Much like 2020, 2021 left marketers digging deep into their marketing strategy repertoire to find ways to attract and nurture leads and customers. 2022 will be more of the same, but we’re more prepared for this, right? 

Here are a few powerful marketing strategies to consider prioritizing in 2022.

SMS Marketing

SMS marketing blew up in 2020 into 2021 with the advent of COVID-19. People needed fast updates on anything from closures to mandates to schooling. This trend will continue into 2022 because customers have become more accustomed to this type of communication. And the stats don’t lie: Texts get an average 98% read rate.

SMS marketing is also useful for both leads and customers during everyday campaigns, as you can implement various campaigns that are engaging to both audiences. For current customers, you can send them text reminders of appointments or meetings. For leads, send them branding awareness campaigns or coupons that may encourage them to buy from you.

The best part? With a platform like SMSZap, getting started with SMS marketing is a breeze. You can set up your account in a few minutes, link up with your contacts in HubSpot, and send personalized and engaging messages. With 67% of purchases happening on a mobile device, 2022 is the perfect time to add SMS marketing to your routine.

Content Marketing

In 2020, COVID restrictions sent most people home for an extended period of time. Working and shopping from home made the demand for digital consumption skyrocket, and it hasn’t stopped (mostly because a lot of people are still at home the majority of the time). What does that mean for your content marketing efforts in 2022? Your content needs to be high-caliber and plentiful, as well as:

• Interactive
• Emphatic
• Engaging
• Helpful
• Relevant to current events 
• Made for the diverse crowds

Before you start any new content marketing endeavors, do a content audit of what you already have in motion to see what’s working for or against you.

Once you find the results, create and share educational, quality content about your products, services, and your company to your prospects and customers. Use various resources like blogs, ebooks, infographics, social media and videos (see below) to deliver your messages. 

No matter what type of content it is, it should address your target audiences’ specific pain points at every stage of their buyer’s journey.

Video

Video counts as content marketing, but its importance in our “new normal” isn’t something to shrug your shoulders at. According to HubSpot, short-form content is the second most effective trend marketers are using, and with YouTube being the second most popular search engine, you need to get into video marketing.

Similarly, video is just proven to be a useful tactic. Short-form videos align well with today’s fast-paced, short attention span crowds — just look at TikTok and Instagram Reels. 79% of consumers reported that a brand’s video convinced them to buy a piece of software or an app, and 92% of those viewers also said they shared videos with others. That alone should help you realize the value of investing in video creation and distribution.

Think about how you can use video in any of your previous marketing efforts. Are you switching to more online conferences, events or webinars? These remote types of content are not going anywhere soon and this is where video can help.

Chatbots and Customer Support Automation

Chatbots streamline conversational marketing. They automate specific tasks and conversations by speaking with a customer or prospect through an easy-to-use interface, and they lighten your teams’ workloads by tackling more straightforward conversational functions that tend to eat up time.

The importance of a quick and solid customer support experience hasn’t waned — more than half of customers expect a response within 10 minutes to any marketing, customer service or sales inquiry. Advanced customer service automation can offload a large portion of support tickets with a high degree of accuracy. These resources also delight users because more and more people want information as quickly as possible and don’t mind speaking over a chat application.

Social Media

Social media is where everyone goes to hang out. Between doom scrolling and online shopping, more people than ever are on their phones searching for news and updates from their favorite brands. One of the most common places to find this is generally a company’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. 

In 2022, many marketers (64%) plan to focus on three to five platforms. This allows brands of all sizes to expand their reach to different audiences, and it gives their social media marketers a realistic list of platforms to master without overburdening their workload. But be careful: Prioritize quality over quantity to find a cadence that matches your audience’s preferences.

In a 2021 HubSpot Blog poll of 1,000+ global marketing professionals, 79% of marketers report buying paid advertising on social media. (HubSpot)

SEO

Improving your SEO is an ongoing task, but 61% of marketers say improving SEO to gain more organic traffic is a top priority in 2022. 

Keep in mind that people are searching for things differently now. They’re asking more questions or phrases rather than just words — i.e., long-tail keywords. They’re also using devices like Alexa or Google Home. Search engines recognize this more nuanced context, meaning, and intent to deliver results. 

Don’t forget to optimize videos and images to get better rankings on Google images or search engine video carousels.

Lastly, don’t forget your link-building strategy! When other websites with high rankings begin to link to yours, Google’s crawlers will note that your site has credibility and also has solid authority in your space. This will also increase your Google ranking.

Need Help?

You still have time to consider implementing any of these essential tactics to your inbound marketing strategy in 2022. If you feel like you could use some guidance, reach out to our team today.