Often the process of thinking through marketing resolutions leads to a plan, and we all know that having a plan increases the likelihood of success! As we welcome 2020, Denim Marketing wants to share some of our Top Marketing Resolutions for 2020 and our thoughts on where marketing for businesses should go this year. After all, it is 2020 – shouldn’t we all have crystal clear vision?

Before we dive into our individual thoughts, please remember to conduct an audit of where you are with your marketing basics – your brand, content, strategy and website. And then, conduct an audit of your social media sites. Look at all of these as a first-time visitor would and make a list of what needs to be updated and what can be improved on in the new year. It is never too late to improve upon a digital shopper’s first impression of your company.

With a solid audit completed, let’s look at the top marketing resolutions for 2020 from the Denim Marketing team:

1. Account Coordinator Lexie Delmonico states – In 2020, businesses need to make sure they are going to where their clients are and that means getting on social media. Over 70% of the population is on some type of social networking platform. These platforms have not only become a place to interact and associate with friends, family and colleagues, but they are also a major spot for businesses to network with potential clients and advertise their products or services. With the ever-changing social media trends, it’s important to keep up with what’s going on and who is on every platform. If not, businesses will spend all their time chasing trends and never quite landing on the target. Stay educated and up to date with the latest in social media, and make sure to be where the business is! There are a number of popular posts on social media on this site. For more information, read What’s Powering Your Social Media Foundation?
2. Senior Account Manager Courtney Rogers comments – I think the way people think about and manage their advertising on Facebook and Instagram must change – if it hasn’t already. With the changes that Facebook has made regarding ‘special categories’ i.e. housing, targeting capabilities for Facebook and Instagram advertising have been severely limited. This means to be effective the Facebook pixel needs to be set up and running on your website and you must create ads that allow Facebook’s AI to determine who ads should be shown to. Also strongly consider raising the ad budget to ensure ads are garnering enough attention for Facebook’s algorithm to gather effective data. I also think it’s important to make sure you understand the specific goals of your social media ads and be realistic about the results – unlike brands selling inexpensive, easily consumable goods, the majority of our clients, who are homebuilders, designers, cities, and construction products, aren’t going to turn a Facebook ad into tons of actual sales right away. However, those Facebook ads should absolutely be garnering you more web traffic that is qualified – a majority of visitors should spend a decent amount of time on your website, they should visit a variety of pages, and a portion of them should perform some sort of action that is considered a lead or goal, like clicking to call, sending an email or filling out a form. If this isn’t happening, it’s time to re-evaluate what you’re doing! For more information on special ad categories and Facebook advertising, read Facebook is the Future of Advertising.
3. Agency President and Founder Carol Morgan adds – It is time to measure your marketing ROI each month. Measurement is critical to know if the tactics are effective in reaching your target audiences. Make sure to measure everything – website traffic (leads, traffic, time on site, completed contact forms), advertising sources, email marketing, events, promotions, SEO, social, etc. Measure what you are doing and track it month over month and year over year to determine success. For more information, read Marketing ROI for the C-Suite on this blog. If you want to know if your top marketing resolutions are working, measure them!
4. Account Manager Mandy Holm states – Businesses that didn’t utilize public relations in their 2019 marketing strategy don’t want to make that mistake in 2020! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: public relations is necessary, not expendable. As digital marketing continues to evolve, maintaining a positive online reputation and relationship with local news media is crucial, and a seasoned PR team is exactly how to do it. Local and national media placements help consumers see companies as experts in their industries and as a trustworthy company to conduct business with and buy from. Not convinced? Read ‘Why Should Your Marketing Plan Include Public Relations?’ 
5. Junior Account Coordinator Brooke Huber comments – It is time to find a balance between automation and personalization. Despite the surge in technology and automation, customers want more human interaction, not less. They want to be marketed to as individuals and not as a mass group. Automation is a great support tool for businesses to use, but it can often come off as robotic, impersonal and spammy. Businesses should find a way to continue utilizing automation but do so in a way that creates personal connection with their customers. One way businesses can do this is by forgoing large, generic email blasts and instead personalizing groupings of newsletters based on customer history, behavior and data. Some other ways to add personalization is to follow up personally and interact with potential customers individually via email, phone or social media.
6. Chief Happiness Officer Zen and Chief Security Officer Champ are always adding their 2 cents – Focus on quality over quantity when it comes to content marketing. They say the same is true for dog treats, they’d prefer a juicy quality pig’s ear or hoof, but they aren’t going to turn down a quantity of Milk Bones either. Content marketing isn’t going anywhere in 2020, but businesses will need to diversify their content to stay relevant. To do this, businesses should focus on quality over quantity when it comes to their content. Overused, oversaturated or content posted for the sake of being posted can come off as annoying to customers and can negatively affect engagement. Businesses want to try and diversify their content strategy and find creative ways to attract customers such as video, interactive content, podcasts and webinars. Diversifying content will help businesses attract new customers and keep them coming back for more.

We’d love to know in the comments below what you are focused on for your 2020 Top Marketing Resolutions. Our post Don’t Be Scared of 2020 Marketing also gives a good overview of the top tactics to include in the New Year.  If you need marketing help, we’d love for you to contact us or call us at 770-383-3360.