New Marketing and Social Media Strategies for 2020

The world has fundamentally changed since COVID-19. Have your social media, online marketing and content changed with it? What updates will you want to be aware of? What updates will you want to make to your website and social media, and most of all, where is everything going? Find out at this high-powered session with marketing thought leaders Jenn Herman of Jenn’s Trends and Larry Bailin of Single Throw Marketing, with moderation by Zach Phillips, NAMM’s director of professional development. They reveal strategies, tactics and advice to connect with consumers in the new “next.” Discover how to balance business and fun on social media without seeming tone-deaf. Hear about the latest need-to-knows for selling on Instagram and Facebook, along with tips for leveling up your website and online content. Get a glimpse into the next phase of marketing and more.

Also, after the session, Herman answered a few questions that appeared in the Q&A that weren't addressed due to time constraints.

Q: I manufacture steel drums and sell via music retailers. How should I collaborate with my dealers on social media?

A: Definitely talk to your retailers about what they're doing on social media for their marketing efforts and see what you can come up with together for some promotion. But some ideas could be having them do a jam session or a lesson using your drums. They could do this as a pre-recorded video or a live video. You would want them to mention your company as the drum manufacturer in the video, as well. You could also offer a unique promotion exclusive to retailers, and both they and you could have social media content to promote that offer.

Q: Can you comment on the difference between those of us who have mostly a local walk-in customer base versus those who have mostly a nationwide e-commerce customer base — and how our uses of social media should differ?

A: Local businesses want to make sure to focus on local customers. Using location tags and hashtags related to your geographical area can help ensure people in that area, or traveling to that area, will find you. It’s also worth pointing out that if you rely on a local market primarily, you can't expect to have tens or hundreds of thousands of followers. Instead, focus on keeping your audience smaller and localized while giving them as much attention and value as you can. For the broader, e-commerce-type business, less of a focus typically on specific geographic areas and instead a clear focus on content related to the niche or industry will allow you to get found in more areas.

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