Marketing in 2022: The 7 Biggest Trends That Will Dominate Small Business Marketing In The New Year

When it comes to small business marketing in 2022, these trends will dominate the scene.

As a small business owner, you have more than enough stuff to worry about, so I'm going to keep my article short and to the point. The goal is to outline some of the things that I think will be the most critical marketing trends small businesses will need to include in their marketing plans for 2022.

Real-Time Engagement (Live Audio/Video)

The live video industry is expected to be worth over $184.3 billion by 2027

?Live video is a great way to build your community.?In addition, video is a fantastic way for consumers to learn about new products.

?However, recorded video can be challenging due to the higher expectation of quality. In addition, editing can be a barrier for small businesses due to the time commitment and the cost.?

?On the other hand, live video has almost zero expectations for high production; what that means for you is that a decent camera, some quick notes, and a sip of liquid courage are enough to get started.?

In 2018 I did a live every day for one year, and the benefits I saw to my business were outstanding. I also gained improved speaking abilities, and my personal brand grew tremendously.?

?If you are nervous about doing live, I suggest getting a copy of Go Live!: Turn Virtual Connections Into Paying Customers in audio and hardcover.

Once you listen to it, you will know why I suggest both.?

Artificial Intelligence to ease content creation

In 2019 I had never heard of an AI content writing tool. In 2021, I have access to three; I pay for two. I recently searched for AI content creation tools and found over six AI content creation tools for under $100.

?Sixty percent of marketers have a fully defined AI strategy — up from 57% in 2020 — although the gap between high performers and their underperforming competition persists.

-SalesForce?

?This means that AI strategies are becoming more prevalent in corporate marketing.?

?Why does that matter??

?What that means is that these tools are slowly becoming more affordable. Again, I dont want to get too nerdy, but according to the diffusion of innovation theory, more people will adopt the tools as time goes on.

?Yes, I am aware thats not what this theory says, but for the sake of a simple definition, it works for now. I have included a link to a more detailed explanation.?

When the first AI tools came out, they were new and complex to use, but as more people race to the space, the technology is getting easier to use. This means that as business owners fight to stay relevant, they will need tools that will make tasks quicker and easier.?

?In a blog by Neil Patel, he stated, 94% of business owners write marketing content. Yet only 9% of business owners feel their content strategy is effective.?Many business owners struggle to find the time to create content and often lack the skills need to craft content that makes an impact.?

?Small business owners are often understaffed and underskilled; the introduction of AI will increase their marketing capability while reducing the cost of marketing for the business owners.?

?In the future, your AI will be able to help you answer questions like

• What areas of the city should I target?
• What type of content should I create?
• Who is my target customer?

These questions may seem a little complex for an AI content system, but IBM's Lucy already answers similar questions.?

Influencer marketing will become more commonplace.

Marketing is changing every day. People are tired of seeing ads, and they dont trust what the companies say about products.?Not only are consumers more skeptical, but behind the seance actions like Apple's privacy change and Google push to be cookieless by 2023 will make it more challenging to target ads to the right customers with the current technology.?

?Influencers, however, can speak to their audience and share brands and projects they are passionate about. Since the audience is typically built on the back of content created by the influences, they have earned the audience's trust, and their recommendations will hold a greater weight.?

In the past, people have looked at influences as people with large followings of 100K or more. However, there has been a significant focus placed on micro-influencers or people with 1K+ followers in recent times. Applications like Tiktok have made it easier for people to share what they know and gain the title of influencers.?

?Small business owners will start to look for micro-influencers in their communities to help with marketing their products or services.?

?A Focus On Local SEO

If you run a local business, are you doing everything possible to ensure your website is listed on the top result of a search conducted within your geographic location? Chances are, if you're not already ranked in the top three results, you aren't doing enough of the right stuff.

One of the secrets to rising to the top of the pile is to become "local" optimized.

The pyramid of search is a basic framework for thinking about SEO for small businesses.

That means making minor changes to your website (the ones that don't alter your site's content) that make your site more relevant to users who are searching within a localized radius of your business.

More often than not, when small businesses think about SEO, they are thinking about ranking in the general search, which does not usually have value. here are the local search components you will want to review for your business in 2022

• Google Map Search with Google Business profile(google my business) - if you would like a more detailed look, check out my other LinkedIn article that gives more information about the change from Google my business to Google business profile.?
• Voice Search - As more people become accustomed to using their phones and getting things done faster, voice search will become more critical for local businesses. The more important thing to remember is that, unlike your current searches where you get multiple results, the voice attendant is set to read the information for the top result only. That means this space will be more limited and much more competitive.?
• Regionally/Nationally Ranking Content - I said the focus on local, but here is the deal. If you can get a blog or a page to rank nationally, it will rank locally(9 times out of 10). The additional traffic can result in an overall lift in your page ranking.?

There are many other components to local SEO, and it's not a fast fix to getting more customers, but the positive with great SEO is that it can lead to a lower cost to getting the customers. Just know this is a long-term strategy, not something that will happen overnight.

More business will flock to TikTok

I know this one might come as a shock(that was sarcasm btw). Everyone is talking about TikTok and how businesses should be on the platform. I will be honest I fought the TikTok bug for so long. I regret not jumping on the app sooner. Here are 3 reasons you need to look at TikTok for your business.?

• Content creation - the process of creating content on TikTok is simple, and you can get a ton of reps in a short time frame. Think about it like this, how many other platforms can you make 5- 6 videos a day and people not block you...ill wait.?
• Testing - if you have a new idea for a video or training, you can test it on TikTok to see if it's worth creating the long-form version.

If you aren't sure what I mean, look at the music side of TikTok, some of the songs that are going viral start out as hooks. Only then, after people show interest, they make the entire track. This approach saves time and creates a built-in audience for the thing you are testing.?

Strategic Marketing Will Come Back In Style

In the past, businesses failed at marketing because they didn't know what they should be doing. However, having or getting information is not the problem in the information age.?

Business owners have TOO MUCH information and are overwhelmed by it all. Business owners don't know where to start and how to implement the massive amount of guidance they are getting from online sources.?

A recent Gallup poll showed that the mental health of small business owners is getting worse. In addition, the rise in stress levels makes managing loads of tips and tactics flying at you every day even more challenging.?

In 2022 more businesses will take a step back to handle what to do with all the information they got in 2021. businesses will be hungry for someone that can provide guidance and help them create marketing goals that can be measured.?

Wrap Up

The article talked about 7 trends that small businesses need to pay attention to in the coming year to see success moving forward. The main factor is that businesses will need to focus on a strategy to handle the massive amount of information they received in 2021.?

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your marketing? Have you ever wanted someone to look at what you are doing to make sure you are on the right track? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you need an evaluation of your business's marketing.

Take back control of your business's marketing to achieve your goals in 2022 which means you can spend less time stressing and more time enjoying your life.

Click here to Get a Free Small Business Marketing Evaluation.

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