Dec 15, 2020
Business Marketing Year-End
As we all say a collective goodbye to 2020
(and
good riddance), there are a few things we need to do as business
owners to get our marketing in line for
’21.
Yes, it can be as simple as flipping the calendar and utilizing the
same strategies as we enter January, but here are the tips and
trends I’m seeing for small business marketing in the next 12
months:
Tip #1: Audit your social feeds. Look over all your social profiles
and your website. Where are you seeing the most business as a
result of your efforts? This is different from just your follower
count. Determine which platforms have the most engaged audiences,
are the best use of your time, and genuinely build know-like-trust
with your potential clients. Dedicate yourself to focusing on those
platforms in
’21.
Trend #1: Instagram and TikTok reign supreme. If we’re talking
about the platforms that are HOT coming out of 2020, these two are
definitely it. TikTok really gained steam earlier this year going
from 40 million active users at the end of 2019 to more than 100
million active users in August of 2020
(CNBC).
TikTok hinges on video content, whether entertaining, educational,
or downright silly. These less-than-one-minute videos are quick and
succinct, and it’s found a niche among people during quarantine.
Songs gain popularity, challenges trend, and stars are born on
this
“new”
app. Facebook INC took note in 2020, and added a new feature to its
Instagram platform with Reels, their 15-30 second take on the short
video content format. Not only are these videos popular, but
accounts using Reels on Instagram are getting crazy engagement and
algorithm boosts just for trying it out. My tip: don’t sleep on
this. Get to work creating short video clips and playing around in
either TikTok or IG Reels.
Tip #2: Dig into your data. My favorite part of Facebook and
Instagram is the in-depth analytics you can get. Head to the
“Insights”
tab on Facebook or connect to Planoly on Instagram to get
long-range data downloads for your accounts. In these insights, you
can see how many devices you reached and how many engagements your
posts yielded. You can dig into follower growth, video views, link
clicks, and conversions too. By looking at this data from the
big-picture aspect, you can see just HOW MUCH you have accomplished
in the past year. We can get caught up in the day-to-day grind and
incremental growth of social media marketing, but when we take a
bird’s-eye view, we have a much better picture of how we’ve
connected with our audience in the past 12 months. Looking at YTD
data also helps determine trends so we can make educated decisions
going forward. See more engagement from real-life photos of you?
Schedule in more of those kind of posts in the new year! Want more
targeted growth among your ideal clients? Maybe take a class in
Facebook Ads and set a goal to run a full-on campaign in Q1
of
’21.
Know your numbers and make smart choices for the next 12
months.
Trend #2:
“The
Real Reel” We all know that social media is just a portion of the
lives of people we see on the screens of our devices. In 2020
amidst the global lockdown, social media stars and influencers
weren’t able to flash around on yachts or private jets, and
high-end fashion and luxurious photoshoots were put on hold. What
emerged was a much more real look at modern life. Candid
photos
(albeit
filtered with presets and Lightroom) were connecting with the
masses. Home life hacks and true stories of balancing family and
business outperformed highly photoshopped images and overproduced
videos. In 2021, I expect this to continue. Share the
behind-the-scenes, tell stories, and don’t pressure yourself to
have everything
“perfect”
on your social feeds. Just get out there and get
posting.
Tip #3: Repurpose your content. The holiday season is always busy
with baking and board games, wrapping and wrangling kids, tax
planning and time off work. So don’t stress over creating new
content all the days of December. My favorite strategy for the last
two weeks of the month is repurposing posts from throughout the
year into a
“Best
of” series. I use the Insights on my Facebook account or Planoly to
determine which posts were my highest performers, and I simply copy
and paste into a countdown for the days between Christmas and New
Years. It’s efficient, it’s engaging
(again),
and it allows me to step away from the screen and be present with
my family.
Trend #3: Consistency is key. If I’ve learned anything in the crazy
changes of 2020, it’s that some things never change. And the
importance of continuously showing up on social is one of those
classic standbys that you can count on to help you grow on social.
Whatever consistent looks like for your business, whether 2 posts
per week or 1 post each day, commit to a schedule that works for
you. When you are consistent, the algorithm will reward you, and
your audience will build trust that you are a dependable person and
business. In my December program
“All
I Want for Christmas is VIEWS” the members are seeing the direct
benefits of having a monthly plan and implementing consistency on
social. If you do nothing else for your social feeds in
’21,
make sure consistency is it.
And there you have it, the Molly Knuth Media Tips and Trends for
2021 small business social media marketing. Is there anything you
would add? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear your hot
takes!