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To say that 2020 was a year of ups and downs is putting it lightly. It was especially turbulent if you are a business owner. Your company likely had to contend with some major upheavals, stressors and challenges. In fact, 92% of small businesses reported that they had to reinvent themselves in order to weather the Covid-19 crisis.

But its a new year, and as we celebrate the deployment of the first Covid-19 vaccines, were all hoping that we might be seeing the faintest light at the end of the tunnel. 2021 will be another year of reinvention and, we can all hope, a better and brighter one for the growth of our businesses.

A couple weeks ago, I got in touch with social media guru Luke Lintz. At just 21, Lintz has built the incredibly successful HighKey Clout Inc., a social media, marketing, branding and technology group. We had a great conversation about how to grow your business and your customer base.

I thought Id take the chance to share some of the insights he shared so that you can up your social media and sales game in 2021. So, in the spirit that next year will be the best year yet for your business, here are 6 tips to help you grow in the new year.

1. Focus on building lifelong relationships.

One of my favorite takeaways from my conversation with Lintz was the idea that you should treat your customers, potential clients and your team as you would someone with whom you hope to build a lasting, lifelong relationship.

Lintz put it like this: If you have a good product and strong relationships with your customers, they will be your customers for life. And if you are a service-based business, then you will constantly be able to give more value to your clients as you expand your services in the future.

I love this concept, because I truly believe that putting people first is the best way you can invest in your business. Strong relationships are like Miracle-Gro for a small business. To quote the legendary American auto executive Lee Iacocca: Business, after all, is nothing more than a bunch of human relationships.

One reason why its so vital to invest in real, meaningful relationships with customers/clients is that consumer trust is at an all-time low. Data shows that 55% of customers trust the companies they buy from less than they used to, and 69% of customers state that they dont trust advertisements.

Add this to the fact that the cost of customer acquisition has risen more than 50% over the last five years. The bottom line is that there is more competition than ever, and more ads and products competing for our attention.

But you can use this to your advantage. If 81% of customers trust family and friends over advice from a business, then at least try to treat your customers like family. One company that does this brilliantly is Raj Janas JavaPresse coffee brand. His investment in going above and beyond in customer service is responsible for his business growth skyrocketing. Find ways to make your customers feel valued, and demonstrate that you are interested in their experience beyond the order confirmation page.

Sometimes, it can be as simple as making sure a customer feels heard. 2020 was a tough year for everyone; investing in relationships can look like basic listening and empathy. Indeed, studies have highlighted the vital importance of listening as a sales tool.

When it comes to your staff, you should be thinking in the same terms. Studies show that employees who build a meaningful relationship at work have 50% increased job satisfaction, as well as greater commitment to their jobs and a stronger sense of social impact. When an employee feels valued, as if they are worth more to a company than just the revenue they bring, they will feel more invested, and this will translate significantly for your customer relationships.

2. Know and focus on your core customer.

With so much competing for our attention, its more crucial than ever to connect to customers and clients who will have a genuine interest in your products or services. Its absolutely crucial that you identify your core demographic and focus your marketing strategy directly on them.

Yes, in an ideal world, youd be able to appeal both to tween skaters and to seniors who shop on HSN. Sounds nice, but lets get real here, you have to know who your bread-and-butter customers are and appeal directly to themtheir hopes, dreams and pains.

As with many things in business, this begins with data. Start with internal data on past customers, and focus on creating a customer profile. This includes basic demographic information, but its also important to dig a little deeper, and try to map customers psychographics. What are their values? What are their spending attitudes? What makes them excited and what makes them tick?

Luke Lintz also emphasized social media analytics as a critical tool to identify and begin to target your core customer. Facebook and Instagram offer analytics data on your audience, which will show you age ranges, geographic location and gender, as well as giving you data on how marketing content is performing.

All this data will help you put together a comprehensive picture of what your core customer demographic looks like. While the impulse may be to market to as many customers as possible, this type of target marketing will be much more effective, especially for small businesses. It will help you carve your niche within the market. With 76% of marketers failing to use this type of data for targeted advertising, you can give yourself a real leg up by leveraging data to your advantage.

