Agility And Diversification: The Keys To Your 2020 Inbound Marketing Campaign

2019 launched another landmark year on the timeline of digital marketing. Brands attracted followers with helpful content instead of annoying interruptions. Businesses established their virtual presence as a necessity to stay afloat. And because of those two elements, start ups massively grew overnight and older companies were revived with a fresh start.

Another byproduct: content overload. With so much good information floating around, plenty of it was ignored. If you want to break through the digital stacks of info in 2020, your inbound marketing campaign will need to be smarter and stronger. In particular, you need to be agile and remain diversified.

First, review your inbound marketing campaign

Inbound marketing revolves around one thing: data. You should be continually collecting, analyzing, and responding to your data.

• Collect. Gather statistics about demographics and website visitors. Monitor calls-to-action and email subscribers. Post surveys and kindly ask for feedback. In order to keep up with the top brands in your field or most popular trends within your particular market, you’ll want to know where your audience is at and what they’re after.
• Analyze. Now that you have some data, place it into context and interpret it. Engage tools like Google Analytics or HubSpot to fully observe how visitors engage with your website. Translate the numbers into goals. Remember SMART goals from Business Class 101: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.
• Respond. Lastly, take action! Your inbound marketing campaign pivots around this point. You’ve gathered data, translated it into SMART goals, and now it’s time to implement those action steps. Test out ideas and map out theories; after a set amount of time, go back to the Collect phase and begin the cycle again. That’s the beauty of your inbound marketing campaign - it’s a continuous feedback loop that pushes your onward toward success.

Key #1: Agility

“Agile” has become a common buzzword in tech circles, and for good reason. According to our trusty Merriam Webster dictionary, agility means, “marked by ready ability to move with quick easy grace” and “having a quick resourceful and adaptable character.”

Translated into inbound marketing terms, agile now means the ability to quickly and resourcefully respond to a changing market with easy grace and adaptable character. In other words, you are the firefighter who sees the emergency, calls 9-1-1, and quickly jumps in to save the day before additional emergency personnel arrive.

Essential characteristics of agility in the year 2020:

• Notice when the market is changing, and be quick to adapt.
• Glean wisdom from others, instead of thinking your established ways are and will always be the best.
• Monitor your competitors and who your customers engage with so you can stay on the edge of popular trends.
• Don’t get easily offended or hurt if feedback declares that your tactics aren’t working.
• Be willing to learn new things, compliment others, and admit when you’re wrong.

Key #2: Diversification

While dogs prefer the same mailbox for their entire life, people are a little bit different. Humans prefer diversification; one day John want to read blogs, but the next day he would rather watch a video, and the following day social media may strike his fancy.

If one particular platform is working for you, keep doing that! But don’t hesitate to expand your content mix, especially as 2020 rounds the corner. As social media and digital technologies broaden, consider establishing a presence via one of these methods:

• Videos. If you haven’t already recorded videos, now is the time. YouTube is a great spot for high definition videos that are edited. But Facebook Live, InstaStories, and Snapchat are teeming with possibilities. Plus, your followers want to be reminded that you’re a real human being. Videos add a face, voice, and vibe to your brand.
• Chatbots and live chats. Remember how your followers want to know you’re a real person behind your business? This couldn’t ring truer than when your customers have a problem. A combination of chatbots and live chat agents on your website or social media profiles are a necessary part of your 2020 inbound marketing campaign.
• Mobile-friendly. We have to mention this just in case you missed this trend over the past few years. People no longer scroll websites from a desktop computer. The internet, and therefore your business or social media profiles, are now viewable on mobile phones, tablets, and even smart watches. Ensure that your pages are mobile-friendly to stay relevant and trustworthy.
• New social media platforms. There are plenty of existing options for social connection, not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Snapchat. It’s not outrageous to assume that a new platform will round the market in 2020. Feel free to hop on board if it helps target your audience, represent your brand, or catapults you into meaningful conversations within your industry.

The keys to your 2020 inbound marketing campaign

Once you truly “get” your customers desires and pain points, you can cater your products and services to their present and potential issues. Establishing a pattern of analytics and data interpretation will keep you on top of your place in the market. And taking action will create a continuous feedback loop, allowing you to successfully flow along in your inbound marketing campaign.

Brands who adopt an inbound marketing campaign will forever maintain the edge over their competition. Remember the content overload crisis? Set yourself apart from the rest, attract your customers toward your brand, and keep delighting them with your awesomeness. By the end of 2020, you’re have perfect hindsight and a fresh perspective of the future.

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