2020 was probably the crazy year we have had in a long time. Worldwide pandemics, an intense election, BLM movements, wildfires across the west coast and Australia, the controversy and rise of TikTok… it all happened this year. But, the great news is that despite the chaos, we have made it to the end of the year. We can all see 2021 in the horizon and we’re hoping for a more cheerful time.
Everyone has been through a lot this year so let’s all just take a deep breath and give ourselves a pat on the back for being able to get through it. Let’s also create some strong positive vibes for the new year and 2021. We're going to give you some tips to do that through your marketing strategy.
Easy January Marketing Steps
Updating Your Google My Business Profile
Having a fully fleshed out Google My Business Profile is always important. This is especially true during this time and with so many new regulations. To get an impression when people are searching for your business vertical locally it is a must. Google my Business shows up in Google searches and in Google Maps, so having your Google My Business updated is critical. Make sure you are adding images and videos to show off your place of business. Have your Q&A question filled out so people know what’s going on, and make sure you respond to all your reviews.
If you want to learn more about Google My Business check out this blog where we discuss it in more depth.
Posts Previewing Promotions, Events, or Products
Leveraging social media has been huge in 2020. So if you are planning to have any events, promos or new product launches in the first couple of months in 2021, don’t be afraid to tease them via your social media. Creating hype around these three things gets your followers excited and talking about it beforehand. Then use boost to execute and hopefully along with it you’ll gain some sales or new clients.
Loyalty / Referral Program
Providing value to a customer is always a must. The more value you give, the more loyal your customer becomes. So building a loyalty or referral program for your customers is a great way to show value. Starting the new year with a brand new program can be a game changer.
If you are a storefront you can do the classic stamp card. After every purchase you can give out a stamp on a card and on the tenth stamp you can give either a discount, or free product to show appreciation for your customer’s return business. You can also give customers discounts or better deals for every new customer they refer. It's a win win. Or, if you want something high end, you can create a tier list rewards program based on the amount customers purchase with you over time. The higher the tier (the more money they’ve spent) the better the discount they get.
Once you have a loyalty program set up, make sure to share it periodically on your social media channels so that people who recently find you know the great deals you're providing.
Getting January Started Off On The Right Foot
Start With a New Year’s Resolution
Find a goal you want to achieve as a company and share it online. That way you can give your customers and community updates on how it's going and share milestones. You can even ask people what their new year's resolutions are to try and increase engagement on the post.
If you're looking to give to charity this upcoming year this is also a great way to announce it as a new year's resolution. Let your customers know 10% of all revenue is going to local homeless shelters or to a charity that is close to your heart. It shows that your company cares for others and that part of what people are spending is given back to the community.
Check 2020 Game Plan
One thing to focus on in the new year is a review of the past years’[ data. Take some time to see what you accomplished and goals you set for yourself or your company over the last year. That way you can make sure to double down on success and reconsider what might have fallen short and how you can better execute in the future.
Some things to look at are:
What pages performed best
What social media posts got the most engagement
What campaigns drove the most profits and traffic
All of these can be looked at from the perspective of what underperformed. You can then compare the two and see what could have made it better. Were the images intriguing enough? Was the content you made targeted towards your audience? Or was the call to action not strong enough? There are multiple things to look at, expand upon or improve that you can take into the new year.
National Holidays & Observances in January
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 18th is the national holiday to celebrate Martin Lurther King Jr.’s birthday and acknowledges his Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership in civil rights. This is a day to honor him and his legacy. It is especially important given the events of the past year to acknowledge this well-respected civil rights leaders and show support for related causes.
You can organize an event in your local area. If you do, announce it on social media.. It is a really great time to show unity in your community and demonstrate your business’ ethics and values.
Compliment Day
January 24th is Compliment Day so take some time to compliment someone. You can share a post and have your community tag someone to the post and give them a compliment. You can make the most of this day by thanking your community for their support or their loyalty. Or you can share a post complimenting your coworkers or company for doing so well or working so hard.
There are multiple other holidays that you can partake in especially through social media to show support or awareness during this month.
Hopefully these tips can help you get 2021 started with a bang!