3. Social media is one of the most critical tools in your arsenal

In case you needed reminding, social media is still one of the most important tools that you have at your disposal as a business owner, with 52% of new brand discovery happening on public social media feeds. More and more advertisers are looking to paid social media ads as their bread and butter. Annual spending on social ads is increasing every year and expected to hit over $50 billion in 2021.

Paid social ads are the No. 4 way consumers find out about new products, trailing behind only word-of-mouth, TV ads and search engines. When you consider that 31% of 1624 years olds are finding out about new products through paid social ads, its clear that younger consumers who are gaining buying power will justify even more investment in social media advertising.

Its not just ads that give you exposure on social media. On Instagram, 60% of users report that they have discovered a product on another persons profile. Direct relationships with influencers will help to drive sales and business. Influencer marketing is a sure bet, with 89% of marketing professionals ranking it as a comparable or better return-on-investment than other marketing streams.

The importance of brand visibility on social media illustrates another reason why identifying your core demographic is so important. Getting your product into the hands of people for whom it is a strong lifestyle fit or connecting with clients who will be open to sharing their experiences will create more genuine interest and exposure on social media.

4. Direct connections drive loyalty and interest

Effectively communicating your brand identity and promoting your products and services on social media is no longer just about regular posting and advertising. Engagement and direct communication are very important in social media strategy.

One way to connect meaningfully with customers and potential clients is through direct messaging outreach on Instagram and other platforms.

Lintz from HighKey reminds us that Instagram DMs are as common to look at as peoples text messages.

Data supports this as well, showing that 47% of Millennials use Instagram as a messaging app. This should be a major area of focus for your social marketing strategy.

As an example of how this can be effective, Lintz points to his own company as a strong example of effectively leveraging direct social media communications. Ninety percent of our business revenue has come from either us selling in the Instagram DMs or our affiliates selling in the Instagram DMs.

I have seen the power that this type of personal connection has in driving business. I have connected with many of my clients through Instagram direct messaging. I love having the chance to chat with people who are connecting to my content. Even if they are not prospective customers, I feel that this personal connection is integral to the philosophy of my business.

In addition to direct messaging, engaging in comments and responding to outreach on social media is vital. An example of this is the fact that 77% of Twitter users had a greater appreciation for a brand when their tweet was responded to or acknowledged. If you are using social media to promote your brand, remember that you cannot let your page simply be an electronic billboardusers will expect engagement, not just content.

Build this into your business model and make it a priority. Consistency is key. Failure to follow up on engagement in a timely manner will reflect badly on your brand and could be a killer for potential opportunities.

If you are someone who is engaging with potential clients and customers on social media, Lintz has a good reminder: Its usually not a matter of if someone will open your message and possibly respond, it's a matter of when, so you need to be available to immediately respond and spark up a conversation.

5. Reach out with concise offers.

If you are hoping to leverage social media outreach to your advantage, Lintz emphasized that its important to deliver offers that are short and sweet.

While people may spend almost an hour a day on Instagram, youd be unrealistically optimistic to think that they will give more than a glance at a cold offer in their DMs. But this doesnt mean that its not valuable to reach out. The key is to strike the balance between quality content and brevity. This is important, says Lintz because people don't like being overwhelmed in their Instagram DMs, and if they are being pitched, they would like to see the offer as quickly as possible.

This is a valuable lesson not just in the space of social media, but also in traditional marketing and email lists.

Having an outreach strategy is also crucial here. Rather than mass messages coming direct from the brand pages or a generic no-reply email, consider delegating to team members to focus on outreach. Marketing messages had a 561% better chance of reaching customers when it came from an employee, rather than direct from the brand.

Here are a few steps from Luke Lintz for crafting a killer pitch that will definitely entice buyers and clients:

The important thing to remember is that more than ever, were all being sold on products and offers all day, every day. To stand out here, make your sales pitch concise and personal where possible, and focus on the value that you offer.

6. Reinvest in your brand.

This one is evergreen. But for as often as weve all heard it, this advice hasnt diminished at all in value.

