1. Your Guide to Successful Marketing in 2021: Do This, Not That!
Learn which marketing methods are assisting successful organisations in today's
remote-first environment to thrive and expand.
As marketers, we've all felt the need to succeed in a world jolted by COVID-19 during the
last year.
To suit this new "remote-first" landscape, marketing has advanced in leaps and bounds
in a short period of time.
Madelyn Wing, Head of Partnerships at CallRail, held a sponsored Search Engine Journal
webinar on July 28.
She highlighted findings from a recent survey of 600 small firms and agencies to find out
how COVID influenced their marketing and performance.
The webinar presentation is summarised below.
How Companies are Recovering in the New Normal
We all know that the year 2020 was a roller coaster, particularly for small enterprises.
While some businesses struggled, others thrived.

2. The CallRail team wanted to know what marketing methods helped successful firms
weather the pandemic, as well as where marketers are putting their money in this
remote-first world.
They polled 600 business owners in the United States with less than 200 employees in
categories like legal, healthcare, automotive, real estate, home services, financial
services, and advertising.
From the total number of people who responded:
Men made up 65 percent of the population, while women made up 35 percent.
Has a 39-year-old average age.
46 of the 50 states were represented.
Here's what they discovered.
What factors played a role in this resurgence?
Marketing was crucial to the success of small businesses.
During the epidemic, 81 percent of firms said their marketing approach was crucial to
their performance.
Even more telling, 71% of businesses say that having a marketing strategy in place is
crucial to their company's survival.
What Is Effective
● 57% use social media.
● 49% have a website.
● 43% use email marketing.
● 17% use paid search or PPC.
● 15% engage in SEO or local search.
● 6% do not do any marketing at all.
After cross-comparing tactics used by SMBs with those that found the most success
during the pandemic, CallRail discovered the channels that were most effective.
Businesses that thrived during the pandemic were:
Here's what SMBs are doing in terms of marketing methods and channels.

3. More than two-thirds of people are more inclined to use social media.
Customer testimonials and reviews are 56 percent more likely to be collected.
CRM software is 70% more likely to be used.
A marketing agency is 108 percent more likely to be used.
The Remainder
In this remote-first, new normal, having a marketing strategy and function focused on a
digital footprint is critical to success.
It's never too late to start small. The majority of successful firms are doing things that
have a low barrier to entry, such as leveraging social media or a CRM solution.
What Doesn't Work
Business owners are stressed out.
57 percent of small-business owners are stressed out at work.
59 percent of business owners claim that they don't have enough time in the day to
perform all of their duties.
The majority of them are either unable to devote sufficient time to marketing or are doing
so on their own.
Half of small business owners who don't have a marketing strategy say they have no
plans to create one.
This causes individuals to waste valuable time without knowing what is actually
functioning, when they would rather be doing anything else.

4. Small business owners that handle their own marketing report spending an average of 20
hours per week on marketing.
23 percent of do-it-yourself marketers don't spend any money to see if their tactics work.
74 percent of small business owners who handle their own marketing said they'd rather
spend their time on more important tasks.
The Remainder
Entrepreneurs who go it alone burn out and have no way of knowing if their marketing is
working.
How will they be able to devote additional time and resources to marketing?
5% of small business owners who do their own marketing claim they don't have the
funds to hire an outside firm.
37 percent were unsure that they would be able to accurately calculate the ROI of
engaging a marketing firm.
Many people who formerly used an agency no longer do so (largely due to financial
strain).
For Agencies, There Is Good News
It's evident that SMB owners recognise the need of marketing tactics, but they'd rather
spend their time operating their company than executing marketing efforts.
So, what's stopping them from engaging firms to relieve them of part of their
responsibilities?
35 percent are very likely
58 percent are somewhat likely.
7 percent of the time, it's unlikely.
Small business owners that use a marketing agency were 20% less likely than the
general public to claim the pandemic had a negative influence on their company.

5. After collaborating with an agency, 79 percent of respondents experienced a
considerable boost in leads.
One hundred percent of poll respondents who use a marketing agency said:
The risk was well worth it.
When it comes to producing new leads, none of the respondents assessed their firm as
"ineffective."
SMB owners who hire a marketing agency generate 13 more new leads per week on
average than those who perform their own marketing – and 21 more per week than those
who hire an internal marketing function.
Where are there opportunities for agencies and small businesses to collaborate more
strategically?
The following are the top three complaints from SMB owners who were dissatisfied with
a previous agency:
Aside from lead creation, the agency was unable to provide any other support (48
percent ).
The company was not a strategic partner (46 percent ).
The programme didn't feel like it was tailored to their brand (43 percent ).
SMB owners expect greater value from their agencies and are willing to pay for it.
In fact, 96 percent of respondents stated they would pay an agency for services other
than marketing to grow their organisation, such as customer service/sales training or
brand counselling.
SMBs that previously worked with agencies wished their agency had:
Assisted the company in improving customer service: Fifty-five percent
New technology that could assist the client's business grow: 51% of the population
Marketing and sales teams' workflows have been improved: 43% of people

6. Assisted in the refinement of value propositions: 40% of the total
Improved the company's ability to track leads: 45%
The Remainder
SMB owners want consultative partners who can genuinely understand their operations
and give data-driven advice on how to enhance them.
They want agencies to assist them develop a genuine knowledge (and connection) with
their target audience, not just lead generation.
Agencies can not only add services to their SOWs by recommending critical software
and assisting in the improvement of business processes, but they can also position
themselves as trusted partners that are invested in all parts of their clients' operations.
One CallRail-using agency, for example, was able to spot the need for sales training for
their client's receptionist.
What's Next for Small Business Owners?
When asked about their business's future ambitions, they said:
Over the next year, 77 percent of SMB owners intend to devote more time and effort to
building marketing strategies.
Over the following year, 43% aim to spend more money on establishing marketing
strategies.
They'll put money and time into the following areas:
In their report, CallRail revealed the following data: What today's small businesses
require from marketing agencies, as told by their clients.
Summary The epidemic has expedited the shift to digital, forcing businesses to either
create a digital presence or risk being left behind.
Businesses that focus on digital initiatives are optimistic about their prospects.

7. SMBs and agencies are a great match, and there are plenty of ways to strengthen the
relationship.
As companies engage more in marketing tactics, concentrating on the most effective
channels and campaigns will help them get the most out of their money.
Use call tracking to determine which marketing initiatives are the most effective.
To better understand what makes your phone ring and to help you optimise marketing
ROI, you attach a tracking number to everything you do.
Concentrate on the calls that lead to new opportunities. Depending on your business
needs, you can use local or toll-free numbers.
Some businesses, for example, may have a statewide or national presence but wish to
appear local or even assign a local phone number to each of their branches.
Others, depending on the territory they cover and possibly the demographics of their
target clients, may want to provide a toll-free option.
Both methods are available with CallRail, allowing you to track both online and offline
activities. This is significant since you can't identify which offline approaches are
working without call tracking.
Google Analytics can help with online measurement, but without call tracking, there is no
link between the click or visit and the actual phone call. All of this is tied together via
CallRail.
Additional Information:
CallRail's new research exposes the impact of the epidemic on small businesses.
[CallRail]
What today's small businesses need from marketing agencies, according to their clients
[CallRail]
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