Businesses employ marketing strategies to sell products and services to customers, and just as with other aspects of business, these strategies evolve over time. To prepare your company for next year, keep in mind the following marketing trends that should emerge in 2022:
Adopting a hybrid model
While reaching your customers online has been and will continue to be important, Deanna Ritchie, writing for Entrepreneur, says you may want to focus on in-person efforts as well. The coronavirus pandemic forced many people to remain indoors and do their shopping online. Once restrictions lifted, many customers were excited to get out of the house and shop at businesses again.
For 2022, Ritchie recommends adopting a hybrid model, so you can accommodate customers both online and in-store. However, if you need to prioritize one over the other, having an online presence is more necessary for long-term success.
Advertising on mobile
According to Andrew Beattie, writing for Investopedia, digital advertising is constantly growing. One major reason for this is that mobile advertising has been increasing in popularity and will only continue to do so in 2022. It will even surpass TV advertising, making it the leading platform to use.
Improving social media
In order to have more engagement on your social media posts in 2022, Ritchie, advises taking advantage of influencer marketing. An influencer promoting a product may be more likely to grab the attention of a customer than a promoted post.
Lewis Schenk, a contributor to Entrepreneur, also says social media stories should now be a priority over newsfeed posts. This is because stories have brief lifespans that make them more exciting and allow you to form a stronger bond with your audience.
Optimizing touchpoints
The generations you target may not be at the same point in the buyer’s journey, and if this is the case, Julie Meredith of Forbes says you’ll need to have different digital touchpoints to reach customers at each stage. For example, if younger consumers are unfamiliar with your company, you may need campaigns that build brand equity. If you have existing, older customers, you may need different campaigns that put your products at the forefront.
Targeting the right generations
According to Meredith, your company needs to have a social media plan for targeting Generation Z in addition to millennials, Generation X, and baby boomers. This is because Gen Zers will become major spenders in the future, while the others are already spending a significant amount in the U.S.
To attract Gen Zers to your business, Meredith recommends running authentic, meaningful campaigns. Gen Zers also consider a business to be more trustworthy if actual customers appear in advertisements. In addition, it’s important to engage on social media not only with Gen Zers, but also with millennials, Gen Xers, and baby boomers to reach consumers better.
It’s difficult to predict what 2022 will hold, but you can expect these marketing trends to arise. To learn more about which trends and strategies your business should follow, be sure to speak with a financial advisor.