With so many rushing online to do business, it has become increasingly difficult to try and stand out.
That is why I pulled together these top 5 digital marketing strategies you need to succeed in 2021.
1) Content Marketing System
You’ve heard that content is king and this trend continues into 2021. But how does one create so much content on so very little time? This is what we call the PINNACLE CONTENT SYSTEM. You can listen to a podcast about it here https://jamespatrick.com/bti-159-create-more-content-in-less-time/
The way it works is you create one piece of PINNACLE content each week. The best format for this is a video. Then you take all the elements of the video and you break it up throughout the week. For example:
- The video can go onto YouTube, Facebook and IGTV
- The audio from the video can go to all the podcast platforms
- 1 minute clips for Facebook Ads and Instagram posts
- 15 second clips for Instagram Stories or Facebook Stories
- A quote can be made into an inspirational quote tile
- A clip can be turned into an audiogram file using Headliner.App
- The transcript can be used for your blog as well as your newsletter
Now look at all the content you created from a single piece of content. Instead of trying to think of what to post 365 days out of the year – now you only need to think of 52 ideas. Then you or a VA can break up the pinnacle content into all the other pieces.
What platforms should you be on? Simply put – whatever platforms your audience are most active on.
Consider the SEO and Long Tail benefits of blogs and podcasts. Every time you create a new blog on your website, that is a newly indexed page for search engines to find. The more blogs you create, the more open doors you create for your website. This is how people can more easily find your website even from blogs you wrote years ago.
With that in mind – headlines matter. Your headline must achieve 2 goals.
- Be super interesting and encourage me to click to read or listen
- Be relevant to what I might be searching for (SEO purposes)
Overall your goal with your content marketing is to Entertain, Inform and/or Inspire your audience.
2) Audience Growth
We hear so much that “the algorithm” is against us. Not necessarily. The algorithm’s job is to keep people on the platform. It does not actually care about you (sorry!). The most effective ways to grow an audience, leaning into what the algorithm wants is two fold.
- Create shareable or savable content. When someone sees your content and clicks the SAVE button (bookmark button) on Instagram, it will then prioritize your future posts in that user’s feed. What content do people want to SAVE? Content that gives them value that they will want to reference back in the future. That is why you see people write “SAVE THIS POST” in the post description. Meanwhile, shareable content is content that you create that has so much value (entertainment, information, inspiration) that your audience clicks the SHARE button and posts your content to their stories. Why is this important? They are marketing you to their audience! The more your content is shared the more organic growth you can create!
- Digital Partnerships. Instead of just building it and hoping people find you (sorry Field of Dreams) you can also go to where they are. There already exist a multitude of social media accounts that already have the exact followers you want. You can approach them to create a digital partnership where you are either creating content on their channel in exchange for them promoting you (FREE) or where you are paying them to promote your content on their channel (PAID). It is up to you and the accounts you approach on which method you take but a free version would be (for example) approaching the Instagram account for a magazine in your industry to offer to create content for their main feed or stories in exchange for them promoting you and tagging you in said content. A lot of our clients have had success in doing IG co-lives or IG takeovers with these accounts to grow their following. Alternatively you can pay for an account to shout out or promote your account. The trick here is to showcase that your account has enough value for people to want to follow.
3) Audience Engagement
In 2021 you can expect a much longer nurture cycle with your prospective clients. Clients will want to be courted and nurtured much longer than in the past as they are far more savvy about who to invest in. This is about building trust and rapport with your audience and the best method to do so is in your content marketing strategy (Tip #1). The better and more valuable content you give, the easier it will be to grow that rapport with your audience. Essentially it is not enough for people to know you, they have to like and trust you in order for them to want to do business with you.
Bring back the social in social media. While everyone else strives for automation and to be as hands off as possible, the entrepreneurs who engage their audience, talk to their audience, respond to DMs, reply to comments, etc are the ones who will build a more loyal audience.
4) List Building
This is all about audience acquisition. There are two types of lists you can build, lists you rent and lists that you own. Social media is a rented list. You are never able to download a list of all your followers so you can connect with them off the platform. And you can never control how many in your audience sees your content. So although it is important to grow your social media (Tip #2) you also have to build lists that you own. Lists you own would include your e-mail list, a phone list, a mailing list and I would even argue your podcast subscribers (as there is no algorithm currently separately your subscribers from your content).
The most effective way to build a list is to create a Lead Magnet. A lead magnet is a free offer that you are providing in exchange for a name and e-mail address. It can be a free download, template, e-book, course, webinar, offer, etc. There just has to be enough value in it for your audience to want to opt in to receive in.
Anyone who does opt in is essentially telling you – I am interested in you and am game to learn more about what you have to offer. Far more so than anyone who just wants to follow you only on social media. They are a much warmer audience meaning they are more likely to purchase from you in the future.
5) SMS Marketing
Building right off of #4, our 5th tip is to build an SMS text marketing list. Why is this important in 2021? Because although e-mail works, and it still does, the open rate of e-mail has an industry average of about 18%. Meaning you have to build a robust list to start to see ROI. Meanwhile a text list has an open rate of 98%!
Also, individuals who are willing to opt in with their phone number are even warmer compared to those who would only opt in with an e-mail address. It is your audience qualifying themselves for you!
Best way to grow your text list is the same as your e-mail list. Offer an incentive that can only be obtained by texting you!
SPEAKING OF… I have a 6th tip that you are going to want to have as it will help you drastically increase your income in 2021. Want the 6th tip? Just text me at (480) 605-3254 and tell me you want the sixth tip and I will send it on over!
James Patrick
Instagram @JPatrickPhoto
JamesPatrick.com/Coaching
