Simple and clear messages with a solid foundation
This is what we should all be focusing on in our marketing from the outset of 2023. Below, we’ll explore the key trends for the new year and reflect on what we did for our clients during 2022.
It’s easy to be distracted by shiny new platforms, such as the Metaverse; however, when you actually look into Zuckerberg’s creation, it has very few active monthly users.
It’s like everything in life…when a new iPhone comes out, people rush to see what it’s like. Or when a newer model of your favourite car comes onto the market, you instantly want it - simply because it’s new. In conjunction, though, it will likely be expensive. We’ve been programmed to believe that, if something is new and expensive, it will be better than its previous incarnation or alternatives already on the market. This isn’t necessarily true.
That’s not to say that platforms like the Metaverse and similar new technologies will never play a role in your marketing. It just shouldn’t be a crucial element quite yet, especially given the tight budgets many businesses have to play with in the current climate.
Every penny spent on your marketing has to bring value. However, this will only be possible if your business has built the right foundations for its marketing - foundations that can easily be developed and expanded when the time is right.
So, what does ‘building your foundations’ involve?
Employees
Employees are a huge asset to any business, not just because of the skills they bring to the table, but also the impact they can have on your marketing. Personal profiles generally have fewer algorithm restrictions than business profiles. This means that, if your employees share your marketing content, your overall reach will be better. If you have five employees, you have five mediums capable of distributing your content and messages.
This is particularly effective for B2B promotion. Utilising Linkedin and your employees’ feeds will not just increase a post’s visibility, it will also encourage the ‘know, like, trust’ approach.
Linkedin is a B2B powerhouse
At Novus, we utilise all social platforms. A few people in the team love TikTok, however, we’re far more impressed with Linkedin and what it has done for our business over the last year. And not just for our company - for our clients’, too.
The organic reach of your content on LinkedIn is second only to Tiktok (the most popular platform currently). See LinkedIn’s audience as your audience. On the platform, people actively connect with other professionals to develop their network. Curating relationships through its instant messenger service is incredibly easy. From just a few posts, and after spending a few hours each week, we can achieve a constant stream of meetings with potential clients - an initiative that’s enabled us to grow in 2022 and which will help us thrive in 2023.
If you only have a limited amount of time, we recommend spending it on Linkedin and outsourcing the content management of your other platforms to agencies like ours.
Videos are a key part of your communication strategy
It was probably a given that we’d say this, as Novus is predominantly a video production company. We’ve created a lot of videos over the past year - in fact, we’ve created hundreds of videos both internally and externally for clients.
The biggest trend for 2023 is short-form video content. Videos can be any length, of course, but if you’re planning to utilise reels, Tiktok or such as Youtube shorts, you need to be filming short-form video content. In 30 - 60 seconds you can say far more on screen than people can read in the same amount of time.
Blogging will always exist
We use social media posts to direct people onto our site or those of our clients, then use blogs to keep them there.
Unlike content on social media, which has a shelf life of minutes, blogs have a shelf life of months - if not forever. And you can keep linking back to your articles over a long period of time.
Videos may be perfect for short-form content, but with blogs you can produce much longer-form content that will educate your audience and demonstrate your expertise and credibility.
When people consider a purchase, they like to have the relevant facts and figures in front of them. This isn’t always possible on specific website pages; having a blog section allows you to give clients all they need to buy from you, without making your site pages too bulky.
Simple and clear messaging
The attention span of the general public gets shorter and shorter all the time. One thing we’re seeing is that simple, clear messages are a clear winner in business. In Brett’s workshops, he says that people are generally time-starved, which could make them appear stupid - whereas individuals are intelligent. If you wish to market en masse effectively, assume that the person reading your content is stupid or that they’re only going to take in half of what you say…and create your content accordingly.
If your content is complicated, for example, or it tries to offload too many messages at once, people will not understand it and they will subsequently switch off. If you do have a lot to say, split your content across several posts or focus on one area at a time.
Consistency is key
It’s rare that marketing brings instant results (wouldn’t that be lovely?!). However, unless you're paying for adverts to push your content, your marketing will have to build up over time. For this to happen, however, consistency is key.
From an SEO viewpoint, if you suddenly stop producing blogs and updating your site maps, your business will be hugely affected - though you won’t feel this immediately. If you suddenly stop posting on social media, your audience will begin to listen to someone else. It’s very easy to sideline your marketing when you’re busy, but the problem will really hit home when you service all those orders and your business falls quiet. You’ll then have to start everything up again. Though you may not post as frequently in busy periods, don’t stop altogether. Keep your audience updated at the very least or ask a third party (such as Novus) to look after your social media for you. The cost of this will be reaped back as your audience will consistently keep growing.
Be smarter with your time
Business owners and managers can become busy fools without even realising it, in their race to be visible on every platform. This results in burnout. You need to enjoy your marketing, as this will come across in the content you create. If you don’t like or believe in your own content, neither will your audience.
Rather than trying to do everything, just do a few things well. Enjoy connecting with your audience and involve them in your news and growth plans.
What would we like you to take away from this blog?
● Create simple, clear messages
● Utilise short-form video
● Create consistency in your marketing
● Utilise blogs to help develop your SEO and increase conversion rates on your website
● Involve and utilise your employees in your marketing strategy
● Utilise LinkedIn
Over the next few months, we’ll provide further help and advice on the above. However, if you just begin applying these basic tips, you’ll be onto a winner in 2023.