When I connect with my clients who are entrepreneurs, I often echo this sentiment. Sometimes were all so caught up in the next sale, the next quarter or the next hire, that we dont stop to ask how we can meaningfully invest in our ventures.

And Im not just talking about turning Q4s profits into Q1s operating budget. How do we make sure that the money we put back into our companies is helping us grow in a holistic way?

Luke Lintz had some great thoughts on this subject. He reminds us that in todays market, a large part of investing in yourself and your business is with branding.

In todays economy, proper branding is the bedrock of a successful business. But as long as were talking about investing here, how do you even measure the value of a brand?

Experts often consider brand value to be the perceived strength of a company's name, image and reputation, and thus as part of the intangible assets of a business. Based on this framework, its been estimated that the strength of brands can account for up to 20% of the total value of companies trading on the S&P 500.

While that might be hard to wrap your mind around, consider a well-known brand like Starbucks. They innovated by bringing better quality coffee to the world, but there is so much more to the Starbucks brand. Whats good coffee without the red holidays cups, the green mermaid, the annual revival of the pumpkin spice lattes? Starbucks as a brand isnt any one of those things, but all of them, plus the intangible feelings they evoke.

Its clear that investing in your brand has some of the highest potential for return-on-investment, but what does that look like?

Heres some questions to get you started on assessing your brands for areas that need a little extra help:

Once youve explored those questions, look for actionable ways to reinvest in your business by addressing any areas in which your branding might be lacking. This might mean hiring designers or branding consultants for a rebrand, or dedicating resources to training team members on how to effectively curate the brand identity through meaningful social media content. The steps you take are up to you, so long as you recognize the value in reinvesting in the strength of your brand.

Ive helped so many clients launch their business, and it was so tough to see so many small-business owners struggle with the challenges of 2020.

But after connecting with Luke Lintz, I got genuinely excited and fired up about the future for entrepreneurs in 2021, especially when it comes to focusing on the DMs. Social media and new marketing strategies have opened so many doors and provided many new tools and assets for small business owners. If you are savvy and forward-thinking, theres nothing stopping you from making 2021 the best year yet for your business.

Continued here:
6 Tips To Grow Your Business In 2021 - Forbes

A cannabis-infused drink called Cann may have created a new ad genreASMR for the eyeswith a social campaign that features helium balloons floating skyward, a guy being tickled with ostrich feathers and a woman running her hands through thick shag carpeting.

The mood-elevating posts allude to the products benefits, said Sarah Betts, creative director at agency Red Antler, with visceral, dreamy imagery, coupled with mysterious copy.

One thing missing in the intentionally cryptic work: any mention of the brand name or shots of the product, which flies in the face of traditional marketing. But theres a good reason for the subterfuge.

The lack of branding means that Cann has been able to buy media on Instagram, using only the tagline, The Warm & Fizzies, at a time when major social platforms still dont allow call-to-action ads for weed products.

To comply with regulations (weed remains federally illegal), Cann had to hack the digital ad ecosystem, according to Blair Ballard, the brands head of strategy.

Current rules dont allow us to lead with the clean, clear sales propositions that people are used to seeing nowadays, she said. To make an ad that was compliant, we had to steer far away from that and be extremely vague about what were selling.

Instead, the brand and its agency tried to get their point across via the warmest, fuzziest scenarios we could think of, Betts told Adweek. The biggest creative challenge was adequately illustrating Canns effects.

Cann is a carbonated booze-free high with 2 milligrams of THC per can. It fits into several popular trends, like microdosing, dry January and New Years wellness resolutions.

Its Warm & Fizzies campaign debuts, not coincidentally, as THC-spiked beverages are booming. While still making up only a fraction of overall dispensary sales, drinks are the fastest-growing category in cannabis, estimated to be worth $8 billion globally by 2027, according to data from Fortune Business Insights.

In California alone, the consumables segment, which includes beverages and edibles, is expected to grow 140% over the next five years, BDSA says.

Cann is based in Los Angeles. The startup has sold more than 2 million cans of its social tonic in 2020, competes with brands like Keef, Calexo, Wunder, Mad Lilly, Artet and House of Saka, among others that offer healthier, low-calorie, no-hangover alternatives to cocktails.

