Since the outbreak of COVID-19, lots of businesses that depended on high street footfall had to adapt - and respond, with strategies designed to generate more online sales. Businesses in many sectors experienced slow periods in 2020 (although some were booming like never before!). As 2021 has progressed, it has been vital for SMEs to plan wisely to get the optimum return from their marketing budget after a difficult year.
Of course, the best way to approach this varies from one sector to another, and you will have to consider your customer base and the products you want to sell. Notwithstanding, here are some ideas of how you could allocate your marketing spend during the remaining months of 2021.
Email Marketing
Email marketing has stood the test of time, and it still works really well today. The Data Marketing Association reported that, in 2018, email marketing returned roughly £42 for each pound invested, a very impressive ROI. A big reason behind the success of email is that it enables you to target your audience directly and specifically.
Your email broadcasts have to pique the interest of recipients, be easy to understand, and tailored to your prospects. They should include helpful information, enticing subject lines, an appealing design, and clear calls to action. If this is unfamiliar territory to you, then hiring an expert to do it is a sensible use of your marketing funds. The JDR Group offers a range of B2B email marketing services that can ensure the success of your email campaigns.
Content Marketing
Businesses have used ‘content’ - a convenient blanket term for blog articles, infographics, videos, social media posts, emails, and downloadable material; any sales material not involving direct human contact by phone or in person - to convert their website visitors into customers for years. The content you publish online is what sells your business to the public and explains what you have to offer. Content is a unique type of marketing in that it becomes more effective as time passes – once published, a good blog will continue boosting your Google ranking, increasing your domain and brand authority, and drawing visitors to your site, for years. The effectiveness of your body of content will carry on increasing, if you add to it regularly. Blogging, especially, is a simple way to update the content on your website regularly, and address your readers at each stage of their buyer journey.
Video Sales
No discussion about content marketing in the post-pandemic year of 2021 would be complete without mentioning video. There are over two billion active users on YouTube each month, and ninety-three percent of brands attract new customers from videos they publish on social networks. Video content is now one of the most popular and cost effective means of growing your business online, in the absence of face to face sales through other channels.
If you don’t have a mixed team of experienced writers, graphic designers, and other professionals in house, content creation is best outsourced to a business growth specialist. The JDR Group can create content in different formats that is ready for use across a variety of mediums, advising you along the way on how to grow your business through video sales.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
At a time when many businesses are increasing their online presence and online visibility, it is more important than ever – increasing your investment in SEO is a wise move this year. Hubspot reports that almost two-thirds of businesses invest something in search engine optimisation, so spending some of your marketing budget to improve your website ranking will attract your target audience and help you to remain competitive. The JDR Group can devise a full SEO campaign that will bring the right customers to your website, and then help you convert them into paying customers.
Find Out More
Having a good marketing plan is beneficial to SMEs in any field, but without focus and direction, it is easy to spend a lot of money without seeing great results. Make your marketing spend work harder for you by partnering with an agency with a track record of delivery – and experience of helping customers thrive during tough economic times. Contact the JDR Group today and let our experts devise the most cost effective sales plan for your business.
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