It’s hard to believe the new year is almost upon us. We have learned a lot over the last few years and have had to adapt to the ever-changing environment in order to successfully market to our customers and clients. So, if you’re looking to improve your marketing in the new year, check out these five marketing trends for small businesses in 2022.
Own your audience
Even if you have a dedicated and engaged audience, if you are only connecting via social media, then you don’t really ‘own’ them. If a social media platform goes down, as was the case with Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in October, you have no way to continue talking to them. So, it’s important to build your own audience, including an ‘opt in’ email list.
Owning your audience is the only way to ensure you can share the right messages at the right time. It’s hard to fight through the noise on social media some days so having an avenue, such as a newsletter, where you can speak to your customers or clients directly is priceless. Newsletters deliver a targeted, ideally customised message directly to the inbox of people you want to reach. With people becoming more selective about the brands and content they engage with, having a direct line to audience will be crucial.
Find out more: Email marketing support
Become a thought leader
Rather than continually sell to your audience, the key is to educate them. Position yourself as a thought leader and expert within your industry and focus on building your brand. If you are a professional services business, or perhaps healthcare, you can educate your customers about finances, medical or dental care, for example, and make your company essential for them. Find your niche and emphasise your unique selling points so you can be sure that your consumer base knows who they need to turn to when they need a problem solved that’s in your company’s wheelhouse.
Lead the charge on content
We might have outgrown the old adage “Content is king”. Consumers are less willing to spend time consuming their content – and are more interested in quality rather than quantity. But it’s a challenge to deliver high-quality, unique content that your audience will want to engage with, so craft a compelling content strategy that incorporates all your channels in order to deliver the best lead nurturing or customer retention plan. Focus on new, interesting and informative content that supports your position as a thought leader and provide something relevant and engaging for your audience.
Find out more: Content marketing support
Dive deep into your data
You’ve done the work to own your audience so put all your data to work! Analytics are a great way to evaluate your performance and improve customer experience. Using analytics, you can find out where people do and don’t go on your website, the kind of content they’re searching for and consuming, what email subject lines worked, what links effectively drove people to your site, and much more. Use the data you collect to build a picture of customers so you can better serve them in the future.
Connect virtually
With the ever-present COVID threat, investing in ways to connect with your audience virtually is a smart move. Online events like webinars or product launches have always been a great way to get the word out about your company and services or offerings to potential and existing customers, but it has become a crucial part of a marketing plan since the pandemic began.
Not only are online events a great way to connect and engage with your audience, but they’re also an opportunity to gather data about them in order to provide better, targeted content and messaging in the future. While they might not be instant money-making endeavours, they will help your business grow in the long run.
Let us help you
Attracting and connecting with the right audience is often an issue for new, small and time-restrained companies. Marketing Square can take the effort of marketing away from you and help you implement a strategy to reach your ideal customers. We provide an array of marketing services from strategy to execution that will help you reach your business goals. Get in touch with us to find out how we can help you.
