2021 is the fresh start after a roller coaster ride in 2020. There is no real timeline estimate of when this pandemic will leave, and things will get back to normal. Starting a new business was only a dream in 2020 but 2021 came in as a ray of hope, and things are a bit normal now.
The good news is that companies with an actionable marketing plan with precisely specific goals for the months ahead are likely to be successful even during times of economic uncertainty. Eliminating marketing during a crisis will disintegrate brand equity and increase the cost of marketing when work resumes.
The moment you start planning your marketing activities for 2021, know that for most businesses, the importance of marketing has increased since the pandemic. Ensure that you maintain and increase communication saturation from your company and identify ways to tackle the most advanced marketing trends to target your target audience. This will keep your business on top of the minds of customers and business prospects and will also help in creating a favorable position when recovery from the pandemic begins.
The challenge of keeping up during this pandemic with the shifting landscape has been tremendous, with so many businesses adapting to a wholly digital environment. There is an entirely new way for the trade shows and events as they have been pushed online.
2021 is the year to prepare for fluidity and adjust your planning cycle to accomplish your marketing objectives. Although no one can tell you precisely what to do and how to prepare for 2021, we do know that content is still king!
Marketing Tips for Hong Kong Business
Here are our ten tips for establishing a leading marketing strategy in 2021:
Develop a content marketing strategy
Content marketing removes the media from the equation and allows companies to communicate directly with the target audience by delivering content. You can provide blogs, video blogs, case studies, infographics, etc. In case you want to increase organic traffic and generate leads, you must deliver regular, high-quality content. This type of traffic is unpaid and is generated by users who find your website after using search engines. You can drive traffic by keywords, inbound and outbound links, throughout your content.
One often thinks of words when thinking of content marketing; it is simply storytelling. Keep one thing in your mind though, that videos tell stories much better than written words. According to a global communications report, digital storytelling will be a vital communication trend affecting public relations in the next five years.
Videos are a “must” for building your online presence. Video marketing has not only been proven to build brand awareness and generate traffic from search engines but from social media sites as well.
It is estimated that by 2022, 82% of all customer internet traffic will come from online videos. As it is the best performing type of digital content, video is the constant continuing film. Video advances up the sales cycle and provides a compelling return on investment (ROI) by bringing your brand to life and seizing customer’s attention like no other medium. Remember, with all the information and entertainment; the videos should be more straightforward and more conversational.
Typically, videos that are short—30 seconds to two minutes have the highest engagement. They should also evoke an emotion. Of course, don’t neglect the significance of audio quality.
Plan in shorter increments
Concentrate on areas of growth to make sure you get the highest return on investment (ROI). Begin by building your marketing plan or updating your existing one with new goals and tactics for the year. Remember, adaptation will be essential in 2021. That means you need to commit to and stick with an engaged review structure —weekly and monthly checkpoints in addition to your regular quarterly reviews to evaluate metrics. Keeping a close eye on your marketing priorities and knowing which tactics are essential and which can be cut back will save time and money in the long run and prevent impulsive decisions if cuts need to be made.
Use SEO to get found
Search engine optimization is the method of making it easy for your consumers to find your website at the right time — when they are searching for your products or services— this is called the organic search engine results. SEO boosts website traffic quantity and quality, driving more visitors to your site and potentially more business. SEO is an integral part of every digital marketing strategy. In order to get extremely targeted traffic to your website, you must create an SEO content strategy as part of your overall digital marketing plan.
There are a number of ways to improve SEO. One approach is to renew and modernize content regularly. Additional strategies include:
- Conducting keyword research.
- Keeping an active presence on social media.
- Writing high-quality, long-form content and sharing the links on social media.
The right SEO strategy can help you get a vast amount of benefits.
Segment your audiences
In 2021, numerous tried pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies will hold businesses. However, there’s bound to be some shifts in best practices as updates are revealed, and algorithms change. As digital marketing continues to grow, users will continue to be offered ads and content that fit their search. This will mean using artificial intelligence (AI) and personalization in everything you do to learn user intent. For PPC, use automation, voice search optimization, video ads, and explore alternative platforms, like Amazon, Quora, and LinkedIn to create micro-targeted campaigns.
Use search intent optimization to arrange your business up for growth. With it, you will produce better organic search results, get qualified leads to your website, position your business as an authority and improve brand awareness. Afterall, Google wants users to receive relevant, verified data. Search intent optimization is how you give your viewers the right answer when searching for it. Focus on four types of search intents—informational, commercial, transactional and local. Ensure that you claim or regularly update your free Google My Business (GMB) listing. Your address, phone number, website, and hours of operation are accurate. Look at other directories where your business is listed and update the information accordingly to ensure consistency across Google’s local search landscape. Consider Embed Google Maps markers on your homepage to help turn local leads into customers.
Plan a proper video marketing strategy
Video Marketing has been on the rise and will continue to grow. Utilize it in your content marketing and support video to improve SEO. Video ads will be the new PPC trend. Not only do videos allow you to build a personality for your brand and company, it also creates traffic to your website, keeps visitors occupied longer which will later encourage the prospects to move down the sales funnel. Search engines like Google are dragging for content that involves viewers. Nothing entices users more than a video. Consider embedding videos on your FAQ page or combining a paid ad into your marketing strategy through a 15-30 second pre-roll YouTube video, which will target your audience by location or by keywords.
Public Relations
Make sure that you have a trustworthy public relation by providing valuable content to the user. In 2021, responsive, quality content will remain the number one way to get your target audience to your website. Produce customer-focused content that is impartial and fair, offering solutions to your client’s problems. That will eventually drive profitable customer action, especially during these trying times.
Branding
If your audience trusts you, they will buy from you. After all, people will always buy your story before they buy your stuff. Once a large enough number of potential customers trust your brand, sales will follow. That’s why branding is so important today — a brand is a story that makes a promise and sets expectations. Telling your story will strengthen what makes your brand different by letting your audience in on how data and numbers can’t compare.
Optimize your website for mobile
Responsive website design (RWD) is much more than a buzzword. It is the norm in web design. It also encourages mobile marketing, allowing manufacturers to reach a larger audience than they would. With a meaningful percentage of website traffic coming from mobile, you need to get to your clients where they are; and this should be on their phones. RWD enhances a client’s browsing experience by building a flexible and receptive web page optimized for any device. With a responsive website design, visitors will have a flawless experience when viewing your site on different devices, creating a user-friendly web experience and adding exponential value to your digital presence. An RWD enhances visibility on search engines, offering added SEO opportunities with Google search results.
Implement an email marketing campaign
Email marketing is a cost-effective and practical way to communicate with your audience. It has a central marketing ROI of 122% and that’s an ROI that is four times more powerful than other digital marketing channels! Billions of people are now walking around with email on their phones, which is in their pockets. Mobile-opens account for 46 percent of all email-opens and 99 percent of consumers check their email at least once per day. You will want to incorporate a tactic to review your marketing strategy and work to expand your online presence. In case adequate technique and timing are applied, open rates will be in your favor.
Establish your social media presence
Social media is where the world is. Adding social media to your marketing plan is the best way to increase your online presence. Through social media, you can connect with your consumers to develop brand recognition and trust. You can start by determining your social media goals within your overall business strategy. Then set precise and measured goals that you can attempt to achieve. For social media to have an impact on the audience and reach your desired target audience, your label needs to be on the right social media platforms. Each platform offers different advantages for your business. Research your target audience to identify which channels will be most effective.
Lastly, know that it is your hard work that will create the difference. If you get stuck, seek help and keep going. If you want to start your business in Hong Kong Startupr will help with the process. Contact us today.