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5 Ways To Develop an Effective Marketing Strategy in 2021

Every marketer wants to be so exceptional that a customer says, ”Take my money. I want your product/service!” An effective customer-driven marketing strategy can help them achieve this objective.

Social media marketing

Image Source: Image by Photo Mix from Pixabay 

Read on to know how you can reach your target audience.

Leverage the power of podcasts

Podcasts enable individuals to learn new information. They help individuals network with others. According to Podcast Insights, there are 850,000 active podcasts.

Podcasts are more than just question-and-answer sessions. By inviting guests on your show or featuring as a guest, you can unlock more opportunities.

You can promote your podcast on social media channels like Instagram. Moreover, your podcast guest could be your next client. If you volunteer as a podcast guest, more people will know about your products/services.

Focus on voice search

People use voice search while they’re looking for specific products/services. After all, it’s a convenient, quick method that customers can use as a part of a customer-driven marketing strategy.

61% of consumers say that voice search is most useful to them when their hands or vision is occupied. (Source: Social Media Today)

Make use of trends

Make use of trends on social media. For example, the ”This or That” challenge on Instagram became extremely popular. Leveraging these trends at the right time can help brands ensure that customers engage with their content. 

Leverage e-mail marketing

Imagine reading a subject line like, ”A special offer for you!” or “5 cakes that will leave you wanting more!” Won’t you be tempted to read the e-mail?

If you’re not putting in the effort towards e-mail marketing, you’re missing out.

A well-planned e-mail marketing campaign with engaging subject lines can help you attract your target audience.

Focus on conversational marketing

Your target audience wants to communicate with an authentic brand or individual. Make sure that your content speaks to them.

Avoid writing in a monotonous tone. Sound like a human and not a robot.

Write in a unique style. Each brand’s identity is defined by it’s style. Moreover, customers can associate a brand with its style.

Chatbots are an example of conversational marketing. They enable customers to form a positive first impression of a company. In fact, the size of the global chatbot market is expected to reach USD $1.3 billion by 2023. (Source: Cognizant)

It’s time to level up your marketing game in 2021. Are you planning to implement any of the marketing strategies mentioned above? Let me know in the comments below.

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How Is Influencer Marketing Changing In 2020?

Influencer marketing has become of the key tools that brands are using to grow their audience and reach out to more customers. However, the coronavirus pandemic has forced businesses and influencers to change the way they collaborate. Here are the changes that are taking place in influencer marketing in 2020.

1.Travel and fashion influencers are becoming less popular, while influencers promoting health and wellness products/services are becoming more known

With all the changes that are taking place in the current coronavirus scenario, travel influencers will have to find new sources of income. Nationwide lockdowns and travel bans have caused major disruptions in the life of influencers. It is highly unlikely that you’ll be seeing any influencers chilling out on the beach for a while.

According to an article published in Business Of Fashion, businesses would use fashion influencers only to boost their visibility before the coronavirus pandemic, and now, brands are going to be more concerned about the rate of return which they’ll get on their investments in influencers. If a brand doesn’t get sales from an influencer, the brand won’t spend money on the influencer, as businesses are left with less money for marketing activities.

While travel is a big no, influencers who are promoting health products will become more popular. Immunity is everybody’s concern, and people will notice products that can boost their body’s ability to fight this pandemic more than ever before.

Instagram has launched a new ‘Guides’ feature in which people will be able to view the content created by influencers who talk about mental/physical health or promote health and wellness products. Users will be able to see videos and posts related to specific captions or headers. (Source: Article by NDTV) This is one of Instagram’s initiatives which will help people focus on their health. People will also be able to get the necessary support that they need to focus on their mental health and deal with issues such as anxiety more efficiently.

Instagram Guide

Image Source: Article By Wersm

2. Influencer marketing is becoming more consumer-centric than product-centric

Gone are the days when influencers could only talk about the products or services that were being offered by a company. In today’s world, being product-centric doesn’t help.

A new trend in influencer marketing is that brands are now trying to relate to their audiences. It is relatability, after all, that helps a customer to build trust in a brand. Moreover, 48% of influencers stated that they would be willing to work for a brand for free if they liked the content of the brand and believed that their audience would be able to connect with the brand’s offerings. Sponsored content from influencers has also been on a decline. (Source: The State Of Influencer Marketing 2020, A Report by Launchmetrics) Additionally, brands need to start looking as consumers who already buy their products as influencers, which makes brands look more authentic. Additionally, brands need to focus on their consumer’s needs. Brands need to try to build a relationship with their target audience and engage with them as much as possible during this crisis.

3. Micro-influencers are on the rise

Would a business prefer working with an influencer who collaborates only with brands in the industry the business belongs to or working with an influencer who collaborates with many industries? Businesses are, of course, collaborating with the former. The report by Launchmetrics on the State of Influencer Marketing mentioned that micro-influencers are the most favored option for businesses who want to keep a connection alive with their customers.

 It’s better to collaborate with an influencer who has a niche following. Not only do micro-influencers prove to be less of a burden when it comes to a company’s expenditure, but the target audience of any brand can also be reached in a better way through them. Moreover, according to a study by Experticity, 82% of people are willing to follow recommendations that have been given by micro-influencers.

4. Using stories to promote products/services (adopting a narrative style)

Instagram influencers are using the storytelling technique to grab the attention of their audience. Storytelling is a great way to establish connections, which can easily be done by narrating one’s life experiences. This is one example of digital storytelling by a popular fashion influencer, Kritika Khurana (@thatboho girl on Instagram)

Video Source: Kritika Khurana’s Instagram page

Which of these strategies did you love the most?

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E-mails vs SMS: Who Will Win When It Comes to Marketing?

