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Time is ticking to use up your marketing budget by December 31st and start planning out your first quarter for 2021. Need some inspiration? Below are some content marketing and copywriting ideas you can start thinking about for your business in 2021.
Need some help implementing one or a few of these ideas? Shoot me a note and we can schedule time to talk about a customized plan to meet your needs!
1) Launch a blog on your site or revamp the one you've forgotten about
A blog is not a new medium by any means but it is a relatively easy to implement strategy for engaging with your audience and providing value right away. Not only can a blog build trust in your business, but it is a great way to share your company's story and speak directly to your audience in a more personal way. If you can't remember the last time you updated your blog or you've been avoiding launching one, it might be time in 2021 to jump on the bandwagon.
Image credit: https://blog.thenomadik.com/
2) Create fun or instructional videos on your site to better engage your audience
3) Start a YouTube channel offering demos or how-to’s on your product or service
These two ideas go hand in hand because visual storytelling mediums are huge in 2020 and will continue to be essential moving into 2021. Sure, you could list the benefits of your product in writing on your website and hope someone reads all the way through or you could get creative and share your story through a video.
Not only that, but you can publish this video across multiple channels and spread your message even further than your website such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Tik Tok, LinkedIn, email, and more. As an example, Beeline does an excellent job breaking down a difficult concept (home loans) and making it accessible through their video content that they feature right on their home page (see screenshot below).
Through a YouTube channel, you can take this visual medium to a new level by providing regular content targeted at what your ideal customers want to see. Getting a lot of questions about how to download, use, or implement your product or service? Create a how-to video on your website or YouTube channel directly addressing this concern.
Image credit: https://makeabeeline.com/
4) Launch a podcast and get personal with your audience
There is no medium quite as personal as a podcast due to the fact that you are speaking directly into the ears of your listeners and can provide more of a personal and authentic window into your business, mission, and story. Listeners expect off-the-cuff, authentic, and genuine dialogue as part of a podcast and as a result, this can be a great medium for storytelling. Podcasts are not new but are still a relatively unexplored medium for brands and businesses to capitalize on.
5) Focus on visual branding
These days it's all about visual aesthetic. In 2020 and moving into 2021, your brand's visual appeal often carries more weight than your actual content. If your brand's visual elements and copy don't tell a story that matches your company's mission, your target customer might not stick around or even remember you.
Jungalow, a one-stop-shop for bohemian-modern home decor, does a great job of creating a compelling and visually appealing online presence through their Instagram. Through bright colors, well lit photography, fun patterns, and accessible copy for their captions, you are drawn into their brand and compelled to keep scrolling for more.
While bright colors and pretty pictures of furniture might not be accessible for every business model, the important thing to keep in mind is that in 2021 you need to focus on your visual appeal. Your social media profiles, website, and all content should be consistent across all channels so users easily recognize your business, understand your mission, and want to stick around to learn more.
Image credit: https://later.com/blog/instagram-aesthetic-trends/#story
6) Create free, value-driven content
In 2020 and into 2021, your audience wants to know what value you are going to provide compared to your competitors. They don't just want to hear about the benefits, they want to experience it first hand. As a business or brand you should have at least one free offer that acts as an introduction to your product or service, demonstrates the value you provide, and draws your audience in so that they want more.
Not only that, but free content gives you the chance to secure their email address and get them in the door for future marketing. Ideas for free opt-in offers include a downloadable PDF guide, a mini course, a challenge, video series, branded templates, scripts, a demo, and more.
7) Revamp your website with better SEO
SEO strategy and optimization is often that to-do list item that consistently gets overlooked or skipped when you are crunched for time. As we enter a new year, it's time to add SEO back to the top of your list before you get completely overlooked. More businesses are popping up in 2020 as more people work from home and have more time to launch that side hustle or project, and your business will get lost in the shuffle without the dedicated time you need to improve your ranking and get more people on your site.
8) Create seasonal content or giveaways
New year new you right? The start of a new year is always a great time to get top of mind for your consumers as they seek out gifts for the holidays and start making plans for a new year. Even if you don't have a new product or service to launch, how can you capitalize on the season to get out your current content to new audiences?
Create a free downloadable holiday gift guide on your website, launch a seasonal Google ad campaign, run a holiday giveaway competition on social media, create a holiday video thanking your most loyal customers, launch a new year email campaign offering ideas for 2021, etc. The ideas are endless and it's not too late to get creative!
Take a look at Amano Marketplace's holiday gift guide or Wantable's Holidays Style edit as great examples of capitalizing on the holiday season:
9) Create community-generated content
What better way to engage your audience than to include them as part of your story? Incorporate ways for your audience to directly engage with you and capture that content for use in a future email, social media, or website post. For example, create ways for your users to send photos of themselves using your product or service and post the best ones on your Instagram or Facebook profile. Or send out a poll through email or Instagram stories and have your users decide what your next product launch will be. Or offer a prize to the best story submitted detailing a customer's experience using your product or service and feature that testimonial on your website, in a blog post, or on your next podcast.
The opportunities are endless for ways you can bring your customer onboard as part of your marketing and the benefits are two-fold: You come across as more authentic and customer-focused AND your audience helps you generate powerful content. It's a win-win!
Lush Cosmetics does a great job of featuring consumer-generated content on their social media channels:
The big takeaway for 2021: Tell a story and offer an experience
With the rising popularity of Tik Tok, Instagram Reels, and open content sharing platforms like Medium, Reddit, and even LinkedIn with it's new article feature, the ability to tell a compelling story as a brand is essential.
Businesses can no longer rely solely on their website or advertisements to carry the message of their brand. Today's consumers want to experience your brand through visual and interactive mediums. In 2021 this trend is going to continue to expand, and as a business you need to find new ways, like the ones above, to engage with your future customer.
Need some help pulling all of this together in 2021? I'm here to help you build out valuable, authentic, and attention-grabbing content. Let's schedule time to talk more about your current content marketing and copywriting needs.