by Anees Mueller
February 9, 2021Marketing is forever adapting to new trends.
It’s a handy trait when a year like 2020 comes along, requiring companies to shift their priorities and maybe even their business models.
Now it’s time to shift again, to a marketing campaign that looks ahead, anticipating growth and opportunities. Given the seismic shifts of 2020, how do you know which channels will help you reach your audience with your content?
Take a look at five marketing channels that delivered results in the past year:
Your Customers
In 2020, consumers were on the lookout for brands that were trustworthy, and the opportunity was ripe for companies that wanted to prove themselves: only 4% of consumers say they trust marketers.
It may feel unnatural to think of your customers as a channel, but tapping into the relationships you have with your customers to develop word-of-mouth marketing through testimonials is a great way to build authenticity into your marketing. Your audience probably doesn’t trust you, but they will trust your customers. Try a testimonial in a video or on your website to help communicate that you are sincere in your messaging.
It’s been in heavy use since the 1990s, and there are always predictions that the surge of some other channel is going to finally be the end of email. But email is not just hanging on, dying a slow death. Instead, email use has grown every year since 2012.
Email remains a great way to connect with leads and deliver engaging content. You have easy analytics available to see which subjects are most effective or if a promotion was a waste of time.
SEO Goes Local
It’s a given that you need to be investing in your search engine optimization (SEO,) but in a complex and seemingly boundaryless pursuit of better search results, you may wonder how to prioritize your efforts.
The answer is local SEO. Over a two-year period up to 2018, Google reported a more than 900% growth in searches for “_______ near me” on mobile devices. In addition, also in a two-year period, there was a more than 200% increase in searches for things that were “open,” plus “now,” plus “near me.” Consumers want convenience, and in many cases, they want to spend their money with local businesses.
Social Media
Digital channels became even more important in 2020, as marketers looked for opportunities to replace in-person engagement and events. There are over 2.7 billion social media users today, so no matter what industry you’re in, there’s a platform ideal for connecting with your audience.
As you move into your 2021 strategy, think about how to use social media in new ways. If you haven’t taken the dive into video, this can be a great way to showcase a customer testimonial or deliver value through a how-to segment or a behind-the-scenes tour.
Voice Search
Sixty-five percent of consumers between the ages of 25 to 49 speak to a voice-enabled device on a daily basis, and 62% of those over the age of 12 utilize a voice-operated assistant.
What does this mean for your strategy? You need to think about your SEO and how your results respond to someone speaking a question instead of typing a phrase into a search bar. A person saying, “Where can I get some ice cream in town?” might yield different results than “ice cream near me,” for instance.
Marketing trends are always on the move, but 2020 created some unprecedented turbulence in how you connect and engage with audiences. Contact us at DirectMail.io to discuss which channels are ideal for you, as well as information about our omnichannel automated marketing platform.