In the digital era, it’s not a surprise to see how both e-mails and SMS messages are on the rise when it comes to online promotion.

According to an article by Gartner, SMS messages have higher response rates than e-mails. The response rates for SMS messages can go as high as 98% and 45% respectively, but when it comes to e-mails, response rates can only go as high as 20% and 6% respectively. The main reason for the difference in the response rates between SMS and e-mail messages is that there are many spam messages in e-mails.

                                                  Image Source: Business2Community.com

One advantage that SMS messages hold over e-mail messages is quick access to important information during times when one cannot access the Internet. If people are at locations where they cannot access the Internet, they’ll still be able to receive important alerts. For instance, if a customer wants to purchase a grocery item that is out of stock, an alert from an online e-commerce company that the product is back in stock can benefit the customer. Sending important alerts over text messages increases the probability of a person reading messages, in comparison to e-mails. However, the drawbacks to text messages cannot be ignored.

We can sign up for receiving e-mail messages on many websites, which means that our e-mails may be more relevant to us than text messages in the long run. Moreover, e-mail messages include an element of design, which makes them more attractive and entertaining to read. For instance, this is an e-mail sent by Ralph Lauren, a major clothing company.

What would attract you- an SMS with the words, “Tie-Dye: Not Just for Summer Camp Anymore” or a graphic with these words written below it, what would you choose? Most people would prefer to choose the latter, as an element of the design can increase the level of interest in an advertisement.

Apart from being able to capture the attention of your target audience, e-mails are more detailed in comparison to SMS messages. A 10% discount in a text message is not as appealing as an e-mail which describes the products offered at a discounted rate.

I believe that e-mails are a better option to choose than text messages when information that is not urgent for the customer to know is conveyed (for instance, a customer might want to know when a grocery item will reach him/her). An SMS doesn’t relate to the customers the same way in which an e-mail does. An e-mail message makes you feel like you’re a part of a community.

For instance, Google can make the local guides (who contribute towards writing reviews of various public places which they visit) feel like they’re a part of a community by providing them information that is exclusively available only to community members.

What do you think? Who wins when it comes to marketing- text messages or e-mails?

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Mother’s Day 2020: What’s In A Brand Campaign?

The love that we receive from our mothers cannot be compared to the love of anyone else. From our childhood to the time when we’ve become independent, our mothers guide us throughout our lives. We have learned a lot from them, whether it is how to face the challenges in our lives or values.

While the marketing campaigns launched on the occasion of Mother’s Day were worth noting, some campaigns simply celebrated the sacrifices of women, which is not what women want to be known for. Women want to be respected as equals in the society, and by “celebrating” them as sacrificial humans, we’re undervaluing them.

A brand campaign was launched by Fujilm India on Mother’s Day. While the graphic has been beautifully designed by Fujifilm India, the text on the Facebook page seems to salute them only for their unending labor and multi-tasking abilities. Brands must change their marketing strategies to promote equality in terms of the perceived responsibilities of a man and a woman, especially when it comes to domestic chores.

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Image Source(s): Fujilfilm India’s Facebook Page

Many brand campaigns want customer engagement. However, if all brands are going to repeat the message of how women do multiple duties without complaining, people will start turning a blind eye to these campaigns. People have been watching videos and looking at graphics in which mothers are celebrated only for the work they do and not for being themselves and expressing their individuality. How can a brand expect a campaign to be noticed in an ocean of campaigns where each campaign only talks about how women seem to do everything perfectly?

Kriti Sanon asked women to find some time for themselves during the pandemic and focus on their passions. ITC Vivel’s #AbSamjhautaNahin brand campaign promoted gender equality on Mother’s Day. This is what made the campaign stand out from the rest, who only focused on how well women played the typical roles of both a working woman and a home-maker at the same time.

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Image Source: Kriti Sanon’s Instagram Account

Another stunning campaign was launched by SBI Life Insurance, in which mothers spoke about how they have to leave their homes to perform their duties. The nation requires them to go to the hospital to take care of coronavirus patients, work as pilots, or perform other high-risk duties during the pandemic. Work from home is not even available as an option for these mothers.

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Image Source: SBI Life Insurance’s Twitter Handle

Let’s not celebrate Mother’s Day on just one day. After all, cakes and roses may bring delight for one day, but it’s helping a mother, either by helping them in their work or being a pillar of emotional support for them that will count. We should appreciate our mothers every single day of our lives.

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The Rain

Today, the rain keeps falling.

Rain starts with a few droplots

Droplets turn into puddles on the ground.

My thoughts are the droplets

Sometimes when their burden gets too much

They compile up.

Puddles take time to dry up

Just like the thoughts that won’t go away.

Rain can either be too gloomy or too beautiful for people.

It’s all about perception

But personally,

I don’t want to be like the rain.

Because no matter how beautiful it looks when it falls

I don’t want to deal with the mud on the ground once it’s over.

I don’t want to have the aftershocks

Of losing something as beautiful like the rain.

I don’t want to stop believing that something or someone is beautiful.

Because I’ve stopped believing in the rain.

And I’ve stopped believing in you.

 

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The Darkness

There is a beauty in the darkness.
This darkness, feared by many
Gives me solace at this hour of the night.
I can now focus on the sounds
Instead of sight
I can hear my heart’s desires, whose hearing I had postponed during the day.

I’ve heard what they say about the dark
Of evil spirits in the dark
Or black being a color of death
I’ve heard it all
But what myths are they all!
The real light is within me, not in the room
Guiding my path through life.
The real evil is within me!
To keep it suppressed I try.

Here in the darkness
All this fear comes rushing back to me
My clouded thoughts and insecurities which I had unconsciously kept aside
Come to me now.
But this time,
I don’t try to distract myself.
I actually listen to my own problems
And
I try to find solutions.