And the field is getting more crowded. Heavyweights in the traditional liquor space are busy creating alliances for THC-laced products. Pabst Labs, under a licensing deal with the legacy PBR brand, debuted weed-infused seltzers in California, and the Heineken-owned Lagunitas Brewing Co. and concentrate company AbsoluteXtracts are behind the hot-selling Hi-Fi Hops.

[The approach] allowed us to put the focus entirely on the feeling and build equity around that

Lindsay Brillson, Red Antlers executive creative director

[The approach] allowed us to put the focus entirely on the feeling and build equity around that

The U.S. deals follow similar moves in Canada. In that country, Anheuser Busch InBev has partnered with Tilray, and Constellation Brands and Canopy Growth leaped ahead of the pack in 2020 with several infused-beverage launches.

Many dispensary owners, noting a recent uptick in sales, have devoted more real estate and energy to promoting infused drinks. Chris Lane, CMO at Airfield Supply Co. in the San Francisco area, has launched a month-long pop-up shop with Cann, dovetailing into the retailers January wellness focus.

Continue Reading

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Social Campaign For THC-Spiked Drink Cleverly Treads The Line On Paid Weed Ad Rules - Adweek

Press ReleasesPRESS RELEASE FROMSWAY GROUP

One of four influencer agencies included in spotlight on fastest-growing channels of marketing

January 12, 2021 - Sway Group, an influencer marketing and paid social agency, announces that it was selected by Chief Marketer as one of four influencer marketing agencies in the 2020 Chief Marketer 200. The (CM200) list is the worlds only editorial listing of best-in-class brand engagement and activation agencies across 11 categories and specialties serving the United States. According to Chief Marketer, the agencies selected for this years program are thought leaders in their craft and representative of the best of the marketing industry.

Were honored to be part of this highly coveted list for the second consecutive year, notes Sway Groups CEO Danielle Wiley. Its especially meaningful recognition for us given the incredible year of COVID. We are thankful to our client partners - their trust and true partnership allowed us to help them innovate and move forward despite unprecedented business challenges.

The past four years have been explosive for Sway, fueled by work for leading brands including Bradshaw Home, Stonyfield, Post Cereals PEBBLES, Outlook Amusements and Drinkworks.

Critical to Sways success has been its integration with CreatorIQ and development of a proprietary dashboard which provides a robust set of targeting, measurement, and data tools. Sways ability to evaluate performance in real-time currently shows that Sway influencer campaigns receive up to 3x the industry average for engagement.

During this year of uncertainty and unrest, Sway has also been a voice for brand activism through influencer outreach, helping clients tap the trust and credibility created by influencers to share corporate initiatives designed to serve social, environmental and political issues. Importantly, Sway has urged brands to go beyond token public statements to share what theyre doing to create meaningful change.

About Sway Group

Sway Group is a full-service, influencer marketing agency.Focusing on such key verticals as parenting, food, beauty and fashion, Sway works with brands big and small to craft custom, creative and comprehensive programs to reach the right consumers on the right platforms at the right time. All Sway Group campaigns are fueled by its proprietary influencer dashboard, powered by CreatorIQ, offering transparent ROI metrics.

About CM200

Chief Marketers CM200 presents the industrys only comprehensive list of the best brand engagement and activation agencies across 11 categories and specialties serving the United States.Editors accepted applications from across the country for the CM200 earlier this fall. Winners were selected based on several criteria including: insightful client testimonials; outstanding case study submissions; high caliber, consistent work across programs and clients; innovative and creative executions; and bold and inspiring concepts and ideas that are moving the industry forward.

About Chief Marketer

Global online content portal Chief Marketer, an Access Intelligence brand, arms aspiring CMOs with the tools, insights, data and training they need to master the next frontier of marketingan age of marketing much less dependent on advertising and muchmore focused on the rest of the branding toolkit. CM has more than 150,000 readers who rely on its content and live events to help them cut through the noise and find the solutions necessary to optimize their performance. From digital, direct and content marketing, to social, experiential, promotion and more, our weekly newsletters and daily website content covers it all. In addition to the CM200, Chief Marketer also produces the PRO Awards, and recognition programs including Masters of Martech and Future CMOs. Learn more at chiefmarketer.com.

