2021 Marketing Manifesto
(No longer a Social Media & Marketing Manifesto!)
- Question everything (can you get away with having no social media?)
- Only promise authenticity if you’re ready to really be authentic
- Embrace change, don’t fall behind
- Create your own metrics (that you understand)
- Simplicity is good (and hard)
Just FIVE things to take your brand to the next level. Good luck!
====================
Question Everything!
Are you spending time/money on the right things? Are you spending them because you think that’s what you have to do? Question everything! Just because some blogs/YouTubers say it’s the best thing, doesn’t mean that it’s the best thing for you! We’re all in different places and we’re all evolving, constantly — that means that we need to evaluate and change as needed. What worked 4 weeks ago, might not work anymore. Re-evaluate!
Only Promise Authenticity If You’re Ready To Really Be Authentic!
2020 saw a lot of brand fake authenticity. Don’t treat your audience like idiots — they’re not. Being authentic means sharing the ups and downs. It’s not easy, but it may make sense (although it doesn’t make sense for every brand out there).
Embrace Change, Don’t Fall Behind
COVID has changed things, irreversibly, and that’s a good thing. We can wait all we want for things to ‘go back to normal’ but they’re not going to. Better to adapt and overcome. Things will indeed get better, but only when you decide to make them better. The decision is yours.
Create Your Own Metrics
Metrics are great, but they’re mostly not very useful. In order to make use of them, you need to understand (crucially BEFORE measuring) what you’re trying to do. Looking at numbers and defining a goal retrospectively doesn’t work. Charts of followers/engagement growth aren’t useful (and of course they’re going to keep going up). Common sense is needed here, time and effort to make it make sense.
Simplicity Is Good
Do a few things really well rather than dabble in a bit of everything. This is particularly true in marketing. Unless you have a team of people and unlimited resources, marketing is mainly making tough decisions — where to spend time and money. Does social even make sense (look at point 1 again!)? Simplify and understand what the point of everything is — it will help your brand stand out.
