5 Marketing Things Your Business Should Be Doing In 2022

Originally posted in the January 23rd, 2022 edition of the Laredo Morning Times, I offered 5 marketing things businesses should be doing in 2022 as a way to navigate the new marketing challenges facing businesses brought on by a volatile market and COVID. While these ideas are nothing new, it's important to remember that many business owners never create a marketing plan for their organization and perform many of their promotional efforts with a shoot from the hip approach. There's an infinite number of ways to promote products and services, but this article takes a beginner's approach to getting a business online. Whenever I talk about marketing, I am always reminded that I can sometimes speak a different language. This means that I must have an open minds and open hearts strategy working in concert in a discussion about marketing as not all business owners will have my knowledge about my craft and vice versa. Because I was limited on my word count from my original publication, you'll find that I've added a few more notes to this particular article and hope it brings you value for your own growth and prosperity of your business.

Do you remember small business retail before COVID? As you look back to our pre-pandemic era, storefronts, packed shopping malls, and large gatherings are all that come to mind. Fast forward to 2022 and the scene in business is completely different. The endemic has forced people to stay indoors, shop online, and look for new ways to stay entertained. There's no doubt that a consumers' shopping behavior has changed, and many businesses that brushed off having a website, social media presence or digital marketing strategy saw their sales and profits drop quicker than an air conditioner's temperature during a Laredo summer. If your business made it through the last 2 years, pat yourself on the back because it wasn't easy. However, this article isn't to tell you the challenges of entrepreneurship are going to go away, rather it has been crafted to tell you that you should embrace the fact that your business needs to be online. No matter your business model, your products, brand or service, having a marketing plan that includes digital is essential in 2022. Here are the 5 marketing things every business owner should be doing in 2022 to get attention for their business.?

Mobile-Friendly Website

Having a website is one thing, but having a mobile website is another. Every business needs a website, but what they might not know is that there are different types of websites depending on where you want your business to be found. For example, if your business only caters to local clients then an eCommerce website may not be necessary, but if you are faced with a mandatory shut down as we saw during the peak of the pandemic, websites with an online ordering system became the only lifeline for businesses to survive the last 2 years. If you're wondering why your website needs to be mobile-friendly, according to Statcounter 70% of all searches for businesses like yours take place on a mobile device. It's even more competitive for businesses because websites that do not render for mobile devices get penalized by Google in turn affecting search results.

This information is nothing new, however, there are millions of businesses out there that have no website and refuse to believe that a website that renders properly can dramatically improve search results that in turn produce leads and sales.?Our instant gratification culture makes many business owners believe that a website investment isn't worth the time or money, but the entrepreneurs who embrace their website as they do their storefront find themselves winning in both the physical and digital world. Building a website should be treated the same way you treat your brick and mortar. Customers don't just walk in overnight. Sales take marketing and promotion. Maintenance is a must. Combine these together and it should tell you this will take time, so take your time with your websites!

Social Media

According to eMarketer, 80% of adults online use some type of social media platform every month. In fact, searching for a business without any social media presence is an experience many people have simply stopped doing due to the lackluster results. Creating a business page on all social media platforms is free and engaging with customers and prospects is easier than ever. These days most people have some sort of social media account and setting up a business page is a simple click of a few buttons.

I see a ton of business owners on LinkedIn, but very few of them actually have a business page on this platform. I can only wonder why and use this article to push you to create a following for products and services. The reason for this is one word that is being pushed in social media: community. Having your own business page is your key to building a community around your business. Community is where business is going on social. Page and groups are all going to be vital to businesses that can leverage these free assets on platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

Email Marketing

Email used to be a common way for businesses to connect with customers and followers. Now business email has been put on the back burner as many business owners have found that their promotions, discounts, and updates are being sent through a digital marketing channel instead. Remember this: people will change their physical address, they'll change their phone numbers, but most use only one personal email that will remain with them for the rest of their digital lives. Email marketing is a great way to noninvasively get your business in front of customers simply by building up an email list for little to no money.

Email marketing isn't dead and it will never die. Start building your email lists. ?

Digital Marketing

A business is only as good as the people who are selling it, therefore businesses must have a solid digital marketing plan in place to effectively communicate with customers via the web. Laredo business owners need to take full advantage of search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click advertising, blogging, directory listings and especially local SEO tools such as Google My Business. If your business isn't creating custom content for your customers and connecting them with that content online, then you're just another fish in the sea.

We can go down the rabbit hole on digital marketing becuase the digital world offers so many different audiences and options when it come to content creation, advertising, and building a community of followers. My BIGGEST piece of advice when it comes to getting your business online is getting yourself listed on Google My Business. It has become a focal point for Google and is a huge part of local SEO. This means it becomes important to search for local business who depend on their local community which will impact a businesses source for leads. Take advantage of this FREE service from Google.

Networking

While technology and digital marketing have taken over the conversation, there are some things that will never go out of style and networking is one of them. Business networking, in particular, has helped numerous business owners get over the hump and slump of the pandemic. Give yourself an advantage and start building up your personal or business network today by attending events or even hosting some of your own no matter if they are in person or virtual. Joining the Chamber of Commerce is one example of how to keep your business in the network of entrepreneurship that can pay off through word of mouth and referrals.

Connecting with the right people can open doors. COVID has added a layer of work to network with others but despite the endemic people still want to socialize. Connecting with other is a part of our DNA and just like email maketing, networking with others is an activity that will never go out of style.

These are just 5 marketing things every business needs to do in 2022. While there are many more, starting with a few of these can propel your business forward, boost sales and increase your brand’s recognition.? If you have any questions about how your business can maximize the use of digital marketing or social media feel free to reach out anytime.