It is terrible, I know, but they are so funny! Perhaps because they are relatable. You see something, you think you can do it, it turns out differently than you planned.
“The more the plans fail the more the planner’s plan.” Ronald Reagan
It’s time to evaluate your marketing strategy for the second half of the year. With Q1 in the rearview mirror, and Q2 well underway now is the time to plan what comes next.
We wax the marketing plan lyrical often, additional reading can be found by searching Marketing Plan right here on Off Your Rocker, because it is a topic we keep coming back to because it is that important. Running through your activities, business, leisure or really anything without a plan often leads to failure and even the best laid plans fail. When and if plans start failing it is time to dig and plan some more.
Planning 101: Be Proactive
For any project or initiative to succeed, it must be carefully thought out. One of the key qualities of any project manager is to be proactive. This comes because of good planning. Proactively address potential problems and prepare possible ways to fix them while they are still predictions. Challenges like inadequate funds and resources, low staffing, or poor time management – are likely to arise in any plan. Effective planning lets you see them and fix them before they hinder the desired outcomes.
(L) Original plan: Pretty Flowers, except they ran all together, plan fail. (R) Plan pivot results! Artist credit: Moontower Design | Facebook
Pinterest Fail? Evaluate and Pivot
It is easier for teams to pivot from a plan versus starting from scratch. Existing plans guide and ground activity. Even if an initiative or project is failing or failed pivot and plan some more! In the pivot remember the importance of staying positive and true to your brand.
Now is the time to look at the 2022 plan and evaluate what stays in, what stops and what needs to be added. Let’s get ready for the second half and move forward with purpose and intention to thrive the rest of the year. If you need a marketing planning partner, give us a holler!
Social media trends for 2022 look a little different than last year.
Social media trends for 2022 will increasingly be about customer experience and personalization. Those agendas are paramount. And, most if not all social media platforms are increasingly moving more and more toward “pay to play”. In other words, platforms want you to pay to get people to see your social media. For instance, this looks like boosting posts on Facebook. Trends that involve an interaction with customers, and especially those that offer some measure of personalization (as opposed to just pushing out a message to everyone) will top brands’ to-do lists.
Here are some of the social media trends we see for 2022.
Short-form Video – Less is more, and people don’t read. The human attention span is short. So, a video a minute or shorter is plenty long enough. Do a series of short videos each making one point, instead of one long video. Repurpose your existing long videos into shorter snippets and program them for different social media channels. Reveal a different aspect of your company, or solve a different problem on different channels as opposed to playing the same content on the same day on the same channels.
Customer Service – Customers are conversing more than ever via DMs, Twitter and comments on posts. Monitor these conversations and be responsive on any channel that customers are contacting you on.
Social Commerce – Customers want to check out immediately on whatever social channel they are on. Social commerce offerings (like buying a dress directly from an Instagram photo) are growing on every channel. Perhaps this social media trend is appropriate for your product or service.
Paid Social Advertising – Algorithms continue to change. And, platforms continue to ramp up their paid social offerings. There may be a need to add a paid strategy to your organic posts to get wider reach and more engagement. The ultimate goal is connecting with more potential customers, right?
Influencer Marketing – Micro or local influencers are more important. Work with these influencers who really already love your brand. They can demonstrate your product or service in a way that is unique to them and resonates with their audience.
Content remains king.
Have a plan. Don’t chase squirrels. Plan your content for the year – or at least the next quarter – to meet your brand’s sales goals, branding initiatives, limited offerings, or even just calendar holidays. Planning your content means have a blog and regularly contribute to it. Then, promote your new content on your social media platforms. Build your content marketing practice like you’d grow a garden. Keep at it.
What do customers want to know? Customers want content that is focused on:
Deeper Meaning – Be authentic. Answer questions that are helpful and offer perspectives that can be touch points for your brand in a customer’s life. Find your commonality. Create your company’s tenets, and do those fewer stronger things in a deeper way.
Overall, after the past few years of being disconnected, consumers are craving connection in every aspect of their lives. But make connection with your brand meaningful. Be convicted. Be consistent. Create a connection that will last, create loyalty, and continue these social media trends for 2022 to the years ahead.
