We all learned a lot in 2020. There were a lot of takeaways from timing to new emerging technology. Here are our top tips and trends for marketing to your audience(s) in 2021.

Top five things not to ignore for marketing your business

5. Sensitivity. A big takeaway for marketers and businesses this year is to remember — no, indulge — your sensitivity chip. It’s a new year — January 2021. We survived 2020, but the world remains in troubled times and fighting a global pandemic. Stop, look, and listen to the world around you before posting fun, whimsy, or celebratory social media posts for an important marketing campaign– it may be a day to hold back. Take a beat and make sure that the day is clear of head-turning chaos. For one, it may be viewed as insensitive. Second, your audience may not be paying attention to you this day. They’ll be back tomorrow. The world may be on fire on any given day, and you do not want to be pumping out a (potentially tone-deaf) deal-of-the day in response. When in doubt, sit it out.

4. Conversational Marketing As much as we talk about amazing chatbots and autoresponders assisting with customer service, it may not be best for your brand. Carefully weigh what is fast against what is truly better for your customers. Think about what you need from support ‘to help you convert. Studies show people will pay you for more hand-holding and better care.

3. Artificial intelligence AI is a driver behind essential communication, product recommendations, content creation, email personalization, and online shopping. If you have yet to figure out how your industry will eventually see, use, and be part of this massive revolution– you are behind –start Googling for ideas and insights now. Ninety-seven percent of mobile users are already enjoying AI-voice-powered assistants.

For our fellow wedding marketers

2. Text-to-Speech Read-It-Later apps, like Instapaper and Pocket, are growing fast too.

Google has invested heavily in this technology. Help out those bot readers and enjoy long-form, informational blogging once again … who misses 2011? Writing informative articles (like this one) is back– with this technology.

What can you do to help the bots? Undo web page headlines in pretty graphics. Get old school. Use those proper HTML elements like your text, subheads, and main headlines in text blocks once again. Google will reward you — especially if your customers require a lot of education on your service like whitening your teeth, investing, or event planning. (Hint: A big opportunity for high-luxury or super-specialized service industries, like weddings.)

And, #1 for 2021

1. Video Production with a side of Personalization

(We are a video production company, after all. But, we have the numbers to prove it.)

How does video production fit into your 2021 marketing? We all know to use videos for brand stories, employee training, the web, and social media posts. People prefer watching and learning from videos. The statistical data is overwhelming. At Media Northeast, we write about this a lot. Videos outperform their social media static post counterparts.

Products, particularly at a higher price point, perform and convert better on Amazon than products without video. Now add something personal for people. A great example: Candy brand Cadbury’s created a personalized video campaign that matches a dairy milk flavor with users based on data from their Facebook profile, including age, interest, and location. The campaign generated a 65% click-through rate and a 33.6% conversion rate, proving that the personal touch works.

Not sure how to get more videos into your 2021 marketing? Contact us. We love helping your marketing team or agency create video campaigns that convert.