2021 Marketing Projections for Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

Marketing TipsVisibility

Jan 6

Written By brandmerry

2021 Marketing Projections for Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

As we head into 2021, there are so many lessons that we learned in 2020 that are going to impact how we market our businesses. Learn five of the marketing trends to incorporate into your marketing strategy and weekly workflow. #marketing #smallbusin…

As we head into 2021, there are so many lessons that we learned throughout 2020 that are going to impact how we market our businesses.

Of course, marketing is always changing, but the good news is that the predictions and trends we’re seeing for this next year have been building for quite some time, so none of them should require a complete overhaul of your existing strategy.

To be honest, I’m so excited about the following five trends because, as you’ll notice, there is a great deal of emphasis put on human to human marketing and focusing on building experiences as a brand. This is one of my favorite things about being a business owner and one of my favorites to teach.

So get ready because we’re going to see the following trends in full force and if you’re an online business owner and entrepreneur you want to make sure these are part of your marketing strategy moving forward.

To support you further, we’re sharing the five trends below and actionable steps and recommendations you can take within your business.

#1 Marketing Trend of 2021
Video Will Explode

At Brandmerry we love video. It’s my favorite strategy for creating core content for my brand and I’ve been so excited to see the changes and new additions to video marketing over the past few years.

Video marketing won’t be slowing down anytime soon we’re seeing more and more platforms embracing video options. According to a Cisco study, by 2022, 82% of all online content will be video content.

One of my favorite platforms Pinterest is making video a top priority. Releasing Pinterest Stories and more short video content within the feed (similar to Instagram Reels) to create more brand awareness and community feel.

In 2020, we saw the catapult of TikTok during the pandemic, followed by Instagram Reels later in the fall. These short-form pieces of video content meant to educate and entertain our audiences will continue to rise and be favored within the algorithm.

TAKE ACTION IN 2021:

Make sure you’re creating consistent video content for your brand. If you struggle with consistency, be sure to check out my Consistency Guide here.

Hubspot found that 54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support

No matter what platform you’re most comfortable with there is a video option available or coming in 2021. This includes an increase in video use on Pinterest, Twitter (their new app called Fleets) and LinkedIn, as well as some of our favorites Facebook and Instagram.

BRANDMERRY MARKETING TIP:

Have fun with your video content. Think of ways to give incredible value to your audience while also sharing your personality to build a stronger connection to your brand. We love Instagram Reels for this and plan to repurpose those same videos to multiple platforms in 2021.

#2 Marketing Trend of 2021
Marketing OFF of Social Will Increase

2020 brought a lot of changes to social media and while it’s not going anywhere soon, we are hearing a lot of buzz from people taking time off of social media.

You’ve probably seen this happening within your industry and circle as Instagram rolls out a new Privacy Policy and more information becomes available

Am I suggesting you stop using social media? Absolutely not! I highly suggest all online brands have some social media presence (one platform is enough) for nurturing their existing audience.

However, with these changes and more consumers spending less time checking on social media it’s important to have alternative marketing methods in place.

Way too many entrepreneurs are using social media as their only form of lead generation and communication for their brand and that’s some risky business.

TAKE ACTION IN 2021:

If you’re not already focusing on search engine optimized platforms now is the time. These search platforms were specifically designed for consumers and users to search for very specific resources, products and information and get results.

Unlike social media, the intent is to point users in the right direction, which means more trust and a better user experience than most social platforms. Not to mention content on these search engine platforms lasts much longer than on social media. A blog can continue to deliver results for 2+ years, while a Facebook post lasts a few hours.

BRANDMERRY MARKETING TIP:

Inside of Brandmerry Academy, we focus on equipping entrepreneurs with the knowledge and skills to grow their business off of social media.

Three of my favorite tools to use are Website SEO (to make sure you show up in Google Searches), Blogging (to create a stream of content that lasts and increases your overall Google ranking) and Pinterest (to drive consistent cold traffic to your website).

Not to mention, small businesses with blogs get 126% more lead growth. (Content Marketing Institute)

Youtube is an excellent search engine platform for video content, but I find most of my clients prefer to start with blogging as it’s a little less time consuming than weekly video.

Curious to know more about Brandmerry Academy? Find out what trainings are included, the incredible support and more here.

#3 Marketing Trend of 2021
Brand Values and Human Connection are Top Priority

77% of consumers buy from brands that share the same values as they do (HavasGroup, 2019).

And we are going to see the importance of brand values and emotional branding play a major role in 2021. The reality is, consumers, want brands that they can trust and more and more consumers are looking for brand affinity.

And this level of trust and desire for brand affinity will impact revenue generated by brands. 64% of consumers said they would buy from a brand or boycott it solely because of its position on a social or political issue (Edelman, 2019).

TAKE ACTION IN 2021:

The importance of branding, with an emphasis on values, mission, messaging and connection, will continue to increase as we move through 2021 and beyond.

