How to Level Up Your Marketing in 2021

Level up your marketing in the new year with these quick tips

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Commit to a plan

I think it’s safe to say that 2020 has trained us all to “roll with the punches.” In fact, many entrepreneurs have had to adapt and change directions more often than not this year due to the global pandemic… *sigh*. And while pivoting is great (and sometimes, necessary), you might not be giving things enough time to see any real results. My suggestion for you in 2021, is to hyperfocus on one or two strategies at a time – and commit to it! For example, dedicate your energy to Reels on Instagram for a solid quarter before throwing in the towel and trying something else. You get what I’m saying? After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day…

Show up

Ever wanted to skip posting on social media for a few days or cringed at the thought of writing a blog post? ? Well, NEWS FLASH: we’ve all been there, and it’s totally normal to just “not feel like it” here and there. It’s where we stop showing up for our audience completely, when things tend to go awry.

For example, maybe you feel pretty burnt out after a recent launch and have no real plans for the upcoming month, so you take some time for a breather. Or perhaps, you don’t really have any systems in place and your mind is in a million different directions, so you essentially stop showing up until you “figure it all out.” (hello, analysis paralysis!?)

If this is you, then 2021 is YOUR YEAR to buckle down and DO THE WORK on the days you do “feel like it.” Now, this could mean batching your content once per month. It could mean creating systems where you automate your weekly newsletters. It could mean scheduling story prompts so you never miss a day. Regardless of what it is, don’t forget to show up. Your audience will remember that.

Don't forget to show up. Your audience will remember that. Click To Tweet

Be intentional

This is something I’m continuing to hyperfocus on in 2021, and I think it could be helpful for you too! So, what exactly do I mean by “be intentional?” Simply put, if the content you’re putting out to your fans has no purpose – toss it. Generally speaking, your blog, social media posts, emails, etc., should reflect a combination of the following:

• Educate with value
• Inspire or entertain
• Be relatable
• Conversion-friendly

This is a personal journey I’ve gone through with my clients over the years and something I feel strongly about these days. I think a big mistake many new businesses make, is they feel like as long as they’re “doing it” then it’s enough to get results. And by “doing it,” I mean the bare minimum – 3 social media posts per week, 1 blog per week, 1 newsletter per week, etc. etc. It’s just a quota to fulfill every month to say you’re “doing it,” but really, there’s no intention behind it – no connection to your end goal.

Bottom line: in order to level up your marketing, you must be intentional in your strategy. It’s much better to put out less quality content, than more fluff content that doesn’t align with your audience or offers.

In order to level up your marketing, you must be intentional in your strategy. Click To Tweet

Don’t rely on Pinterest or social media alone

Its no secret that Pinterest has been my “go-to” platform for earning website traffic – but it’s had a lot of content creators scratching their heads in 2020 with its recent algorithm changes. As for other social media channels? Well, I’m sure you’re probably used to their little games by now – so that’s why it’s important now more than ever to come up with another way to communicate with your fans… when the algorithms decide to mess with your head, yet again.

With that said, ready for a little challenge to level up your marketing? ? Great! I challenge you to focus on SEO in 2021 if you’re struggling with Pinterest. I also challenge you to build that email list of yours in case you burn out on social media. Ready…set…GO!

Pssst! Not ready to learn SEO? I talk about some recent Pinterest changes that might help you, here.

Cherish your email VIPs

Speaking of email lists, if you aren’t already chatting regularly with your VIPs, then what better time to start than the new year? Think of your email list as some of your biggest fans –the people that actually want to hear from you and are looking forward to receiving your next offer or update. Be sure to check in on them consistently so that you’re always front of mind when they need you! If you’re new to email marketing, I recommend trying Mailerlite to start because it’s super easy to use and essentially has everything you need for simple automations, forms, etc. Bonus: If you have under 1,000 subscribers, your plan is free!

Build systems and streamline

As I mentioned earlier, to avoid burnout – you need to have systems in place so you’re still showing up for your fans when you’re just not “feeling it.” Systems help you streamline and stay organized, save time – and most importantly, level up your marketing. Need a little nudge in the right direction? I’ll use an example for creating social media content to get you started:

On the last full week of the month

• Monday
  • Review the month’s social media performance and record what worked and what didn’t
  • Braindump new content ideas into a spreadsheet containing your main content pillars (eg. inspiring, promo, blogs, etc.)
  • Assign new post ideas into next month’s content calendar

• Tuesday
  • Take any photos/source images needed for the upcoming month
  • Record any videos needed for the upcoming month
  • Edit photos and allocate into folders until needed

• Wednesday
  • Create any graphics needed for the upcoming month
  • Edit any videos needed for the upcoming month
  • Organize into folders on your computer until needed

• Thursday
  • Write up corresponding captions for your media and schedule posts on a social media scheduler (I like Smarter Queue)

• Friday
  • Use this as an “overflow” day (I always need an extra day tbh, LOL) to catch up on any social media you couldn’t finish
  • Perhaps you like to post a lot of stories/reels on Instagram, fleets on Twitter, etc. – maybe you dedicate this day to “odd-posts” like these
  • You can also use this as Pinterest day since it’s a bit different than social (I like to schedule on Tailwind, which still seems to be effective despite recent algorithm changes)

Show authority through your blog

One of the absolute best pieces of content to provide value to your audience, is your blog. Your blog should give your readers an in-depth response to some of their most common questions. This is why knowing your target audience is so important –so you can offer information that either A), helps them solve a problem, or B), gives them a nudge in the right direction. If you’re ready to start a blog in 2021, you can try out Bluehost for as little as $3.95/month (I’ve been using them for years!)

Be your genuine self

Last but not least – keep it real, girl. Bottom line: to level up your marketing, you need to focus on building those strong and genuine connections with your fans. If you’re only in business for the followers, or for the views – and not marketing intentionally – your audience will see through that, which could wind up hurting your business in the end. So my advice here, is to focus more on SERVING your dream clients and you will find success in the new year. GOOD LUCK!

P.S. If you found this article helpful, then be sure to pin it for later!