2021 Marketing: Goals, Priorities, Preparedness

2021 Marketing: Goals, Priorities, Preparedness

It’s fair to say, 2020 has not been business as usual. We’ve been off-roading in bumpy uncharted marketing territory since early March. The path is a little smoother now, mostly because we’ve gotten used to the terrain. But the road ahead is still unclear and there’s no map to show the way.

What does all that symbolism mean as marketers plan and budget for 2021? Do we have any expectation for a “return to normal”? What is “normal” these days anyway? As we dial in marketing plans for the coming year, let’s look at the biggest changes the last year has shown us to find some insight and direction in the year ahead.

Plan for Flexibility and Prepare for Change

Although planning for growth, 79 percent of marketers say they will rely on existing markets to fuel sales, according to research conducted by Gartner. As the year progresses and pandemic conditions change, flexibility and agility are key. Planning the year in increments, with the ability to move fast in embracing change, will help your organization take full advantage of growth opportunities while maintaining the ability to adjust during budget fluctuation.

Digital Marketing Leads the Media Spend

We’re all working from home and keeping our germs to ourselves. Using technology, it’s possible to control nearly everything from opening the garage door to ordering groceries and feeding the dog (yes, you can do that from your phone). Digital marketing budgets accounted for 80 percent of marketing spend in 2020. In the coming year, integration among earned and paid media will accelerate as marketers increase their presence on digital platforms and in paid social media. This shift, by the way, is showing signs that it’s here to stay beyond the current COVID-19 climate.

To feed the thirsty digital channel, content creation will rely on the ability to leverage graphic and video assets in a variety of forms to maximize the investment value and stretch budgets. Consider how this will influence content creation decisions and media buys for the coming year and beyond.

Research: Get to Know Your New Customer

Just as the pandemic has changed how we live and work, customers and prospects are making buying decisions for different reasons than they may have just 12 months ago. As the pandemic has continued, that new mindset is taking hold and will last long after we’re free to move about again. That means allocating time and resources in 2021 to conduct essential voice-of-customer research that reveals current attitudes. According to AdWeek, agility and resiliency are key to understanding the here-and-now of the customer decision journey. Time to get to know your customers all over again and use it to inform your marketing plans

What’s Up with Tradeshows, Events and Conferences?

Virtual events are here to stay, exclusively – at least for the first half of the year, according to event planners and conference organizers. Are you spending as much time planning your online presence and lead-generation opportunities during virtual events as you do in-person conferences and trade shows? Probably not. How marketers present themselves virtually will be a brand’s public face for much of the year. Upping your visibility and being present during virtual sales meetings, and “at” trade shows and conferences will be essential to support brand awareness and engagement.

In 2020, the change to virtual happened fast. Customers will likely have higher expectations in 2021. Building your virtual platform knowledge and leveraging the full roster of capability is an essential skill-set in the coming year and beyond. (See Axiom’s previous posts about this subject for more information.)

For more information on navigating your year ahead, contact Stacy Einck at Axiom, seinck@axiomcom.com.

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