Working as public relations professionals, we have found that there are four key best practices for PR success to incorporate into your process.
1st Best Practice for PR: Generate Enduring Ideas
One of the most important best practices for PR is to always be generating ideas. First, this includes story angles, data-driven research, strategies, op-ed pieces, profiles and annual editorial reporting. Then, the consistency of coverage depends on innovative thinking. The client will not always have a newsworthy agenda to publicize.
It’s a Public Relations professional’s job to energize conversations that will keep the media interested. The goal is to keep clients in the news. Constantly have a pulse on what is trending in news and where the client can fit into a news cycle.
2nd: Practice Proactive and Responsive Communication
Proactive communication is undoubtedly the key metric to illustrating your commitment to the client, and a best practice for PR. Once a pitch is active, keep the client informed of the progress. This will not only galvanize the process but also create a dialogue about what is working and when a strategy pivot needs to take place.
As simple as it sounds, responding to an email and/or phone call immediately engenders a trust and sense of wellbeing with clients. And, it reenforces to them that they are always a priority. Make sure that queries are answered immediately, even if it is confirming that you have received the correspondence and will get back to them when you have an answer. And responsive and proactive becomes very important for PR success in crisis communication.
3rd: Demonstrate Transparency
Clients expect its PR team to have expertise when navigating the media and to pitch a story that will result in positive news attention. Clients also rely on their PR teams’ knowledge to let them know a story idea is not gaining the anticipated coverage. Conveying this is necessary even if the idea that is not working was the clients.
We are counselors, and clients deserve the benefits of our seasoned point of view that has been established in experience and best practice judgement.
4th: Zero In on Your Target Audience
When using an earned media approach, do not weaken a message by pitching too widely. Target the news audience by researching and then building a media list that covers a client’s business model. Position your client above competitors by taking their expertise directly to a targeted audience. And, customize the content so that news outlets are compelled to open an email and react to the call to action.
Combine These 4 Best Practices for PR
Use these tips to build a PR process and structure that will prove successful for clients. Build their business and your professional reputation with repeated consistency and counsel.
How to communicate corporate social responsibility for your brand
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a business’ commitment to philanthropic endeavors and environmentally friendly practices. It is essential for businesses in 2022. Why? Sure, today’s successful businesses are “responsible” organizations committed to profits. But in today’s world they are also responsible for other higher callings. Their consumers now demand it.
Gen Z is all in with brands who demonstrate corporate social responsibility. First, younger generations thirst for buying these products. Next, they want to work for these companies. So CSR gives businesses an opportunity to engage with not only their consumers and their employees, but with the communities in which they live and work in a meaningful way.
Yes, deeper client and customer connections will follow.
CSR efforts benefit the economy, society and environment. They demonstrate how the organization uses its resources in broadly beneficial and ethical ways. Showing that your company or brand is a responsible partner, employer and neighbor will be key to business success going forward.
How does a brand communicate CSR activities?
Talk about your company’s corporate social responsibility with a CSR report. A CSR report highlights your organization’s achievements. It builds social responsibility into your brand’s identity. This report makes the organization accountable to its stakeholders. And it shows progress year over year. Then highlight how your company has saved energy or fuel, renewed land, or reduced their carbon footprint. Finally, showcase better employees work environments with safety initiatives. Also implement DE & I programs that promote equity in hiring and promoting employees.
Your CSR report’s content can then be repurposed all year long as social media assets. Highlight individual specific goals your company has met with this effort. Statistics and data can be turned into compelling visuals and narratives that speak to your customers, your client partners, your employees and your community. Communicate your social responsibility efforts in these ways:
Email Marketing – create an eblast once a month or quarterly to key stakeholders
Social Media – create content and consistently communicate, once a week or month
Internal Communication – utilize existing intranet or internal emails to communicate CSR activities
What size business needs to show Corporate Social Responsibility?
A CSR report may be easier for larger businesses to execute. But, small to midsize businesses can do it too. These businesses are exercising the same values albeit in smaller, yet still remarkable ways. And that is worth talking about. CSR activities can separate your business from the competition in a truly meaningful way. So consider incorporating this important effort into your business.
