The new year is fast approaching! As your business prepares to enter the new year, putting a focus on social media marketing can make a huge difference. Keep reading for our top tips to consider when preparing a 2021 marketing plan for your small business.
Determine your goals and objectives
Think about what you want to accomplish as a small business in 2021. Do you want to increase sales? Launch new product lines? Increase your social media follower count? Define specific, measurable goals for your social media marketing in 2021 and structure your social media strategy around these goals.
Consider using the SMART method when defining your small business goals:
Specific - be specific about what you want to accomplish. Answer the what, why, how, when, and where questions.
Measurable - ensure you can accurately measure your goal. What metrics are you going to use? Common metrics for social campaigns include engagement and reach.
Attainable - set an attainable, realistic goal for yourself. Think about whether you have all the tools and skills necessary to accomplish each goal.
Relevant - be sure that your goals are in line with your company strategy.
Timely - think hard on the timeline of your goals and when you're projecting to accomplish them. Remember to be realistic!
Create your social media marketing content calendar
The best way to be prepared for marketing your small business in the new year is to plan out your marketing content calendar for the year. Lay out your major business updates, holidays, promotions, product launches, goals, and any other important milestones in the new year. You'll want to build social media content around these moments.
For some small businesses, it can be difficult to predict what you’ll post about in a few months. If that’s the case, then just plan on marketing themes you may want to try in the upcoming months. Here are some common themes by month:
January themes
Resolutions
Clean up and clean out
Fitness and wellness, self care
Dry January
February themes
Romance and love
Coworker appreciation
Black History Month
March themes
Spring cleaning
Spring break
Gardening and crafting
March Madness
April themes
Spring cleaning and organization
Showers and weddings
Baseball
Planning for summer
Ramadan begins
May themes
BBQs and camping
Showers, weddings, and graduations
Summer planning
June themes
Summer vacations, BBQs, and outdoor activities
Dads and grads
Pride month
July themes
Summer activities
Fourth of July
August themes
End of summer
Back to school
Black Business Month
Fall trends
September themes
Back to school
End of summer sales
Football season and tailgating
Fall fashion and fall trends
Oktoberfest
Fall food and drink
October themes
Fall and autumn
Halloween themed cocktails and food
Halloween costumes and parties
Holiday planning
November themes
Holiday planning, holiday sales, holiday gift guides
Friends and family, home entertaining, and hosting
Volunteering and community
Customer appreciation
December themes
Holiday, holiday parties, holiday hosting
Advent
Gifting, gift guides, and stocking stuffers
Holiday sales
Friends and family
Consider these common themes when planning your content calendar and use them to brainstorm content.
Once you've planned your content for the year, you can get started on creating your social media posts and scheduling them in advance. Ripl’s scheduling features will allow you to schedule your future videos and images ahead of time.
Build partnerships within your community
For small businesses, building partnerships with other businesses and organizations is a great opportunity for word of mouth marketing. Think about what partnerships you may want to form with other small businesses and organizations within your community in 2021. How could a partnership with them benefit the both of you? Here are a few partnership ideas to think about:
Collaborate with another business
Partnering with another business opens up opportunities for cross promotion. Plan out what your marketing efforts will look like on both sides so that it's mutually beneficial.
Partner with a nonprofit
By sponsoring or partnering with a nonprofit, you can open up a whole new audience to expose to your business. Encourage the nonprofit to share your business logo or marketing materials in their own marketing efforts. Include your social media channel handles so that people can find your business on social!
Join a local small business organization
By joining a local small business organization, you will have the opportunity to network with other businesses in your area. This could open up the possibility of partnering with other businesses in the future.
Sponsor a local community event
Whether it's a holiday celebration, a community arts show, or a food drive, sponsoring a community event is a great way to get your name out there while supporting a good cause.
Update marketing content of years past
With a new year comes new information, and that means your old content might become outdated. Take some time to clean up and update your marketing materials. This includes your website, social media profiles, signage, menus, blog, partnership promotional materials, and any other items that may have your business information on them. Update your marketing materials with new dates, links, and contact information where applicable. If you have any outdated references to past years, it's time to update or delete them!
If your business relies on regular communication with customers, then you should also clean and update your contact list. Delete outdated emails or phone numbers from your directory—it will save you time and resources in the future.
Ask for reviews and testimonials
A good way to jumpstart your business in the new year is also to request more reviews and testimonials from your past customers. After all, 91% of people regularly read online reviews.
So how do you solicit reviews from customers? Here are a few suggestions:
Make an in-store sign to encourage Yelp reviews.
Send an email to customers asking for their feedback.
Ask your followers for reviews on social media.
Ask your customers to review your business in person.
Small businesses rely on reviews, and ensuring you receive more positive reviews in the new year is sure to boost your business.
Try something new
The new year brings opportunities to try new marketing strategies. Run a test, post something you've never posted before, or introduce new products in innovative ways on social! Here are a few ideas to get those creative juices flowing:
Start using videos to market your small business on social media.
Try out Instagram Reels, IGTV, or Facebook Live in your marketing plan.
Create an Instagram Shop if you don't already have one set up.
Come up with a new event and advertise it on social.
Experiment with different types of images or infographics in your marketing.
Consider refreshing your business logos, colors, and fonts for a whole new look.
