Digital marketing trends shift over the course of a year. However, some trends have a lasting impact and evolve to become part of the core features of marketing strategy. Remember when SEO meant putting a simple 250-word blog on your site each week, hitting the same keywords repeatedly? It was, for a short period, the gold standard for SEO. This has evolved over time to the way we now manage SEO using longtail keywords, diversified content and regular checks of ratings.
In 2022, it is essential that businesses take advantage of the digital marketing strategies that have proven effective but evolved slightly. Content is still king, but how it is presented and dispensed is important. Let’s take a closer look at how foundational digital marketing strategies have changed shape for audiences in 2022.
Diversified Social Media
Since 2022, as the pandemic forced people inside, 400 million new users joined social media seeking the benefits of an online community. Because of the pause in everyday life that the pandemic imposed, people spent more time online and has changed how we research brands, products, and businesses.
A recent survey found that social media has an influence on purchase intent. The research found that 30% of Gen Z respondents strongly consider the favourite brands of the influencers they follow when making buying decisions. The report also suggests that social media favouritism is continuing to fragment. Facebook was once the go-to for social spending; however, many younger consumers have moved to TikTok, Snapchat, and Twitter. In B2B social advertising, agents are reallocating marketing resources toward LinkedIn.
These shifts away from Meta-owned platforms are an opportunity for advertisers to refocus on audiences, find new leads and re-engage audiences. With a solid content plan than includes regular posts and a commitment to monitoring and driving customer responses, brands can attract new business using numerous social media channels.
Google Listings and Local SEO
Keeping your local listings verified and current on various search platforms is essential to your success. For B2C businesses that need to draw customers primarily on a local level (such as brick-and-mortar stores, restaurants and home services), listings in Google My Business inform customers of your valuable information such as open hours, services, and geographical location, as well as reviews and testimonials. This vital information can change secure a lead over competitors if kept accurate and accessible because it shows that you are active and care about your customers.
Businesses that have a physical location must add a geographically-defined service area within the listing to appear in “near me” searches. This will help to grow your immediate customer base and draw people to your business. This feature is especially important for food vendors, like restaurants and cafes, as it is one of the most common ways people use voice search.
Communicate Availability
According to research, the availability of products and services is the no. 1 reason customers have switched brand allegiance over the past 2 years. Customers do understand that supply chains have been disrupted, what people can’t understand, or tolerate, is a lack of communication. The clear and simple solution is to increase the days of inventory on-hand of products or the availability of time-slots for services. If your business usually delivers orders internationally within 7 days, but you have been unable to deliver on this promise, make it obvious on your home page with a simple banner stating – in some areas, deliveries have been delayed due to circumstances outside our control. Please see our FAQ section for updates about expected delivery times in n your area. This simple and clear statement lets customers know that you are a proactive business that cares about its customers’ experience.
Your CMS should have automation options, such as asking customers wanting to purchase an out-of-stock item the option of receiving an email or text when the item is back in stock.
Automated Google Ads Bidding
The Google Ads algorithm is constantly adjusted for new campaigns, keywords, and bids. However, this constant change costs marketers more in work hours and bidding. This is why automated bidding, which means that Google adjusts your bid in real-time according to the parameters your set, is the best way to make cost-effective use of the marketing strategy.
While auto bidding has been active since 2016, and most digital marketers already use the technology to advantage their business, it has been improved. For the business owners that might have ignored auto bidding in the past, it is worth looking into again as Google has improved its service.
Record Content for Voice Search
Voice search queries often yield different results than text-based searches. This means that your marketing strategy needs to take both into account. For SEO, it’s best to use traditional keyword techniques to be found in the text, but you also need to have good links, metadata, and a variety of content to be ranked in voice search.
Research shows that 39% of people have used or regularly use voice search on their phones. As mobile phone market penetration is expected to reach 18.22 billion by 2025, it makes sense that content is optimized for voice search. Voice search relies on direct and conversational query items. When creating content, use terms that people use in speech, such as ‘find a crypto trading site for me’ or ‘what restaurants are open near me?’.
Retention Using Segmentation
It is less expensive to keep customers than to find new ones. So, keeping your customers happy also decreases your costs. Keeping customers happy is usually simple – when you sell a good product or service, and you set a good price with great customer service, people want to return to your brand to buy more.
You can take advantage of this good sentiment by asking customers to sign on for email campaigns, loyalty programs, newsletters or special offers. When you keep people engaged, you keep their custom and reduce your marketing costs.
Interactive Content
With so many people working from home, the need for engaging content has increased. People are more productive working from home; however, managers still expect teams to sit in front of their computers for 8 hours a day. People have found themselves needing a break – much like they would have in the office making a drink or chatting with a colleague.
Interactive marketing such as games, quizzes, assessments, polls, surveys, interactive videos, and contests give customers something to engage with for a few minutes while they reset their brains for work. Contests help your business exponentially increase reach and visibility fast. These types of contests are often shared on social media, which helps expand your brand awareness fast and in a very cost-effective way. People love to post photos, think of quips and perform fun feats for online attention.
Anything Else?
This short list of digital marketing trends is a good place to start when assessing your strategy. By managing resources, following the core trends and understanding your audience, it is possible to maximize investment in digital marketing without changing the key message of the business.
Focus on your core customers, engage your audience and make use of the opportunities that social media, digital ads, links, search engines and affiliates can offer your organization.
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