Your Marketing Strategies for 2020 - Istifanus Sarki

Are you surprised to read about marketing strategies for 2020? So was I when the idea came at first. But then I realized that whatever we will be facing in the market in the coming year is being decided by some people at the moment. So I thought, why don't we plug into to future from the present, so we can prepare better for it and improve our business?

Anything that successfully goes into your eyes, and/or ears without distraction, has tendency to influence your action.

Companies know that the short 30 seconds commercial when played more than once on different media platforms can go a long way to influence your decision to buy their product or services.

A local physician knows that entering buses, (especially the one from Oshodi to Toll Gate in Lagos) and speaking to people about his new found solution to a certain illness will cause people to respond by purchasing the drug.

Samsung spent millions of naira on 30seconds video advert titled 'Do what you can't', just to pass one single message. They'd spend more if they have to, just to achieve their aim.

My point?

Everyone and everything is seeking attention. Some for financial benefits, some for other reasons. This will only increase, not decrease. Trust me on that. But the real question is how can marketing be fully maximized in 2020?

Here are a few simple steps:

1. Pay attention to people's personality: if you want to sell children products, you should focus on their personality. How do they think? If you noticed, the Milo company came up with a clapping style for children that's unique to Milo. Virtually every of their adverts and banners suggests something child-friendly. This in turn attracts the children such that every time they think of tea, Milo comes to their mind. We know children like cartoon. Now you know why cowbell uses an animation of a cow to advertise. Here is the secret to paying attention to your audience' personalities: your audience don't care about anything but themselves. Also, they like people who care about them and about what they like. So, if you pay attention to what your audience like, and modify your product or service to suit their liking, they'd come to you for more. Pay attention to their major challenges too, and provide a solution that meets their needs, and they'll never do without you.

2. Pay attention to the environment: A quick example here, you want to go into selling of fabrics in a place like Lagos. What class of people are they? We know Lagos is the hub of Nigerian economy. Then how often do they go for ceremonies? Most of them can afford even the highest price, and not many in Lagos might sell the kind of fabrics material you want to go into. Besides, even if many do, not many people working in offices have the time to go to market to purchase such product. In this case, you do a delivery sales of fabrics by creating your shop online using social media platforms, website and using other eCommerce stores. Run ads until your potential clients see it on their mobile screen in their offices and make orders. Paying attention to the environment helps you to understand the challenges and how to fit in with a solution.

3. Pay Attention to Times and Seasons: You want to market a movie that just came out. You go on Twitter and realized Wizkid and Burna Boy are trending on Twitter again. It's a good time to hashtag the trending things and create a post that matches the current happening with your advert, and post it. You are likely to, in a day, get twice the likes and retweet you got in 2weeks. Christmas is approaching. Think of ways by which your product or service can serve your customers well, repackage it and market it to them such that they see the need and request for it. Even advertising requires paying attention to time. For instance, you can't advertise your fashion products on Instagram at 2am and expect people to wake up and see it. Because others would have posted something later on at 6 or 7am and overshadowed yours.

4. Invest in Ads: It may interest you to know how weekend came to being. Henry Ford, the man who invented motorcycle, told his workers to take a break on Saturday. He told them each to take a car from the factory, and drive it around the neighborhood until it becomes a desire in the minds of their neighbours, and they buy it. At a point, no one could resist the glamour, splendor and pride of owning a car, so people began to purchase it. Advert is when you place something that matches someone's desire, in their face, and their eyes being the window of their mind, receives it and the heart begins to desire it.
This is the reason there is hardly anything you do online or offline that you won't come across an advert trying to convince you to take an action. This is because people have spent thousands of naira and dollars to run these adverts. Even the pop corn seller by the road side advertises through the smell of his popcorn. No one is left out on the advertising. You should invest on ads.

Note: there are two major kinds of adverts: online ads and traditional ads. Some still make the mistake of depending on traditional ads such as radio, bill boards, posters, banners, tracks, hand bills, etc, that they fail to realize the world has gone digital. One of the fastest ways to get to people to see your product nowadays is online.

As a certified Google Digital Marketer, I can assure you, like Bill Gates also said, if your business is not online now, very soon, you will be out of business. Bike men are experiencing similar challenge now with the coming of O ride. Don't wait until they come for you. Be on top of your business.

If you ever want to make your business visible online (Facebook, YouTube, Google, Twitter, Instagram, Website, LinkedIn, Telegram), or market your product online, you can contact me on +2347080225737. At Manicle, we are result minded.