How to Spend Your 2021 Marketing Budget?
2021 is here and with the new year comes planning. Today we want to talk about your 2021 marketing budget.
Before spending your money left and right, it is really important to have a clear planning for the whole year and to define how and where you will spend your marketing money.
Being strategic about your campaigns and marketing budget is one of the best pieces of advice we can give you that will actually help you save money and invest it correctly.
Keep in mind that this isn’t a tip just for companies with big marketing budgets. Whether you have a big or small marketing budget, knowing at the beginning of the year how you will spend it and being strategic about it is really important.
Photo Credit: Heritage Hill Cir, designed by Charbonneau Interiors
Invest in branding
Before even starting to share your message and spend money on ads, make sure that your branding is aligned with who you are today.
This means defining your brand name, your design and image, your tone of voice, your niche market. The way you show up to the world needs to be up-to-date and representative of your offer, your why, your mission TODAY.
Maybe you had done your branding years ago and in the meantime, your company’s identity changed and now your branding isn’t really representative of who you are. This is the time to update it.
This is a first step as it will help you build strong foundations and will make everything else more relevant.
Photo Credit: Heritage Hill Cir, designed by Charbonneau Interiors
Update your website
Once your brand really feels like you, make sure that your website is reflecting it. It doesn’t mean you have to start everything from scratch again but make sure that the design is up-to-date, your offers are clear, the copywriting is aligned and really feels authentic.
By having a branding and website that is really aligned to who you are and what you offer, you are also calling in clients that will resonate with you, instead of attracting people that won’t be a good fit which at the end of the day will make you lose time and money.
Even if today, it is fairly easy to create a website on your own, getting support and help from a professional will really make the difference. Why? For multiple reasons:
Experts have an outsider outlook on your offer and your message and they aren’t so emotionally linked to it which gives them perspective and helps them to put the emphasis where it really needs to be done. Too often when we talk about our own products we feel like everything needs to be said and we forget to get to-the-point. With website creation, keeping it simple and efficient is key to retain your audience.
Website professionals also have valuable experience and can really help make your website user-friendly and efficient using the right technology to make things smoother, the right copywriting that converts, the right design that brings people in a positive mood, etc.
Remember that your website is a platform to share your message and show potential customers why they would benefit from working with you. This can convince them to either get in touch with you or move on to your competitor.
Photo Credit: Heritage Hill Cir, designed by Charbonneau Interiors
Social Media Management & Ads
To be present on social media nowadays is crucial. Not having social media accounts is about the same as not having a website. Social media has become a way for customers to search for information, to learn about new products, to find inspiration, and to know more about businesses. It is really important for you to have a strong strategy to share quality content that represents your brand well, that helps you position yourself as an expert by your audience, but also to share content consistently and regularly.
Staying on top of trends and continuously creating quality content and making sure to share it on a regular basis, as well as interacting on the platforms and engage with the audience is very time-consuming and can easily be overwhelming.
This is why we recommend our clients to outsource it. While we focus on it, you focus on what you are best at. This combined will help your business grow.
Photo Credit: Heritage Hill Cir, designed by Charbonneau Interiors
Blog Writing
Posting blogs help you to rank higher in search engines like Google making your website more easily found. It also helps showcase your expertise by sharing tips, tools, and knowledge. This really supports building a trustworthy relationship with your audience.
We recommend writing 1 blog/ week on trendy topics. This also means including high-performing keywords, finding the right photography to go with, uploading them on your site, and relaying them on your different social media platforms.
This is also something that can be easily delegated to marketing professionals ensuring that traffic keeps coming to you without having to worry about it.
Photo Credit: Heritage Hill Cir, designed by Charbonneau Interiors
Email Marketing
With all the high-quality content you are creating, you want to make sure that it gets noticed.
We recommend sending a weekly or monthly newsletter to your audience. Keeping it on a regular schedule is really important to help create anticipation.
Every newsletter should have a clear goal with a clear call-to-action. This can be to promote a service, refer to a blog you just posted, or share a company’s news.
This newsletter will ensure you stay close to your audience and top-of-mind.
Heritage Hill Cir, designed by Charbonneau Interiors
Public Relations Management
Do you dream to get your name published in famous magazines? We’ve got you! Working with PR professionals helps you to create the perfect yearly and monthly schedule. This means that every pitch we send is part of a broader strategy. This is not just a shot in the dark here. We know what to pitch, who to pitch to, and how to pitch to increase your chances of getting your name out there.
We have years of experience and have built many close relationships with journalists and publishers who are relying on us to provide them with quality content. They trust us and they trust the projects and companies we refer to them.
Photo Credit: Heritage Hill Cir, designed by Charbonneau Interiors
Are you ready to bring your marketing to the next level in 2021? Click here to schedule a Complimentary Brand Consultation. We will help you to define the right budget for your business and how to best use it for maximal effect.