TikTok is in the top six social media networks for 2022. Does that mean that your brand should have a presence? Maybe. Maybe not. To find out if your brand should be on TikTok, take a deep look at the components of your brand: your mission, your audience, your goals, your assets before you just jump right in. Having a plan for any endeavor translates into better success. This includes your brand being on TikTok – no matter how shiny it seems to you this moment.
The social media landscape is continuously evolving.
Social media can be scary to some people and some brands, but exciting for others. And, being aware of new channels and finding the next one for your brand is what a smart marketing leader does. Examine your brand before deciding.
Let us help you answer the TikTok question by asking a few questions.
Brands on TikTok?
Who is your target audience?
What are your marketing goals?
What are your marketing strategies?
How much potential does TikTok have for lead generation or driving potential website traffic among your target?
Do you have additional resources to support another social media network consistently?
Do your internal personnel have the bandwidth or do you have the budget to add incremental dollars to your agency partner’s fees to manage it for you?
There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution to your brand on TikTok.
There are many brands who choose to be on TikTok because it is advantageous for them to do so in some way. But there are also many brands for whom TikTok is not a good marketing channel fit, and their needs are better met by other social media channels more appropriate to their audience, their product, and their goals.
Don’t get shiny object syndrome. Focus on the big picture that fuels the growth of your brand. If TikTok will be a part of that, it will be. You’ll make it happen, but maybe not this year. And that’s ok. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Plan for your future success first, on this and every possible marketing channel, and you can make the most of the social media channels that are right for you.
Getting marketing and sales on the same page is critical to your brand’s success.
This month, we were honored to attend a client’s 2022 sales kick off meeting in Orlando to see this practice of harmonizing marketing and sales in action. Being with our client in this setting reminded us that cross-functional teams are one of the keys to maximize growth for business success. Smart business leaders and collaborative relationships fuel us, so we wanted to share our top tips for helping marketing and sales work together for greater results.
Sales teams typically focus on talking directly to the customer. The sales process might take a very long time, but the sales team will discover useful information like solving a particular problem, or what pain points a potential customer runs into. These insights can be valuable, especially to the marketing team.
The marketing team approaches the customer in a somewhat different way – focusing on the brand. Increasing awareness of the brand and these brand conversations typically take the form of websites, content marketing, social media and email marketing and advertising.
Often sales and marketing groups seem to have different goals: but in reality their goal is the same – grow the business. They just approach it in different ways. When you harmonize marketing and sales strategies you reap the benefits of shared data on targets and prospects, shared communication, shared processes, and working together to solve challenges that arise.
Four ways to start bringing your sales, marketing and even finance teams together.
Discuss with saleswhat marketing strategies and tools moved the needle in the previous year. Was it messaging, tactics and delivery? Something else? What did potential customers and clients respond to?
Planning is key. Make sure that marketing is supporting sales strategies. The marketing team should review annual sales plans and have a meaningful discussion on how they can support the sales efforts.
Agree on goals. Not just numbers and target customers, but the terminology. Are you speaking the same language? Using the same metrics and processes?
Make sure the finance team is not developing forecasts in a silo. Communicate with them. Just because they can access the CRM does not mean they can create real projections.
Marketing is only as successful as sales; and sales is only as successful as marketing. Harmonize marketing and sales to work together to success. Working together is more important in 2022 than ever before. It is by working together in harmony, that the greater good can be achieved.
Experience trends have changed for clients and customers. Its no longer just about owning your product or using your service – its about your customer’s experience with your brand. Over the last 21 months, our clients evolved themselves into digital and data enterprises. Now, all experiences for our clients and their customers involve technology to some extent. First, they use data to determine next steps in marketing and business. Then, digital insights can drive customer experiences for the better.
Re-evaluate what’s important – your consumer is doing it too.
2022 is not the year to chase all the shiny new things and add unneeded technology. It’s the year to re-evaluate what is important, and do JUST THAT. Digital is not just optional now, its what’s required for business. There is an endless sea of new digital tools, platforms and apps to use for your marketing strategy. But as clients and customers rethink business models and customer journeys, know that 50% of global consumers are re-evaluating what is important to them. They’re doing a little streamlining and optimizing in their own lives, as well as kicking what’s not working to the curb. Be the brand they keep.
Fewer tools; deeper connections.