Contact:

Lynne Collins

[emailprotected]

1-646-286-4724

Excerpt from:
Sway Group Included in Exclusive List of Top Marketing Agencies Serving the US - Social Media Today

The New Year is my favorite time of year. Im always so inspired by all the possibilities.

This year is a bit different, though. Following that unprecedented year of 2020 with some of its challenges remaining Im a little more cautious.

With everything thats been up in the air lately, at least we got some definite answers last week:

With the certification of the Electoral College votes, we definitely know who our president will be in a couple of weeks.

Georgias runoff election determined which political party will control the United States Senate.

COVID-19 vaccines are here. Theyre ready for some populations and will be on the way for others in the coming weeks and months.

Thats the sort of predictability the stock market loves. And that ought to translate to a little more certainty for individual businesses as well.

The COVID-19 pandemic and everything related to it caught most business owners by surprise. Not to mention supply chain interruptions, employees working remotely and restrictions on when some businesses could be open. Even worse, it caused many businesses to close.

Yelp has reported that permanent business closures have reached 97,966 as of the beginning of this year. And 60 percent of those wont be reopening.

While we dont know what this year holds, you still have to fortify your business against unforeseen circumstances, while planning for the future.

Digital marketer James Jorner has offered ideas on http://www.entrpreneur.com for business survival in 2021. Ive combined some of those with my professional experience, and Ive created these bite-sized chunks for your consideration.

Top of Mind Awareness Make sure youre in front of your potential customers. If there are still lockdowns in 2021, that becomes more difficult. Now is not the time to totally slash your marketing budget. You may need to make some reductions. Just be sure to focus on keeping your company out there in the public eye.

Social media platforms could be your best friend in the coming years, according to Jorner. Whether you use influencers or paid social marketing, you need to put in the effort to remain visible and relevant.

Brand Innovation Every day, innovations are created which can simplify the buying process for your customers. You need to make sure youre doing everything possible to make life easier for your customers.

If you want to become a leader in your industry or niche, explains Jorner, you need to innovate. This cuts across marketing, product delivery, customer retention, etc.

As Steve Jobs said, Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.

Employee Satisfaction and Retention Remote working has its advantages and disadvantages. Its more cost-effective, and it can be more efficient. There are definitely some missing links, though.

Research shows that most employees want to feel heard and know that their work matters. They also want to know how their contributions fit into the overall mission of the company.

Your company culture can suffer with remote workers, as the sense of collaboration and personal attention can often be lost. While it may take more of an investment of your time as an owner or manager, its more important than ever to reach out to your employees, especially those in remote working situations.

Financing and Budgeting No doubt about it. Budgeting during uncertain times like these can be very tough. Budgeting is like a road map, though, and you put your business at risk when you dont pay attention.

Budgeting determines whether your marketing, asset acquisition, employee compensation and other parts of your business can go smoothly, says Jorner. And, in times like this, it helps to build in contingencies. You need to be nimble enough to respond to market changes.

Asset Protection While its not a pleasant subject to think about, its important to have a plan for protecting your assets. You dont want to be vulnerable if you can help it.

One lawsuit/court case could do severe damage to your holdings. Nobody starts a business and considers the possibility of entering a court case. Seventy-eight percent of lawsuit defendants in the United States never thought it would happen to them, explains Jorner.

Be Ready to Adapt to Anything No one saw 2020 coming. And it was as if everyone had to adapt or die.

Home offices replaced work offices. Zoom meetings replaced face-to-face collaboration. Brick-and-mortar buildings lay dormant.

How adaptable are you? Adaptability has been defined by professor and author Patrick J. Rottinghaus as the capacity to cope with and capitalize on change, and the ability to recover when unforeseen events alter life plans.

2021 is uncertain, says Joyner, but what is absolute should be your ability to adapt to anything. Whether its in your service/product delivery, marketing or customer engagement, you have to be ready to dance to the tune of whatever the market throws at you. And attack it creatively.

