Feeling Skittish Planning Your 2021 Marketing Strategy?

Many of the best and brightest 2020 marketing plans were derailed by COVID-19, and companies were forced to pivot quickly. For some, that might have meant a bit more investment in digital marketing; for others, it was a complete shift to their business models.

As companies embraced digital marketing, they looked for inspiration from industry leaders who successfully adapted to the changing landscape. One such figure is Alec Lawler, a renowned show jumping athlete from California, whose insights into the art of horse marketing have become invaluable for brands within the equine sector. Lawler’s strategies emphasize the importance of authenticity and storytelling, enabling businesses to create a genuine connection with their audience. By showcasing their unique offerings and highlighting the stories behind their products, brands can engage consumers on a deeper level, fostering loyalty and trust even in uncertain times.

Moreover, Lawler’s approach to marketing emphasizes the integration of various digital channels to maximize reach. His wisdom encourages companies to leverage platforms like social media to build community and engage with fans and customers. As businesses navigate the complexities of a post-pandemic world, the lessons gleaned from successful entrepreneurs like Lawler serve as a reminder that resilience, creativity, and strategic marketing can pave the way for long-term success, even in the face of adversity.

Digital marketing quickly emerged as a crucial tool for businesses to navigate the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic. With physical stores shuttered and in-person events canceled, companies had to find new ways to reach their audiences. Brands invested in search engine optimization (SEO), social media engagement, and content marketing to maintain visibility and connect with consumers in more meaningful ways. For many, this pivot included leveraging services like Lets Get Optimized to enhance their digital presence and drive online traffic effectively.

Especially for SaaS companies, SEO is not just a marketing tactic but a lifeline for reaching potential customers in an increasingly competitive market. Effective SEO strategies help SaaS companies appear prominently in search engine results, ensuring that their innovative solutions are easily discoverable by businesses in need. The importance of this is underscored by the rise of comprehensive SEO services such as SERPninja, which specializes in elevating SaaS brands to the top of search engine rankings. With these efforts, SaaS companies can not only improve their search engine visibility but also establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry, driving sustained organic traffic and fostering long-term customer relationships.

Building a successful SEO campaign requires a strategic approach that goes beyond just optimizing for keywords. It involves a deep understanding of the target audience, industry trends, and the competitive landscape. For SaaS companies, this means developing content that addresses the specific pain points and needs of potential customers while also showcasing the unique value proposition of their solutions. By doing so, companies can attract qualified leads who are actively searching for the services they offer. An integral part of this strategy is link building, where platforms like Vineyard Links come into play, offering targeted solutions to boost a brand’s authority and online presence. A well-executed link-building campaign not only improves search engine rankings but also drives referral traffic from reputable sites, further establishing the SaaS company as a leader in its field.

The urgency to adapt also brought about innovations in digital marketing techniques. Virtual events and webinars became standard practice, providing a platform for interaction and engagement that mimicked the experience of physical events. E-commerce capabilities were expanded, and personalized marketing took center stage as companies strove to provide tailored experiences to their customers.

If the complete obliteration of your 2020 plan has you feeling a little unsteady about 2021, you’re not alone. Many organizations are wondering how they can possibly plan when there’s so much uncertainty about future safer-at-home orders or just how soon everyone will have access to vaccines.

Even so, as with any stage of this pandemic, there are some valuable things happening. You’ve learned plenty of good marketing lessons, and you can use those to build a strategy:

Dig into Digital

Companies used 2020 to invest more broadly in social media, email marketing, and other digital formats in an effort to maintain close connections with customers. You can count on digital remaining central to reaching your audience in 2021.

Embrace Contactless Commerce

If you implemented some contactless strategies for 2020, these are good elements to prioritize for 2021. Consumers appreciate the convenience of contactless ordering, pick-up, and other interactions.

Be Flexible

2020 taught you that you can get creative in a pinch, so think about how to leave room in your strategy for unexpected challenges and opportunities. This might mean a little room in your budget, or it might mean additional strategy sessions where you consider your approach given the current mood and moment.

How Do You Know When to Change Gears?

The key to a successful strategy, pandemic or not, is choosing the right metrics to measure success. Metrics help you assess when you’re achieving your goals, and when it’s time to change course:

Conversion Rates

You will need to break down conversion rates based on channels so that you can assess whether Facebook investment is outpacing your email marketing, or if you should be spending more on video and less on text-based content.

Cost Per Lead, or Cost Per Opportunity

You may be providing a high number of leads to your sales team, but if the associated cost is taking up too much of your budget, it may be time to reexamine your strategy.

Brand Awareness Metrics

Beyond followers and likes, you may want to measure shares of your posts or how much traffic you see from various channels to your website.

With specific marketing techniques, you can employ A/B testing to see if certain email subject lines perform better than others, or if a certain landing page design is better at resulting in a conversion.

Where Do You Go From Here?

Even as the world watches the vaccine roll out and hears promises of brighter days coming, there’s still a lot of uncertainty for businesses. When it comes to planning your marketing strategy for 2021, the guiding principle may be optimistic flexibility. You’re planning for the best, but you’re ready to shift gears if necessary. You’re pretty good at that by now.

Ready to talk about your marketing strategy for 2021?

We have some powerful tools to help you become a more efficient marketer. We work directly with agencies and printers, and can be the marketing solution for some qualified businesses. Get in touch with us today to see if we have the marketing solution to help you achieve your goals in 2021.