Focusing on customers can help companies choose fewer, more precise tools that will help them garner deeper knowledge, and create a deeper connection. Getting rid of the digital tools that are not fully focused on getting to valuable customer insight will free up brand’s brain space to focus on what works. Keep an agile mindset as you continue to evaluate and streamline your marketing. This customer experience trend has brands enhancing existing tools that work based on data and analytics. They glean insights to increase customer and prospective customer engagement, loyalty and share of wallet.
Service companies like Super Inspector mine their customer reviews in real time. When the company receives the occasional 3-star rating (instead of a 5-star), the head of customer service immediately calls the customer to ask how they can right the wrong and improve in the future. Using data to improve customer experience is a very valuable practice to them. This simple process helps them form a deeper connection with their customers, inspiring repeat business. 2022 is an experience economy. It’s not just about a product or a service. Think about adding classes, educational videos, white papers to explain complex concepts. Help your customer experience your product or service and incorporate it into their lives.
Lessen the noise; increase focus.
Companies are using data and analytics to cut through all the clutter and noise and really speak to the consumer about what is important to THEM. When companies align their mission with their customers’ mission, relationships are built. Do your customers want meaning? Do they want convenience, speed, knowledge or maybe recognition? Use data to discover what it is that drives them to – or away from – your brand.
For example, our client Diamond Brand Gear is going deeper on its sustainability pillar this year, after reviewing their data. Their customers care deeply about sustainability. In fact, 91% of consumers expect companies to be socially and environmentally responsible. They’re weaving messaging and examples of their sustainability practices into their digital strategies, on social, email and website. One of their goals is committing to becoming a zero-waste factory by the end of 2022. So they’re conveying this messaging and tangible examples of their sustainability practices into their digital strategies. All to connect with their consumer, and show that they care about the same things.
Make digital and data work for you.
2022 isn’t the year to slow down when it comes to digital and data. It’s time to examine some of these customer experience trends, streamline and optimize what’s working for your brand, and get rid of the unnecessary. From using chat bots on SMS to help your company with customer service. From adding the most effective social channel, to building a monthly email newsletter. Adding a blog to adding a layer of transparency to your website regarding the way your company does business. Digital tools and analytic data from your customers can help you be a better company to them. Apply this valuable knowledge to client and customer experiences across the board in your company, and build a deeper connection with your customers this year.
Connections are everything. I take a moment each Thanksgiving to relay how grateful I am for those in my life. This year is no different in that regard. I am beyond thankful for my family, friends, colleagues, and clients. This year, I am also incredibly grateful for the connections and opportunities the Porch has created.
This business has always depended on connections. Regular readers of our blog know we preach the importance of authentic connections. Yet, like many others, I treated the multitude of opportunities to connect as a dependable part of daily life. It was something that just occurred naturally. Then, 2020 hit.
Connections became a carefully orchestrated medley of virtual meetings. We interacted online, on the phone, or via email. But, without the constant ability to see smiles. Opportunities for real connection had to be well-crafted and thought out.
So it is here to stay now! We have had these certifications for seven years. And I have always held this certification near and dear.
In preparation for Q1 2022 sales, I have been cranking on RFPs for significant business that I could not bid on without these certifications. Opportunities through connections that I made over the past several years through these certifications now have a very tangible benefit for the future of the Porch.
First, I am honored by the business opportunities these certifications have bestowed upon us, and the myriad of connections I’ve made through holding them. And second, I am thrilled to be a part of helping others construct and market their own brands.
This Thanksgiving, all of us on the Porch hope you and yours cherish the opportunities to connect. Connect with your loved ones, your business associates and your friends. We encourage you to look at the connections you’ve made to see what opportunities are out there – both to connect and to grow. We’re grateful to connect to you! Rock on this Thanksgiving!
The secret to business success for 2022 is to start planning for it now. Many of our clients are reviewing their business plans, marketing plans and strategies for achieving their goals. Planning ahead for next year is a valuable way to invest in your business. You can know ahead of time what to do next and be proactive – not reactive. Making and having plans helps you guide your actions with efficiency and effectiveness.