As we get further into 2021, there ought to be more clarity. Perhaps by the third quarter, youll be able to have more foresight. Until then, do the best you can to become adept at adapting!

2021 Linda Arnold Life 101, all rights reserved. Linda Arnold, M.A., M.B.A., is the founder of a multistate marketing company, as well as a syndicated columnist and psychological counselor. Reader comments are welcome at linda@lindaarnold.org For information on her books, go to http://www.lindaarnold.org or Amazon.com

Excerpt from:
Business strategies for the New Year | Opinion | wvnews.com - WV News

Looking to improve your Twitter marketing efforts in 2021?

While other platforms offer greater reach, Twitter remains a key part of the modern communications landscape, and can be a great platform for connecting with the right audience in order to showcase your brand and products.

If you can get it right.

The concise nature of effective tweet composition does take time to master, and it's never easy to come up with the right sentence or two which will entice people to click as they scroll through their feed.

But if you are looking to improve your Twitter ad efforts, specifically, Twitter's team of internal ad specialists recently provided some helpful tips to consider in your Twitter ad creation process.

Twitter's first key tip is to adhere to its 'three R's' methodology for a strong campaign approach:

Twitter seems to be keen on rules of three at the moment - last week, it shared its 'Three C's' (Concise, Clear, Conversational)approach for better branding.

The Three R's are more specifically aligned with paid promotion, and they're really, fairly obvious provisos for an effective ad. But they do provide some guidance that's easy to keep in mind - are you generating response, is the content clearly relevant to your target market, and are you keeping your messaging fresh and engaging?

They're broad parameters, but Twitter has also provided more specific insights on each to further hone in your approach.

Aligning with the Three R's,Twitter's ad specialists highlight the importance of effective creative elements.

"Campaigns that have strong, eye-catching creative with a clear call to action typically perform much better than those without."

I mean, yeah, if you can come up with a great visual element, then that's going to get attention. That, of course, doesn't make it any easier to actually compose one, but the point here is that it's worth taking the time to come up with more striking visuals for your campaigns, which, with the array of creative tools and apps now on offer, is possible, even for novice creators.

For example, apps like Motionleap enable you to easily add digital animation and effects to your images.

Most of these apps are designed for Stories, but they can also be used to create images and clips that you can export for use in any of your campaigns or processes.

And there are a lot of them - look up the top apps in the 'Photo and Video' category in The App Store and you'll find a range of editing apps that you can try out for your visual elements.

Visuals also play an important role in the 'Recency' element of the Three R's approach, with Twitter's ad specialists noting that you should look to refresh your visuals often to maximize engagement.

"Using 3-5 creatives with bright colors, show-stopping images and interesting motion captures viewers' attention, and increases the chance of a successful serve."

So, again, focusing on your visuals is key, and tools like Motionleap can help you add that extra flair, even if you're not a graphic design expert.

Twitter's ad team also suggests trying out different CTAs in your Twitter ads to measure response.

"Test more aggressive CTAs (e.g. 'Get a Quote', 'Book Tickets' or 'Shop our Sale') against softer ones (e.g. 'Learn More')"

Of course, testing should always be part of your process, in every element. It just comes down to how much time you have, and how much money you're able to spend on different test campaigns. But it could well be worth the investment - finding the right CTA can have a significant impact on ad performance, which could boost your ROI.

And finally, Twitter's ad experts recommend keeping your tweet copy 'short and to the point'.

"The perfect complement to an engaging creative is a concise tweet (<100 characters)."

You want to be guiding your ad viewers towards your CTA, so you don't want your copy to distract from that.

Twitter has advised similar on the use of hashtags - while hashtags can help you tap into trending discussions, they can also distract from your messaging, giving your audience something else to click on within your tweet, when you really only want them to click on your CTA.

Keeping it short and to the point, without distractions, could help improve your overall results.

These are some good, general tips for your Twitter ad copy, which may provide some guidance in your approach. If you're looking to get into Twitter ads, or to improve your results, it's worth considering these tips as you go through the creation process.

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Twitter Shares Key Tips on How to Improve Your Twitter Ads Approach - Social Media Today