Add Storytelling to Your Marketing Strategy
It’s December, the last month of a historical year. Obviously, things won’t magically change when we hang up our 2021 calendars, but it’s a reminder that life keeps on going no matter what the circumstances are—and with life comes change. A big change for many businesses, including my own, is where marketing dollars are being allocated. According to NewsCred Insights (insights.newscred.com), “On average, 30-40% of a marketing budget is allocated for trade show sponsorship, travel, expenses, attendance, and collateral. With the coronavirus blowing up trade show budgets, marketers are challenged to redistribute that budget quickly.”
The lack of in-person networking events and trade shows has been extremely tough for me, personally, because I am a highly social person. Just ask anyone who knows me! It’s been hard for my business as well because those events are where I’d meet a lot of potential advertisers. This has forced us to get creative with our marketing efforts and how we’re reaching new local businesses. This is the case for most business owners. I believe that content marketing continues to be an effective avenue of advertising.
The NewsCred article goes on to say, “Content marketing can become an effective way for you to remain in touch with your customers and increase pipeline generation during the coronavirus pandemic. With the ever-changing digital landscape, communicating and engaging with your audience can remain undisrupted, no matter what the situation is—as long as you have the proper content marketing strategies in place.”
At Strictly Business, we believe that original content and storytelling are essential parts of any great marketing strategy. This is what we offer to our clients. Between press releases and feature stories, we give businesses different avenues to share their message. The content is not only shared in print but also online. We’re excited to be in the process of upgrading our website and strengthening our social media presence. These are two areas that we’re focusing on going into 2021. A New Year’s resolution, of sorts.
As a business owner, what is your New Year’s resolution? If storytelling isn’t something you’re currently doing as a part of your marketing strategy, please reach out to me. My team would love to help you get your message to your audience. In these challenging times, with a fast-changing landscape, communicating brand identity and values remain important—now more than ever. In fact, The CMO Survey this year found that marketers’ views on the importance of marketing have increased during the pandemic. Just one in 10 (11.1%) believe marketing has decreased in importance, 26.5% believe there has been no change, while 62.3% believe it has increased in importance.
As always, I want to thank my current clients for partnering with us and allowing Strictly Business to be a part of their growth. I’m so grateful to be a part of the business community here in Omaha, and it’s always a pleasure to make new connections. Since there aren’t as many events, I’m doing my best to stay actively engaged and seek out new people to connect with. Whether that’s over Zoom, over the phone, or in person.
I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and is able to spend time reflecting on what really matters in life. It’s easy to get caught up in all the noise, but we need to allow ourselves some time to disconnect and celebrate all the good around us. That is what the holiday season is for, giving thanks.