As we close out 2020, we look back on the ups and downs that we’ve all experienced. So much has changed.
Many teams have shrunk, budgets have been cut, and there have been major shifts in priorities from one business to the next. Some industries have experienced huge growth, while others have lost most of their website traffic.
Consumers have also had to change their behavior in unexpected ways. Customer profiles have shifted, resulting in user journeys through your site changing as well. Businesses are actively rethinking their online priorities and re-strategizing.
As we look back on 2020, many of us were personally affected. We, like you, are eager to reset and are looking forward to the fresh perspective that 2021 will bring us. So how do we take all of these changes, all of these learnings and emotions, to apply them diligently and systematically to 2021?
For us at Making Science, it means following our key methodology: Analyze, Learn, Optimize!
We have gathered data points from many digital marketing polls, interviews with existing clients, and discussions with key UX & User Journey experts. We have reviewed online reports, like “How consumers make purchasing decisions during COVID-19” published by Google, and attended information sessions by Forrester.
The overall conclusion remains the same. The best path to business recovery is that now, more than ever, we have to be able to dynamically change the online consumers’ needs and support their new behaviors. Analyze, Learn, Optimize!
Analyze
The ongoing disruption to consumer behaviors due to COVID-19 is causing new habits to be formed. We have to respond by exploring and evaluating the messy purchasing journey that now exists. We start by analyzing key data and understanding the details.
The chart below recommends where you should focus most of your marketing budget. As you can see, data/analytics takes the lead.
Gathering insights from data can help improve marketing performance. Just look at these numbers below!
Learn
Experimentation programs using AB Testing, Multivariate or ABC Experimentation and the right tool can quickly help you test and learn. Testing variations will help you better understand your users. One key to generating higher conversion on your site is personalizing to users and giving them what they are looking for in the right moment of their user journey.
Companies must provide a good user experience while serving the customer with the right product or service at the right time.
“Today our users are taking longer to make decisions since they are researching more. They are not finding what they need as quickly as they used to. This is largely due to many websites not personalizing dynamically to what I want,” says David Otero, SVP at Making Science. Customer experience remains a top 2021 priority.
Optimize!
As we move into 2021, Digital Marketing priorities for many will be geared towards understanding the user experiences, profiles and their user journeys. One of our favorite websites, Smartinsights has done a great job of further breaking down these trends for us. We see some of the top innovators in the industry and how they are prioritizing 2021 with user experience.
Today you can sign up for many free or low costs tools and kick off a basic optimization program to help educate you and further serve the best experience to the right user at the right time. Check out tools like Google Optimize, ABTasty, VWO & Convert if you’re looking for an inexpensive solution to get you started. Or, have a look at our guide to choosing the right CRO tool for you. We know that these are financially stressful times, but these tools often give a quick return on investment. Some of the more sophisticated solutions offer advanced personalization and Artificial intelligence as well.
Setting your digital marketing priorities now will help you stay on track for all of 2021. Not sure what your priorities should be? We can help you! Get in touch with our team. Stay tuned for more informative blogs.
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