If you’re one of the many companies who chose to press pause on marketing during the chaos of the last year, we get it. A survey conducted in 2020 found that nearly 70 percent of brands planned to decrease their advertising spend for the year. However, if you find yourself now thinking that it’s about time to get started again, we’d have to agree. According to Mediaocean, ad spend on social media and online marketplaces rose more than 30 percent year-over-year in March 2021.

It can feel daunting to get back into marketing after a hiatus, but don’t be intimidated. Now that many states are lifting restrictions and the economy is roaring back, this is a great time to restart your marketing program with a fresh perspective. We’ll walk you through some essential first steps to get you started.

Take Stock of Past Marketing Efforts

Before launching back into the same methods you were using before your hiatus, take the opportunity to analyze the effectiveness of your past campaigns. This is the perfect time to figure which actions were working and which ones were not. Are your go-to marketing materials, such as Facebook updates and printed brochures, actually effective, or are they just what you’ve always done? This is your chance to make sure every marketing effort and dollar spent is worthwhile. Think about it: if your marketing plan wasn’t considered critical enough to continue it during tough times, chances are there are things you can do to improve it.

One of the first things you can do to take stock of your past digital campaigns is to evaluate the cost per click of any paid advertisements. If your cost per click was above your industry’s average on your platform of choice, that can tell you that either your offer or your creative presentation wasn’t resonating with the audience. If your cost per click was good, but you weren’t seeing as many conversions once users hit your website or landing page, you may need to adjust your content to see a change in your results.

If your campaigns were performing relatively well, you might instead consider how you can up the ante moving forward. You can keep the features of your past campaigns that worked, but also use this time of resetting to try new beneficial ideas. That may mean increasing your budget for ads, adding an appealing offer to entice your already-engaged audience, or diving into a new platform to expand your audience base.

Reconsider Your Goals

The events of the past year have changed the priorities and goals of many businesses. For example, in the past, your business may have been focused solely on increasing revenue. However, if the pandemic forced you to consider new product or service avenues, you may now be trying to enter new markets. If the overall goals for your company have changed, you’ll need to make some adjustments to your marketing strategy to ensure your campaigns are supporting the proper objectives.

A new goal can (and should) affect nearly every aspect of your marketing strategy, from the visual presentation to the call-to-action. As you revisit past campaigns and make changes, keep your new goals top-of-mind, and make sure your decisions all serve the same ultimate purpose. Don’t keep around old marketing elements just because it’s easy or they’re already created – this is your fresh start and your chance to really nail your next campaign. Depending on how different your new objectives are, you might also want to consider switching the platforms you’ve used for your marketing in the past to better meet your changing needs. For more information on creating a digital marketing campaign based around well-defined goals, check out our previous article.

Account for Audience Developments

It’s also important to realize that your audience has undoubtably changed since than the last time you started a marketing campaign. Even if you’re still trying to reach the same target demographic, it’s likely their needs and preferences have changed since the start of COVID-19. Your previous methods of reaching a particular group may no longer be as relevant as they used to be. When you create new marketing materials, make sure you’re accounting for potential changes and digging into the new concerns your audience may have.

There are a few different ways you can find insight into your new (or former) audience’s current needs and interests. As a simple and actionable first step, do some research online to find articles or studies from reputable sources that address how people in different groups are responding to the world’s current challenges. This information may not be incredibly specific, but it can give you helpful background knowledge and something to base your big ideas on. If you want to find more precise answers to your questions about your changing audience, consider conducting a focus group or marketing study. For a lower-cost option, you could also simply survey existing customers about their evolving mindset and shopping habits. These methods will help you gain a thorough understanding of your audience’s needs and move forward confidently in your next campaign.

As you proceed with your first campaigns back in the marketing saddle, keep a close eye on how your audience responds. You can always adjust as you go if it looks like your message isn’t connecting with consumers as you thought it would. Make one small tweak to your campaign at a time, and before long you’ll have a well-oiled strategy for reaching your target audience. For more detailed advice and help restarting your marketing efforts, contact our agency or reach out to a local agency in your own market.