Five ways to take a fresh approach to your communications in 2021
On the face of it, 2021 is starting to look very similar to 2020. In the midst of another national lockdown and with people once again doing business, and school work, across their kitchen tables, you might be forgiven for thinking now is not the time to work on your business.
Over the past year, the way we communicate with one another has changed radically. People are consuming media differently too. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to find different new ways to communicate with colleagues and engage with customers and other audiences. These have included meeting via video call instead of in person, using social media platforms to quickly update audiences or running webinars instead of holding events.
The start of 2021 could be the perfect time for many businesses to explore new ways to energise their communications for a new year. By adopting a fresh approach and giving your communications a revamp in 2021, you could see your business reach new audiences through new and existing channels.
Here are five considerations for taking a new approach to communications for 2021.
1. Give your social media a spring clean.
Social media channels are often the first thing that customers and clients look at when considering your business. Whichever channels you choose to use, social media is a great tool to get information into the public and engage audiences quickly and cheaply. Ahead of making any changes, take the time to think about your business goals and decide on some aims for social media to help achieve this.
Make sure you have all the correct details and information on your channels and consider refreshing your social profiles by updating header images. Keep up a regular schedule for your social media, making time to post and monitor your feeds. Use content you already have on your website, or other channels, by promoting it across your social feeds. Consider paid-for social media advertising to help reach and engage new audiences and video to grab your audience’s attention.
2. Revamp your website.
Giving your website a bit of refresh doesn’t necessarily mean building a whole new site or rebranding. Small changes can go a long way.
Make sure all the information and content on your site is current and up to date. Consider producing some fresh content for your website too – new blogs, case studies and news stories are a great way to attract audiences as well as providing a fantastic bank of content for your social media channels.
You could also carry out an SEO audit, or employ an outside organisation to do this for you. This will ensure that your website is SEO-optimised and help to improve your site’s performance on search engines.
3. Update your content.
Engaging content is key if you want to promote your business. It can be used across a variety of platforms, including your website and social media feeds. Content should be informative and interesting, and relevant to your business and the work you do.
Content could include blogs, news stories, case studies, video, news releases and a whole lot more. Taking the time to plan and produce fresh content can help your communications shine in 2021.
4. Share your expertise.
If you run a business, chances are you have a great deal of expertise about your sector, or area of business. So why not share some of that wisdom with others? Thought leadership can be a crucial part of a company’s communications strategy, and can help promote not only your experience and knowledge, but build trust in your company as well.
Read about DCA’s thoughts on thought leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic here.
5. Star in a video.
If you haven’t yet used video as a way to communicate with your audiences, then make 2021 the year you do so.
Recent stats show that video generates 1,200% more shares than text and image content. In addition, 78% of people watch online videos every week.
One video can be used time and time again across a variety of platforms. And if lockdown restrictions make going out to film impossible, consider using video conferencing facilities, such as Zoom, to make your video.
So in 2021, think about how you can make video work for you and your business.
Here at DCA, we can offer a range of PR services and communications support that can help to re-energise your communications in 2021. From content creation and editorial opportunities, to social media strategies, video creation and crisis communications, we can offer you support and guidance from our team of expert communicators.
For more information on how DCA can help you with your PR and communications needs, contact us at admin@dca-pr.co.uk
