I think everyone can agree that 2020 was a crazy year, some may say it was unprecedented and are looking ahead to 2021. Before jumping into a new year, it’s important to reflect on what 2020 has taught us, examine how clients pivoted, and gather tools and resources we can take into the new year. We like to call this #12Daysof2020Takeaways. Read about the first 6 takeaways below.
1. Clear Communication
Our first takeaway from 2020 is that clear communication is necessary with your audience. Keeping communications lines open and giving timely responses holds true time and time again. It allows your brand to foster relationships with your audiences. For example, looking back to March when the coronavirus pandemic first started taking over the world, things were changing at warp speed. Everyone was searching for clear, factual information on the virus and how the world was pivoting. Even now, information and events are constantly changing and people are still hungry for transparency and honesty. Whether this is information about shifting an event to virtual or how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected your business, people value being communicated with.
2. Efficient Creative
The next takeaway showcases the importance of efficient creative. Many brands turned to cost-effective resources like Canva, local illustrators, and agencies (like us!) to deliver compelling social media posts to their audiences. We shared a blog back in June with tons of good information and resources for businesses interested in efficient creative. You can read the post here.
3. Adapt Your Plan
You will be hard-pressed to find an individual that didn’t have at least one of their favorite events canceled this year. Whether it was one of the many festivals hosted in Milwaukee or our favorite local 5k, one by one most of them said, “see ya next year.” Even though events were cancelled left and right, many events paused and adapted their plan to keep the event alive.
From drive-in movie theaters making a comeback, to video hangouts and fully virtual events, we saw countless industries think strategically and adapt their plan to the present situation. They understood their capabilities and where they could continue to deliver optimal experiences for their audience. When we planned events this year, we consulted the CDC social distancing guidelines and removed aspects of the event that would not allow for a safe experience for guests. Although it may be sad to see some parts of an event go, being safe was the #1 priority this year.
4. Don't Forget Digital
Many industries had to adapt amid the pandemic this year, like restaurants pivoting to delivery, carry out and curbside options. In other industries, many retailers implemented ecommerce programming to meet the demand of online shopping. It was important for many businesses across the country to update their digital services.
Do not forget the importance of a strong digital presence. Restaurants seized this opportunity to bring their menus online to offer a seamless dining experience that was easy and safe for their staff and customers. By going digital, restaurants could easily update their customers about their offerings, food specials, and more. Other industries also updated their digital offerings to include features like livestreams of shows and movies. Digital offers so many tools to make a customer experience positive all while not breaking the bank.
5. Social Media
Takeaway #5 revolves around one thing that we all spent a lot of time doing this year: social media. Remember in March when everyone was sharing their quarantini recipes or posting challenges on Instagram? And who can forget about the rise of TikTok? We’ve all had higher screen time this year.
Our takeaway is to monitor social media conversations and take part when it fits your businesses. This can be as involved as creating a TikTok account or doing as little as creating a graphic for an Instagram story asking people to choose their favorite holiday movie between A Christmas Story or Elf. It helps ingratiate yourself with your audience and shows that you are paying attention to what they care about.
6. Use SEO to Drive Traffic
According to the Pew Research Center, roughly 53% of U.S. adults considered internet usage ‘essential’ during the global pandemic. As digital usage grew, so did the importance of Search Engine Optimization. SEO is the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results.
The first place many people go to find information is to their preferred search engine. It is important for businesses, big and small, to make sure they are at the top of the search engine results as many people never scroll past the first page of results. This year many businesses revamped their SEO tactics to make sure their sites appeared in search results to provide information and keep relevant with their audiences. If you weren’t one of them, make sure to spend time in 2021 updating your SEO.
That’s it for part 1 for the #12Daysof2020Takeaways. As strange as 2020 was, it taught us some valuable lessons that we can take into 2021. We hope that these few tips and tricks will help you in the coming years.