The old methods of branding and marketing, just focusing on the same, are going bye-bye, which I’m incredibly grateful for!

One of the best things you can do for your business in 2021 is to focus on human connection with your ideal customer. This includes being clear on your brand values and mission and sharing them, sharing more stories that focus on connecting these values and life experiences with your audience and focusing on authenticity as the driving force of your brand and business.

BRANDMERRY MARKETING TIP:

One of the best things you can do for your business is build a solid foundation and this includes, and should be centered on your values and mission.

These can be some of the best marketing tools for attracting your dream customers and keeping them engaged as part of your brand. This form of branding is centered around emotional branding, which is one of the foundational pieces I teach inside of my program You! Branded.

Motista found that emotionally connected consumers have a 306% higher lifetime value.

So aside from identifying your values and mission, how do you build an emotional connection? That’s all in the art of storytelling. Learn more about storytelling here.

#4 Marketing Trend of 2021
Virtual Events Will Increase

As someone who made it a goal to book public speaking engagements in 2020, the events of the pandemic definitely threw that off course. My guess is you noticed as more and more businesses adapted and turned to virtual events.

Well, this shift has resulted in what is sure to be an increase in virtual events in the year to come. 80.2% of event organizers were able to reach a wider audience with virtual events in 2020. (Bizzabo, 2020)

However, this isn’t likely to replace in-person events but does open the door for more small businesses and brands to have the opportunity to add events when in-person events are not in the budget.

TAKE ACTION IN 2021:

Thanks to 2020, more consumers are familiar with online virtual events, so if you’ve been thinking about hosting an online event now is an excellent time to begin planning.

On the flip side, this also opens the possibility for more features, as you can submit yourself as a speaker and expert for virtual events that don’t require travel or a major time commitment.

BRANDMERRY MARKETING TIP:

Make a list of in-person events in your industry and follow them on social media or via their website. Keep a lookout for when they release details regarding applications and submissions for their 2021 virtual events.

63% of organizations are moving to digital conferences and events. (TOPO, 2020)

Weekly public relations pitching is an excellent strategy to increase brand awareness and authority.

With a degree and background in public relations, I can tell you it’s one of the best ways to increase your ROI on your marketing efforts. Often, these virtual events bring in new email subscribers and paying customers and don’t cost you, the expert, a penny - bonus points if you’re paid!

Curious about building your public relations strategy for your brand? This is one of the twelve trainings available inside of Brandmerry Academy. Learn more here.

#5 Marketing Trend of 2021
Email Marketing Will Still Rule

When it comes to converting your warm audience into paying customers there is nothing more powerful than email marketing, and despite all the new social platforms and changes, email marketing is still the best way to communicate with your audience.

Emails are typically the first check of the day for consumers, and statistics show that the average person checks their email 15 times a day.

And since I know convincing you to put more emphasis on your email marketing is always a little difficult (I’ve worked with enough entrepreneurs to know), here is some information to get 100% on board:

59% of respondents say marketing emails influence their purchase decisions. (SaleCycle, 2018)
For every $1 spent, email marketing generates a minimum of $32 in ROI. (Oberlo)
59% of marketers say email is their biggest source of ROI. (Emma, 2018)

You’re ready to improve your email marketing now, aren’t you?

TAKE ACTION IN 2021:

Growing your email list of community members and showing up for them weekly should be a top priority. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be overly complicated.

At the very minimum have some sort of opt-in for your ideal customer to provide their name and email address. I love to give a free gift to new subscribers and suggest you do the same to increase conversions.

From there, have a simple onboarding email series that introduces your brand, values and mission - remember marketing trend three from above! Also, provide value for your audience for a week or so.

From there, make it a goal to share one email a week (minimum) with your audience and use email marketing as your main tool for sales and promotions.

BRANDMERRY MARKETING TIP:

I encourage every entrepreneur to focus on growing their email community in 2021. So many entrepreneurs, before working with me, are overwhelmed with one more thing to do in their business, but simplified marketing allows many of these strategies to work in the background for you.

For instance, inside of Brandmerry Academy, we teach you how to create a consistent stream of leads through evergreen content (think blogging, Pinterest, Youtube and more). With this consistent stream of new potential clients, your focus is on nurturing and connecting with your new community members.

Through the art of repurposing, you learn how to take a single piece of content and extend the life of it on multiple platforms to expand your brand awareness and brand connection. This includes repurposing that same piece of content for email.

Every week you can follow the same structure, think rinse and repeat, to take the overwhelm out of marketing. This small shift allows you to focus more on connecting with your audience, creating and serving your paying customers at the highest level.

To learn more about Brandmerry Academy, just click here.

Branding and Business Coach | Michelle Knight of Brandmerry

P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? No? Well lady what’s happening here we’ve got to fix that. Come hang out with me on my favorite social media platform. Follow for inspiration and send me a DM to know we’re connected.