The new year is off and running. You know what that means: it’s time for businesses to develop a new (and hopefully better) annual plan. As always, preparation will get you halfway there. So don’t waste any time—start preparing your digital marketing strategy for 2022 as soon as possible. This will put you one step ahead of the pack and have you starting out the year strong. Of course, no one can predict the future, and you can’t know exactly what your clients will need. But you can probably learn a lot from last year and go into the next one with a solid plan.
Preparing your digital marketing strategy for 2022
Even if you’ve done dozens of annual plans in your career, it’s still important to remember some of the best practices for creating marketing strategies. So when you start planning for 2022 remember to:
- Set clear goals: there’s a big difference between trying to spread the word, trying to increase profits, and trying to change your public image; decide in advance what the priorities are so that you can focus on the right tactics
- Use the lessons you learned from 2021: whether something has worked particularly well for you this year or you’ve received criticism from customers for a mistake you made, use your experience as a guide on what to do next year and what to avoid
- Learn from the competition: you’re not the only one who’s working on creating the perfect marketing strategy so take a look at what your competition has done especially if they’re more successful than you in the same niche
Start planning your strategy in time.
Tips for a better digital marketing strategy for 2022
While it’s not possible to accurately predict what’s coming in 2022, there are some marketing trends that are probably here to stay. So what is a safe bet?
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Diverse and high-quality content will get you far
Content has always been a great way to both attract and keep customers. But now more than ever, people are looking for brands that will do more than just sell a product. Providing high-value content can be a way to do that. A business can easily build an image as informative, helpful, and knowledgeable by consistently posting good tips, important news, and other types of posts. But keep in mind that blogging alone is an outdated strategy. Posting different types of content is crucial; video appears to be the best choice, but images and podcasts are also popular.
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Personalization should be a priority
If a business is not utilizing personalization tactics, it’s already behind the curve. Customers want to feel special to the brands they’re loyal to; they don’t want to be treated the same as everyone else. So make sure you’re collecting data that will help serve up personalized pages for all users. This isn’t always easy because consumers have grown wary of sharing their personal information. But if a business is known as trustworthy, they’ll be less likely to have a problem with it. So image as an honest and reliable company will go a long way in making your client’s life easier down the line.
It’s important to provide every user with a unique experience suited to their interests.
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Mobile-friendliness remains important
Mobile searches outnumbered desktop searches already in 2016. This year, almost two-thirds of all internet traffic came from mobile users. So it’s clear that this trend is not ending – more and more people will access the internet from their phones and tablets. Having a mobile-friendly website will, therefore, be crucial. A responsive design is not enough either. You’ll need to go a step further – make the website faster, stick to a simple design that will look good on smaller screens, and give up on pop-ups that are difficult to close on mobile.
Finally, if you’re feeling adventurous, you should consider making a mobile app. Apps are the ultimate optimization for mobile. Creating one is sure to make consumers’ experience smoother and better. Not to mention, having an app is a sign of a modern and innovative business!
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Voice search optimization will be an important feature of a good strategy
Thanks to developments in voice recognition technology and devices like smart speakers, the number of people using voice search has grown exponentially in recent years. And now is the perfect time to start optimizing for it. Because of the unique way consumers use voice search – to ask questions as if in a conversation – it is necessary to optimize specifically with voice search in mind if you want your client to rank for it. So plan for FAQ pages, long-tail keywords, and a lot of content that answers questions.
Optimizing for mobile and for voice search will be necessary in 2022.
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Try your hand at organizing events (if possible, in person)
After two years of limited socializing, people are eager to go back to enjoying the company of others. Businesses can benefit from this by organizing events. Consider launch parties, conferences, experiential marketing – different things will work in different niches. Once you’ve planned an event, it’s important to promote it the right way too. Start well in advance so that you have the time to get the word out there. List it on the website and put up traditional marketing in the area. But most importantly, use social media. It’s perfect for reaching even those who don’t follow you; some platforms will even let you schedule events and send reminders. Ideally, you’ll want to pair up with social media experts who know how to promote events. Just make sure to find someone to understand your specific goals so that they can get the right message out there to the right people.
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Maintaining a good public image and building relationships will be the key to success
How a business is perceived by consumers has always been important. But with Millennials and Gen Z making up the majority of customers today, it is more important than ever to build the right public image. Young consumers prefer brands that are socially conscious, environmentally sustainable, and customer-centric. It is, therefore, no longer enough to simply sell good products or offer quality services. Businesses will need to invest more in their brand image to convince young consumers they are worthy of their trust and loyalty. When planning a digital marketing strategy for 2022, this is something you need to have in mind. No amount of marketing will make up for a poor public image. So start with the basics—maintain a good public image and develop relationships with customers and the rest will follow.
