How Should You Market in 2021?

Marketing, in 2020, took an unexpected turn with the onset of the pandemic. More and more companies began to divert their focus on social media marketing than traditional platforms and tools.

But as a marketer, you must be aware of the fact that one needs to simply adapt themselves to any and all changes, turning crisis into the best outcomes possible. With just one month left in 2020, companies are gearing up with various strategies for next year to make up for all the losses incurred this year.

If you are a marketer, on the verge of creating your marketing strategy for the upcoming year, here are five things that you must take note of while marketing in 2021:

Keep Budget Cuts In Mind

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A survey by Dun and Bradstreet reports that 70% of senior marketers across countries have experienced budget cuts as a result of COVID-19. As a marketer, remember to take this into account as you create your strategies for the upcoming year.

"CMOs should plan for future budgetary pressures now, rather than gamble on budgets bouncing back," says Ewan McIntyre, vice president analyst for Gartner for Marketers. "The brands that succeed in uncertain times are those that recognize the change around them and adjust to it, rather than wait for things to go back to normal. CMO's need to build a plan that sets out the costs that can be eliminated, the essential costs that must be shielded and the costs where greater efficiency and ROI can be delivered."

Make The Most Of Digital Transformation

The pandemic locked us all into our homes, giving rise to companies moving their business online and investing rapidly in paid digital channels increasing their budgets for multichannel marketing. Some of the top channels of marketing include advertising, social media and company websites.

Rebecca Bezzina, SVP Managing Director R/GA London says, "As part of this, digital transformation, such as online services and subscriptions, will obviously become even more essential in terms of how brands approach marketing in the future. Lots of brands will need to go toe-to-toe with more scalable and more powerful online marketplaces."

Focus on Empathy

Empathy is one emotion that has loomed large this year. With the pandemic still in existence and only one month left for 2021, it is certain that Covid-19 is here to stay with us for a while; even in the upcoming year. Remember to keep this in mind as you market your product and services. Companies, too, have evolved and found creative ways to help individuals during this time.

Social media Marketing Is a MUST

Most companies that weren't convinced with social media shenanigans had to resort to this path during the pandemic, considering people were cooped up at home and social media was their only getaway. Companies took this in their stride and used the platform of social media to get in touch with their customers and engage with them. This has helped in building a strong connection and engaging with the target audience closely. It is advisable that once other routes of marketing open up, do not let this effort go to waste. In fact, continue the efforts you've invested in marketing your company via social media.

According to the Index Report from Social Sprout, 57% of consumers follow brands on social media to learn about the brand's new products and services. This means, no information is too big or small to share on social media.

Video-Based content

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Research from the same Index report reveals 68% of consumers want to engage with brands that make use of images while 50% want to engage with video-based content. As you create your strategies for the upcoming year, ensure to include plans that can be executed in a video format which need not be lengthy videos, instead, could be shorter bursts of videos in the forms of reels and stories on social media platforms, teasers, interviews in video format etc.

Conclusion

2020 or the year of the pandemic has been tough but proved to be a learning curve for industries across sectors around the world. Companies and brands learnt how to make the most of the resources available to them and find different ways to connect and engage with their audience. Use the lessons received in this year and market well in 2021!