As we start a new year, (one that’s hopefully better than 2020) I thought I’d share with you some of the marketing thoughts and predictions that have caught my attention.

The importance of being agile

In my day job the ability to adapt our marketing goals and objectives in response to Covid-19 last March quickly became incredibly important.

Although the aim of my company’s business didn’t change (We sell pet insurance) for the first few months of lockdown we adapted our marketing efforts to become a vital resource for pet owners – providing advice and guidance on how they could continue caring for pets during lockdown. It became important to create real-time connections with our customers.

I think this ability to remain agile and to shift focus quickly is an important skill and lesson we can all take forwards as marketing professionals.

Identifying what creates value for your business?

Working within any content or marketing role you tend to know (or should know) what the value of your role is in terms of the business.

What might seem obvious to you will not always be the case for others, so I think it’s important to remind ourselves and  determine what our business goals are.

As content marketers we should at times expect to be challenged on budgets and have probing conversations on whether content production is viable.

If you work for a business where the value of content marketing is readily recognised and understood then this is great but for those not lucky enough to work in such an environment we should make sure we can demonstrate the value that our work is contributing to the goals and objectives of a business.

Navigating a more polarised social and political climate.

I thought this was a really interesting point as it raises the question on how businesses and brands should address and tackle high profile social and political issues.

Issues such as climate change, Me Too Movement, and Black Lives Matter have become high profile causes in recent years but also controversial and emotive for lots of people.

Some issues such as advocating diversity in the work place or greater environmental sustainability may be addressed internally; however what if you want to publicise your commitment to a cause or issue to your customers?

This made me think about how brands navigate an increasingly polarised social and political climate? Businesses and organisations can quickly find themselves dragged into political controversies or ‘culture wars’.

Nobody wants to alienate their core customers or audience. Personally, I think it’s important to remain authentic rather than performative if you want demonstrate you support for a particular issue. Don’t jump on ‘bandwagons’ and think about whether the cause that you are championing aligns with the values of a large part of your customers.

Consumers are becoming more interested and attracted to businesses and brands that share their values and stand for issues that are important to them.

Empathetic Marketing

I’d never heard of this marketing term until I read an article about it on the digital marketing website Moz.com

I decided to have a look at the dictionary definition of the word empathy. I found this:

“Empathy is the ability to see events and situations from another’s perspective — to put yourself in their shoes”

For businesses and brands it’s about having the ability to see the world from the point of view of your customers. It sounds obvious when you say it but I’m sure we all know businesses that have failed to grasp this.

From a marketing perspective we should be thinking about how to connect with customers and audiences at a deeper more empathetic level rather than focussing just on products and services. This means showing your audience that you understand their needs and are ready to adapt to them.