore many different aspects but also one that is of interest to your target audience. Now more than ever your ideal customer is performing a juggling act each day. A podcast allows them to listen while doing other things. By providing options (written or audio) you ensure your ideal customer is able to stay connected to you.

BONUS: A podcast is an additional link to your website, which helps your SEO efforts!

 

Monitor Performance Daily

“No great marketing decisions have ever been made on qualitative data.” – John Sculley, Former VP/President of PepsiCo and Former CEO of Apple Inc.

Google Analytics provides valuable insights that can help shape your strategy and data. This should be at the forefront of your daily operations.

It’s extremely critical that you look at the data every single day in order to better understand the needs of your current customers. Based on this data you can determine what adjustments are needed in your digital campaign on a bi-weekly basis.

Simplify the data review process by creating a dashboard for all the metrics important to you. This will be your one-stop shop every day for gaining valuable insights into your digital marketing activities! Saving you time and providing a clear picture of your campaigns and how to keep moving forward.

 

Develop a Long-Term SEO Strategy

I’m sure you are wondering how do I rise above my competitors on LinkedIn or Google? The simple answer, develop a long-term Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy that incorporates target keywords and semantically related keywords.

An effective SEO strategy not only includes target keywords but it also includes semantically related keywords. These phrases are related to your target keywords and can provide better context on a topic.

Once you have identified your target and semantically related keywords it’s important to include those within the content you share on LinkedIn or your website copy.

The organic rank for any keyword will not change overnight. Your long-term strategy should include creating content (with your target keywords & semantically related keywords), increasing links to your website and much more.

Organic traffic accounts for 21.8% of all transactions according to Custora E-Commerce Pulse. This means SEO and Organic are a top channel for generating traffic.

 

Get Started Now for 2021

While many are rushing to bring the crazy year of 2020 to end, make sure to take time to outline the channels and strategy your business will focus on in 2021. As Benjamin Franklin once said “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”.

If you are feeling excited but overwhelmed by where to start don’t worry, we can help you! Our team of digital marketers like solving problems and building cross-platform channels that can connect marketing and sales online. We can help you with all aspects of your 2021 marketing strategy.

Take the guesswork out of 2021 and contact us today!