8 Online Marketing Tips and Trends for 2022

8 Online Marketing Tips and Trends for 2022
Photo : Image by talha khalil from Pixabay

There is little doubt that the future of marketing is digital. From paid search ads to social media ads to online marketing funnels and more, there are a variety of channels that businesses are leveraging to grow their online presence.

However, the landscape is constantly evolving. Each year brings tools and tips that end up shaping the digital marketing industry.

Whether you're a full-time digital marketer or whether you're a small business owner who is looking to grow their online presence, here are eight online marketing tips and trends to keep in mind as you brace for 2022.

1. Use paid social media ads

It should come as no surprise that experts are continuing to encourage the use of paid social media ads heading into 2022.

Today, social media advertising can be used for various objectives across all types of industries. Increase the visibility of your silent auction with social media ads. Drive local traffic to your contracting website. Get sign-ups for a lead magnet-perhaps a free online course that you are offering.

The options are virtually endless. What's more, advertising on social media is often more affordable than advertising via Google in terms of cost-per-click (CPC).

Particularly on a platform as large as Facebook, taking advantage of paid advertising allows you to tap into a similarly large network at a discounted rate. Yet, despite the platform's immense popularity and the cost-effectiveness of its advertising feature, only 24% of Facebook businesses use paid ads.

Get ahead of the curve by using Facebook ads and paid advertising features across as many social media platforms as your business finds relevant!

2. Make sure you have a Google My Business listing

Google is by far the most popular search engine worldwide, so it's critical for every business to have a Google My Business listing that shows up in local search results, Google maps, and other Google services.

If you don't already have a listing, you can create one in minutes. Simply sign in to Google My Business, fill out the digital form, and publish your new listing. If you see that there is already a listing for your business that you didn't create, simply claim it and make sure that all information is current.

Update your listing whenever information about your business changes-whether it's your office hours, address, phone number, or website. This will ensure that customers never have trouble finding your business.

Beyond helping customers find you online, Google My Business allows you to add photos of your business, collect reviews, and add call-to-action (CTA) buttons that compel potential customers to take action.

3. Adopt a mobile-first approach

Over the past decade, mobile browsing has continued to gain ground on desktop browsing.

In the first quarter of 2021, mobile devices generated 54.8% of all website traffic. Now that mobile traffic has officially eclipsed desktop traffic, it's critical that you or your business optimizes your website for mobile devices.

Fortunately, the majority of website builders have adapted to the need for mobile-first browsing and are able to automatically format your website for mobile devices. This can often eliminate the need to hire an outside website developer to reformat your website.

Of course, mobile browsing goes far beyond your business's website as well. In 2022, you should ensure that all of your videos, content, pages, and marketing campaigns are formatted with your mobile visitors in mind.

4. Be more personal

In a world where customers are wooed from every perceivable direction, it can be difficult for your business to wade through the noise and make an impression. Given the lack of genuine connections that exist in today's digital marketing landscape, a little personalization can go a long way.

This starts with data. If you hope to address a customer by name, speak to their pain points, and engage them in a more meaningful way, you will first need to learn something about them. You can start with a name and email address, but you can also collect data about a person's interests and activities.

With that said, a customer is unlikely to provide you with this information for free. The reality is that you may need to provide something of value-whether it's a piece of content, a giveaway, or another offer-before you can hope to personalize your marketing efforts.

Beyond using data to make more personal connections, you can also take a more personal approach to your online marketing efforts simply by employing more conversational language. This can assure the customer that they are interacting with a human instead of artificial intelligence.

5. Become a thought leader in your industry

Given the level of competition that your business might be facing online, it can be difficult to stand out and prove to users that you have an advantage over similar types of businesses.

One way to establish a greater sense of authority online, however, is to position yourself as a thought leader within your industry. You can start building credibility by launching a business blog.

With your own blog, you'll be able to share thoughts and ideas with customers who may be interested in learning more about your business, its services, and your unique methods.

What's more, you'll be able to provide potential customers with value before they ever work with your business or make a purchase. This can go a long way toward establishing a sense of trust between the two parties.

Finally, adding content to your website's blog allows you to increase your search visibility online. Local customers who may be searching for businesses similar to yours are more likely to find you in online searches. This can generate significant organic website traffic for your business!

6. Increase your blog length

It's no secret that consistently publishing well-crafted blog content to your business's website can increase your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts and increase your visibility online.

As a result, you're likely to generate more organic traffic for your site. Not to mention, frequently sharing your thoughts and ideas can help generate leads for your business and establish you as an authoritative voice within your industry.

While there is clear value in maintaining a blog, there is also constant debate surrounding SEO practices. In particular, businesses, marketers, and writers are often divided on whether blog posts should be shorter or longer.

Heading into 2022, it appears that longer blog posts offer greater SEO value. According to a SearchMetrics study, the average word count of Google's top-ranked content is 1,140 - 1,285 words.

While there is no doubt that all types of blog posts can offer value to prospects, leads, and customers, keep in mind that publishing blogs that land around the 1,200-word mark can help increase your site's visibility in search engines.

7. Fine-tune your content marketing strategy

Many businesses have a general content marketing strategy but not all businesses have content that is relevant to every prospect that encounters their brand. All too often, a brand new prospect will be asked to make a decision, or a warm lead will be given rudimentary information about the brand and its products.

As you look to improve your business's content marketing strategy in 2022, aim to craft new content for each stage of the buyer's journey-awareness, consideration, and decision.

For prospects that are in the awareness stage, you should be creating content that provides an overview of your business and industry, as well as some of the different problems that your business can address.

For prospects that have become leads and are entering the consideration phase, you should be looking to establish a sense of trust. You can achieve this by offering solutions that address the lead's unique pain points, and by providing your credentials and industry experience.

For warm leads that are ready to make a decision, you should be creating content that showcases your products or services, makes an irresistible offer, and compels the person to take action.

By creating content for each stage of the buyer's experience, you'll be able to effectively move leads through your marketing funnel and constantly drive them towards a sale.

8. Retarget your prospects

Very few customers make a purchase after a first encounter. In fact, one study shows that 92% of consumers who visit a business's website for the first time aren't yet ready to buy.

The reality is that many businesses will settle for the 8% who are willing to buy and continue targeting new prospects. Smarter businesses will harness the power of retargeting.

Retargeting, or remarketing, is the process of putting your brand and your products in front of the same potential customers multiple times. This is most often achieved by using "cookies" to track visitors across the web and then setting up Google ad and social media ad campaigns to display the products or services they took interest in.

Particularly in the retail industry, this can be a highly effective method of keeping a certain product top of mind and increasing the desire for that product over time. Rather than wasting resources on filtering through new targets, retargeting can help you close more deals with prospects that are already interested!

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