After what has been a stressful, challenging, and generally unusual year for many, everyone is looking forward to the new year. As marketers, you can appeal to that excitement and hopefulness by keeping things lively and uplifting with your consumers. If you're trying to figure out how to prepare for the new year with marketing, there are plenty of ways to go about developing a winning strategy.
As you begin planning for the new year and look for ways to connect with audiences through your marketing, the following are some New Year's resolutions to set for 2021.
1. Think About Consumers First
Following a year of many hardships, people are looking forward to a fresh start, despite the ongoing pandemic. When putting consumers first, you can develop stronger relationships with your audience and increase sales.
Think about creating the perfect customer experience (CX) that gives people exactly what they're looking for when interacting with your business. CX is now more critical than ever—one survey of 1,920 business professionals found that CX came first, over pricing and products. If you're not putting people first, your strategies are likely to fail or, at best, underperform.
2. Be More Creative
As marketers, it's essential to get more creative in the new year as you try to navigate the inevitable.
For example, you could use messaging that showcases how your brand will cater to that "new normal." Think of ways to show how your brand will work to keep people safe, healthy, and happy as 2021 begins. Marketing themes can focus on family importance, as more families have had to grow closer due to the pandemic and stay-at-home orders. Marketing could also speak to business owners, bringing hope to those who have had to worry about losing customers and shutting down because of COVID-19.
Understanding people's pain points and figuring out creative ways to show empathy through your marketing can establish a strong connection going into the new year.
3. Partner with Those in the Community
People are more likely to trust and turn to businesses that are actively involved in their communities. Getting involved in local events such as fundraisers or charities can lend a human face to businesses. As many people struggle because of the pandemic and subsequent complications, both people and companies have recognized the importance of giving back and shopping local. If you're not taking part in local communities to build people and businesses back up, you're missing out on a huge chance to connect.
One way to get involved in the community is to host or sponsor an event, be it a food drive, fundraising event, gift drive, or another means of bringing people together. You can spread the word through social media marketing, generating excitement when many people need it. Consumers want to know that the people behind businesses care about those they serve, which you can effectively do if you establish yourself as a contributor to their community.
Getting involved in specific events can also show that your business has taken a clear stance on an issue that your audience shares, further gaining their trust. After all, 81% of consumers say that one of the critical factors in a buying decision is the ability to trust a brand to do what's right.
4. Try Something New
The new year brings a fresh start with it, which is why it's essential to take it as a chance to try something different with your marketing. There are many ways to approach your marketing differently for the better. This change could involve implementing a new marketing strategy, using a new platform, developing new creative, getting together with teams to gain new insights, or even taking some time to self-improve with educational materials and more.
The key is to try something that you haven't. Even if everything seems to be working as is, there are always different tools and methods to try to yield even better results. Feel free to experiment and see what works and what doesn't. You might find that a new strategy is far more efficient than your old one, or meeting with your teams on a more frequent basis establishes better overall communication. These efforts can all go toward streamlining your marketing efforts in 2021 and beyond, boosting efficiency and, ultimately, ROI.
Prepare Your Business to Excel in the New Year
By catering to customers first, being more creative with your marketing, getting involved in the community, and trying new things as marketers, you can make sure you're prepared going into the new year. As you plan for 2021, take some time to figure out precisely what you want to achieve that you couldn't this year, and work to connect with your audiences in new and engaging ways.
