The Marketing Year Ahead

Data, Upcoming Trends and Advice on Planning Your Marketing for 2021 ​
An update from Anna Madden, RJL Solutions

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Marketing is changing by the minute thanks to a more digital prone world due to events from this past year. The hardest thing you will have to do as a marketer is to re-find your clientele now that homes are major office hubs, and some counties are still requiring businesses to be at half capacity. Marketers are working hard at the beginning of this year to research the new trends and changes in the industry and how we can make this year profitable for our clients after a year that tanked for some industries. Your RJL Solutions’ Strategic Communications Team has made this a goal too. This past month, our marketing team had the opportunity to attend a virtual and rich marketing conference held by the American Marketing Association (AMA). This conference featured speakers from Lucidpress, Sitecore and Tealium, marketing companies with niche focuses on data, branding and digital marketing. Here is what we learned that you need to know while planning your 2021 marketing. ​

Utilizing Data Effectively 

Even after a year that was unplanned, it is still advised to look at upcoming trends both in your industry and in the world to plan a year with new goals to help your end-user. Data will become an essential means in helping you make decisions on how to find your end-user during the pandemic. Additionally, this will help you “do more with less”. Data is your best friend. When I say data, that’s the information that came back from surveys, the data you find through your website and social media analytics, as well as your newsletters. Together, we turned digital this year, so you’ll be surprised through your digital efforts this coming year by how much data you already have on hand to make your future marketing decisions for 2021. RJL Solutions is here to help you access this data, analyze it and provide you recommendations on how to move forward as well as how to keep your consumer data protected.  ​

Telling a consistent story through your brand ​

“A brand is a living entity- and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand small gestures.” – Michael Eisner, former CEO of Disney.

​Brand consistency is of the upmost importance. To feel confident in your brand, it’s imperative that you feel confident in your understanding of two MAJOR players in your game: your consumers and your employees. “24.54% stated that inconsistent branding creates confusion in the market. An inconsistent brand prevents customers from fully recognizing a company and its messaging, which in turn, impacts sales conversions and lead generation,” states Lucidpress, AMA conference guest speaker. The best way to avoid inconsistency is to create (or outsource a marketing agency to create) clear and resourceful brand guidelines. In addition to brand guidelines, you’ll also want someone (or, again, a marketing agency) to monitor your brand and help your company make major decisions, down to smaller decisions such as how a post should be created and the do’s and the don’ts of social posting. 
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A new trend that was influenced as a result of the pandemic is that sales are shifting from a non-face-to-face format to potential consumers wanting to use text, chat or research on their own. Because of this, it is important that your online content clearly shows your brand with little to no changes in colors, fonts, and design elements. You should include your logo when you can and consider refreshing or adding to your brand through a structured process to allow for more fluidity on the internal creative process. Additionally, what’s being published through marketing channels needs to be consistent with talking points that sales representatives are using. “Sales and marketing alignment helps off set brand inconsistencies, improves communication across teams and ensures your content best reflects customer needs,” states Lucidpress. 

Digital Marketing Trends

In addition to great marketing advice, the AMA conference provided great data from 2020 and wonderfully explained what the data means and how to use it. 95% of Business to Business (B2B) marketers use content marketing. This is “because content works!” 47% of buyers/consumers viewed 3-6 pieces of content before engaging with a sales representative. Additionally, “70% of internet users want to learn about products through content rather than through traditional advertisements,” states Sitecore, AMA conference guest speaker. This great data means that you should invest in your organic (non-paid) content that you create and push out through your online channels. Planning great, relevant social media content, newsletters and videos as well as updating your website regularly is very important to focus on in 2021. “Rather than customers making an informed decision courtesy of a sales representative’s knowledge, your customers rely on content (both digital and physical copies) to give them the information they need,” states Lucidpress.  Modern-day consumers like to explore products in a more “relaxed” sales environment.  ​

Marketing is a forever changing, demanding and challenging industry. We know! We live it every day! Just know you don’t have to attempt marketing your company on your own. RJL Solutions is here to help you sift through your data, find your clientele and boost your brand on all of your digital channels. We might even be able to introduce you to your clientele through new channels that weren’t possible before!  ​

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