Most days of the year, it seems like there isn’t enough budget to go around. However, with the final months of 2021 upon us, many marketers are faced with a pleasant surprise: a surplus in their marketing budget. Perhaps you didn’t get to the trade shows you originally planned or cost-per-clicks were lower than anticipated. But when that money takes on a “use it or lose it” ultimatum, you could be left scrambling to spend dollars without a concrete plan, which can lead to poor spending decisions or, worse, wasted money.
So, how can you make the most of your extra marketing budget?
Here are some of the smartest and most strategic choices to put that money to good use and give you the boost you need to meet your 2022 digital marketing goals.
Last year, 96% of consumers unsurprisingly increased their online video consumption. Additionally, 90% of viewers said that they wanted to see more videos from brands and businesses.
If you have not taken the time to identify opportunities and gaps in your buyer's journey, specifically for brand and product videos, now is the time. Video is affordable, targeted and allows for advanced analytics. And for tech companies, especially, getting a prospect to watch your demo can dramatically increase your close rate.
We often hear that B2B companies don’t think they should be advertising on Facebook. Consider this: StayOnline, a power connectivity provider, implemented the Facebook Purchase Pixel on its website to track purchases that came from Facebook ads and to see the total value generated from each purchase made. Various campaigns were launched, including messages to promote Same Day Shipping, Data Center Cords and the Closeout Deals section on the website. When clicked, all ads went to a page on the website where the purchases were tracked.
The most successful campaign among the three was the Same Day Shipping. Of the $590,000 in revenue brought in from the campaigns, $370,000 of it came from the Same Day Shipping campaign. The ad retargeted those who visited but did not make a purchase and served as a reminder to complete the purchase after leaving the website.
If you have not tried Facebook, perhaps this extra budget could be the perfect opportunity to experiment.
Why not go into 2022 with your most engaged audience ever? A well-executed interactive campaign (here's a recent example from Kuno) can do just that, while also showcasing your company’s creativity and making you more memorable to prospects. Investing your surplus dollars in an interactive campaign, particularly if you haven’t done one before, can be a great way to make your audience interactions more of a dialogue.
Another great benefit of interactive campaigns and content is that they are search-friendly where a PDF is not. They are also mobile-friendly and encourage a longer (more measurable) time-on-page. Plus, you can embed videos, media and forms on interactive pages.
Consider interactive content for engagement around new trends, go-to-market strategies or follow-ups to RFPs.
Purchasing tools that make your digital marketing strategy easier to execute can help your department run more smoothly and efficiently next year. For instance, you could also invest in products and services that make creating high-quality video easier, or photo editing software to make your images really pop. Or perhaps you simply need a more thorough task management service to redefine your processes.
Perhaps your best move, though, would be to invest in an all-in-one platform. HubSpot’s CRM platform has all the tools and integrations you need for marketing, sales, content management, and customer service, with a free CRM at its core. They’re powerful alone but even better when used together.
Discover how HubSpot can set you up for success in 2022—schedule a demo here.
Whatever you’re looking for, new technology can be a game-changer in productivity — just make sure you do your research on the right tools for your dollar.
Of course, as enticing as it is to spend your extra marketing budget on a tactic that will yield quick results, another smart approach is to invest in lasting, effective content. Evergreen content is high quality and timeless — and it will benefit your department long after the initial leads boost.
For example, Kuno helped a medical research organization build a vast library of digital resources over several years. The company became known as a leading voice in the clinical research industry.
To educate customers and prospects about the advantages and cost savings of an electronic trial master file audit, the team developed a campaign that included a video, infographic and checklist, as well as related blog posts and emails. We optimized blog posts for search terms related to trial master file reviews, which brought new visitors to the website who were searching for best practices. More than 5,000 of our client’s existing contacts also interacted with these resources. One was a $50 million global neurovascular company that enlisted the company for several audits, including a trial master file audit.
In 12 months, the content attracted more than 600 new contacts and influenced 58 deals.
Quick Tip: Ask your sales team what questions they get most often during the sales process, then create a piece of content or a blog series to answer them.
Creating new content isn’t the only option — in fact, heading into a new year might be the ideal time to invest in the content you already have. HubSpot dubs this “historical optimization.” They began making it part of their marketing strategy after discovering that 76% of their monthly blog views and 92% of their monthly blog leads came from “old” posts.
The best tactics for SEO are constantly evolving. This means if you don’t have an SEO strategy, it’s long past time you get one, and if you already have one, it’s probably time to update it.
See how we helped one manufacturer achieve a 482% increase in keyword rankings and a 327% increase in organic traffic.
Remember: a surplus budget today means the opportunity to make next year your best marketing success yet. While you’ll need to carefully weigh the options to determine which choice is best for your department’s specific needs, any of the above choices can make a lasting strategic difference toward reaching your digital marketing goals.
