This year will stand out in history books, there’s no doubt about it.
Most of us will be grateful when it’s finally over with, but for digital marketers, 2020 changed the game. User behaviors pivoted and how we communicated with customers, colleagues, friends and family changed too. From shooting social media content on a budget, to bringing important diversity and inclusion conversations to the forefront in company culture, this year has been full of surprising and awe-inspiring shifts in content marketing.
Here’s a recap of how we covered the changing tide in marketing and the advice we gave to brands for how to adapt.
Topic # 1: How to adapt marketing in times of crisis
When the pandemic hit, there was a lot of uncertainty and many companies froze marketing budgets until there was a clearer path to the other side. Nine months later, the pandemic is still ravaging the health of our country, but brands found a way to turn back to the bigger picture and adapted. We recommended creating video tutorials for companies that needed to take their services online, creating virtual tours and hiring experts to manage social media messaging.
Brands needed to answer questions about how the pandemic was going to impact their products or services. And what’s one of the main channels of communication between brands and their customers in 2020? Social media. Since companies were being conservative with how they were spending, many marketers were left with tackling content creation themselves, DIY fashion. Our pro tips: utilize the resources you have, from props to lighting.
As a content marketing agency, we know people consume media and information differently, so we launched an audio series. “5 Questions With” focused on bringing together thought leaders within the digital marketing space to discuss how our brands were adapting to 2020 and advise other marketers on next steps.
Topic #4: Diversity and inclusion and brands: Why the voice of brands is more important now than ever
Following the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, the country—and soon after, the world—erupted in protests demanding change. What started as a singular objective swiftly transformed into a much broader mission about challenging how we view racism, diversity and inclusion in our society. Public relations and communications executive Wendy Allen-Belleville paved a path for how companies could discuss these important topics and make real change within their organizations.
Maybe you saw an uptick in social media giveaways or several new webinars with multiple industry experts. The rise in co-marketing in 2020 meant a shift toward focusing on a larger “community,” and creating mutually beneficial business relationships. Our biggest tip when it comes to co-marketing and navigating these relationships is to research brands with similar target audiences and similar goals.
By now, most C-suite executives understand the importance of social media marketing in the broader marketing strategy, but may not be sold on investing in community management. It’s not only about responding to comments, it’s about creating meaningful, personal conversations with those who follow your company in the digital landscape.
Many companies faced the decision to either cancel events or transition to a virtual platform this year, and the learning curve was steep for many. With the right preparation and expert production team, virtual events proved to be an engaging substitute. Some of our professional connections weighed in on other tips and tricks they learned, but the reigning message was practice, practice, practice.
Still have questions about hosting content marketing? We’re here to help you with FREE consultations to figure out how best to pivot your organization’s events in our current climate. Give us a call at 323.596.0606 or email us at sales@lure-digital.com.