A new year is a new opportunity to plan or optimize your marketing strategy. Businesses have realized the importance of digital marketing and building their online presence to grow their business. Small businesses that are just starting with their marketing efforts may not be sure about what to focus on. They also may have limited resources and knowledge when it comes to implementing a marketing strategy.
In this article, we will discuss some marketing tips for small businesses that can help them build and implement their strategy. These tips are based on the recent HubSpot marketing Trends Survey for 2022. These are the current strategies that marketers are investing in for 2022 that have proven beneficial for them in the past. The trends mentioned in this post alongside the implementation of previous digital marketing trends can help boost your business’s upward trajectory immensely.
Learn about smart targeting for digital advertising in this blog.
Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
Focus on social media
Every business knows the importance of social media to create brand awareness and engage with their audiences. However, not many businesses use it to its full potential. Some businesses don’t have a social media presence. If you have not invested in social media yet, then you can start now. HubSpot’s Marketing Industry Trend Report for 2022 shows that social media is the most popular and effective marketing channel used by marketers. In 2022, 51% of marketers who leverage social media want to increase their investment in social media marketing.
Marketers vouch that social media gives the highest ROI compared to other marketing channels. You can use organic strategies for social media marketing or invest in social media ads and sponsored posts. Social media enables you to experiment with different content formats that help you get the best results. Prioritize the platforms that work best for your business. For example, B2B companies leverage platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook to reach their target audience. If you are not using your social media platforms to its full potential, then you can focus on improving your social media presence. Start by optimizing your profile and sharing content regularly to stay connected with your target audience.
Leverage marketing automation
Investing in a marketing automation platform is beneficial to help you streamline your marketing processes. Marketing automation plays a key role in helping you manage various tasks. HubSpot’s survey results show that 70% of marketers use automation, while 33% plan to start in 2022. With marketing automation, you can set up email workflows, schedule appointments, nurture leads, and more.
Automation platforms also enable marketers to track various marketing campaigns and analyze data. This data can be useful to optimize the campaigns further. In addition, it allows marketers to build and implement refined marketing processes that improve ROI.
Use Infographics
Infographics present data or information using images and other visual elements. The same HubSpot Trend Report states that the use of infographics will continue growing in 2022. Infographics are currently used by 45% of content marketers and 38% plan to leverage them in 2022.
Incorporating infographics into your content strategy can improve engagement. With this format, audiences can access any complex data or information easily. Infographics keep the attention of the users and makes the content more appealing to them.
Go with the inbound approach
The inbound methodology focuses on building meaningful and long-term relationships with customers. With inbound marketing, you can use content to attract, engage, and delight customers. Unlike outbound marketing, inbound marketing is not intrusive. It targets those leads or prospects that are looking to solve a particular problem. You can target your audiences by providing solutions to their problems. When audiences see that your business can help them, they will invest in your products or services.
Inbound marketing has been used by marketers for years and more of them plan to invest in it in 2022. With the global pandemic taking over, marketers relied on inbound strategies to help them connect with their target customers. They used various virtual events and conferences to engage with their audiences. Inbound marketing aims to provide relevant and valuable content that helps build trust and credibility.
The inbound approach is valuable for businesses to attract quality leads, and build brand awareness and sustainable relationships with customers.
Plan your marketing budget
Small businesses often are concerned about resources when it comes to their marketing strategy. They are often hesitant about investing in any marketing or advertising campaign because they are not sure if it will bring in any profitable results. If you are starting with your marketing efforts, then it is best to also create a budget. According to HubSpot, in 2020 and 2021, 41% of marketers said their budget increased while 45% of marketers operated on the same budget. It all depends on how you are investing in your marketing efforts.
If you are just getting started, then it will be all about experimenting to see what works best for you. Invest in strategies that work best with your business. Initially, not all your marketing campaigns are going to be profitable. It can take some time for you to start getting the expected ROI. In 2022, many marketers are expecting a budget increase. It is a good practice to set a budget and use it wisely for campaigns that are going to be profitable in the long run.
Make SEO a priority
SEO or search engine optimization is crucial to help build your online presence. With SEO strategies you can make your website visible on the search results page. Consumers are always looking for new information on search engines. To be visible for your target market you need SEO so that your website or content shows up for them. HubSpot statistics show that 61% of marketers say improving SEO to grow their organic presence is their top priority. Marketers know the importance of SEO for the visibility of their website and content.
If you are not investing more in your SEO now, then start planning on how to improve it. You can start with keyword optimization which can help you optimize your content for search engines. Conduct keyword research to look for search terms that are most used by your target audiences and are relevant to your products or services. This will help your target customers to find your content easily. SEO is a process that can take some to build and get the desired results. It’s important to keep updating and optimizing your strategies to create your online presence.
Building and implementing your marketing strategy can be overwhelming. But if you know what you should focus on, it can become easier. With these tips, you can start planning your marketing strategy for 2022. Every business is different, and every marketing strategy should be customized as per your business needs. Plan your strategy according to what will work best for your business.
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