Planning Ahead for Next Year, Now
Rounding the corner on Q3 2021, now is the time to plan for business success in 2022. So dust off your business plan. Does it still resonate with your goals for success? First, take the time to review the foundation of why you started this business in the first place. Make sure it still makes sense for you, for your time and energy, and for the market. Update it if you need to.
Next it is time to draft your marketing plan for 2022. Where to start? Look at your business revenue goals for the year. That number helps guide your marketing spend. Companies in 2021 spent 8.6% of topline revenue on marketing. Whatever your percentage is, don’t let this number be subjective. It is black and white.
Once you have your number, create a marketing plan. Without a roadmap, the squirrels and shiny objects will be your focus. Don’t let that happen. Staying on track to business success is much easier with a plan. Build your plan around repeating and expanding around prior success points, and adding new tactics that make sense. The plan you create can be annual or quarterly, but it can encompass many things: creative campaigns, paid advertising, PR, content or a new product or services launch. A solid marketing plan will create focus and executional excellence around several tactics working together toward a common goal. This approach will ultimately save you money, by getting you more bang for your buck.
Invest in Your Business Success
Invest in your business the smart way – and we don’t just mean monetarily. Your focused thoughtfulness and the time spent on your plan will be repaid. First, focus on your business successes by continuously improving your plan and your execution of the plan. How did your tactics for a specific campaign fare? Track and measure your results each quarter, and implement your findings into the next quarter’s plan to continue success and build momentum. Invest in the things that work. Pivot toward the successful strategies. Experimentation within the framework of your marketing plan can help you home in on insights that will get you to your revenue number for 2022.
Define Your Goals So You Can Reach Them
Define messages, targeted audiences, goals, strategies, tactics, timeline and budget. How can you reach your goal if it is not clearly defined? How detailed you are is up to you. What we have found on the Porch is that the partners that have defined their marketing budgets and plans have been successful. Being thoughtful upfront about your goals in all areas of marketing your business can set you up for business success in 2022 and beyond.
Learn GenZ marketing strategies to market to this up and coming group as they become more involved in the economy. They use social media apps to shop, care more about knowing a brand and what they stand for, and are more receptive to different marketing strategies. As a member of GenZ myself, I know the in’s and out’s of how members of my generation think and shop. I also know what types of marketing they are the most drawn to.
Social Media Changes Everything for GenZ Marketing Strategies
What differentiates GenZ from prior generations is that we have grown up in a world where technology is changing by the year. We have used social media to our advantage, especially in terms of purchasing products or familiarizing ourselves with brands. According to a Forbes article, 95% or GenZ consumers use social media as their top source of shopping inspiration; 65% use social media to find entertaining content; and 61% are specifically interested in watching more video content. The most common social commerce platforms for GenZ are Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. These apps are leading the way because of their easy checkout process, limited distractions, and ability to explore other recommended brands. Also, many members of GenZ will purposefully like and follow appealing brands so the algorithm will recommend similar brands.
Brands Have to Speak Up
Another thing about GenZ is that most of us are unafraid to take a stand about issues that matter to us. Especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic and black lives matter movement upwards of 78% of GenZ’ers have said that these events have shaped their worldview. Brands remaining neutral on these issues are no longer an option. GenZ’ers are becoming more and more reluctant to purchase from brands who do not present a stance on major world events. Additionally 79% of GenZ agreed that companies behaving more sustainably has become more important since the pandemic. This generation has an attitude that can change the world for the better and want brands to do the same.
New GenZ Marketing Strategies
GenZ kids are more receptive to video media and get their product recommendations from different places. Social media influencers have played a huge role in marketing and GenZ are very receptive to this tactic. Influencers will show off their favorite products routinely on social media and because they have built trust with their audiences, Generation Z’ers are more likely to purchase a product if a trusted influencer recommends it. Also, a brands social media aesthetic and presence are crucial. I can attest to the fact that a brands Instagram feed/aesthetic is one of the main attention grabbers for me which ultimately could lead to me following or purchasing from them.
Brand aesthetic and cohesive Instagram feed that appeals to GenZ
The Change Upon Us
Businesses will have to adjust their marketing campaign tactics if they want to keep up with GenZ. They demand more from businesses in terms of usability, online presence, and advocation. Social media is playing a bigger role than ever before and change is definitely upon us.
