It’s no surprise that digital marketing is an absolute must for small businesses nowadays and there’s no shortage of strategies you can chose to focus on. But this past year marketing channels like content marketing, social media marketing, and paid social media advertising were utilized by more businesses than ever before.
In 2021, content marketing was one of the leading forms of marketing used by businesses. Brands with a blog generated over 67% more leads than ones without a blog, and the revenue for content marketing will exceed $300 billion in 2022.
Social media marketing has also skyrocketed, with 54% of social media users using these platforms to research products. Since the average user spends just under 3 hours a day consuming social media, it's clear to see why marketers have prioritized these marketing tools over others in 2021.
Digital marketing is especially useful for small business owners because it’s cost effective, has an extensive reach and is instrumental for building brand awareness and trust. But we know it can be overwhelming to develop your digital marketing strategy as a small business owner – especially if you don’t have much experience with digital marketing.
So with that in mind we've put together a list of key trends that you need to know about in 2022 to create a successful digital marketing strategy that keeps your business seeing profits all year.
Here are some of the key digital marketing trends you need to follow in 2022:
Influencer Marketing
In 2021, influencer marketing was worth over $13 billion. We live in a time where consumers trust influencers' recommendations over those of traditional celebrities, with 49% of consumers using influencer recommendations to influence purchasing decisions this year. For teens and younger demographics, this number is even higher - with over 70% of teenagers relying on influencer recommendations for purchases.
Social commerce is more powerful than ever before thanks to the power of influencers. Social commerce allows you to use influencers and micro-influencers to sell products directly to new customers on social media networks.
Influencer marketing is a significant trend in digital marketing strategy that will continue to boom in 2022. The rise of mico- and nano-influencers means that small businesses can capitalize on this exciting marketing, and there is a high return on investment on influencer marketing expenditure. For each $1 invested, businesses can make up to $6.50 ROI on influencer marketing.
Conversational Marketing is “IN”
Conversational marketing refers to the use of chatbots and live chats for marketing purposes. Able to provide users with instant access to customer support, conversational marketing makes your business accessible to customers 24/7.
A powerful marketing automation tool, leading brands utilize conversational marketing tools to aid with data collection, qualify leads and provide premier customer experience services. The best part about conversational marketing is it’s fully automated. It literally works for you in your sleep, and can be set-up fairly easily.
Facebook, Wordpress & Wix all offer chatbot artificial intelligence tools that small businesses can use today.
The Power of Short-Form Video
Short-form video is skyrocketing in popularity. The growth of social media channels such as TikTok and Instagram reels has caused short-form video to become a booming digital marketing trend. It's important to incorporate short-form video into your digital marketing strategy.
Short, snappy and to-the-point, short-form video marketing allows you to share key marketing messages in 15 seconds. These marketing messages are memorable, engaging and resonate with consumers. Expenditure on short-form video is predicted to rise in 2022, and many leading marketers are investing more into it this new year.
Brand Challenges & User-Generated Content
The rise in short-form video marketing is giving rise to other digital marketing trends such as brand challenges and user-generated content. Both of these offer prime marketing automation opportunities and allow you to produce interactive content with existing customers.
Interactive content is key to boosting engagement with your digital marketing efforts. Many marketers incorporate brand challenges into their marketing strategy in order to boost the amount of user-generated content created by existing customers.
User-generated content is content that is created by consumers and is key for building brand trust and awareness. Consumers are more likely to trust content that is created by other consumers, and it requires minimal marketing efforts on your behalf.
Blogs and Website Content Are Still In
Blog and website content is still popular and will continue to be popular through 2022. You can utilize AI tools like Answer the Public to find what your consumers are searching for and develop a content strategy around it.
As of 2021 over 70% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing. Effective content marketing will help you rank higher on Google's search results, which means more targeted traffic for your business!
Your Email Copy
With an average return on investment of $36 for ever $1 spent it's important to include email marketing in your digital marketing strategy.
But your email marketing results are only as good as your email copy. Create engaging email copy to compel your subscribers to click on your email offers and purchase you’re promoting. Once you have a customer email list, you can literally create sales on demand. So make sure you keep your list engaged with content that matters to them.
Wrapping up…
Digital marketing isn’t the future of marketing, it’s right now. And it's more important than ever for small businesses to capitalize on it now.
By implementing any of the digital marketing trends we mentioned above, you can take full advantage of powerful marketing strategies that will vastly improve your ROI digital reach with your audience.
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