Top 10 Marketing Tactics for 2022
12 Minute Read
Successful business owners and marketers are always looking to the future. If you want to win big, you need to have the keys to the game.
The experts at Twelve Three Media have created a guide to the marketing and advertising tactics that will dominate in the new year. Before you get started, however, it is important to take into account how your customers think and how they will respond to your efforts to reach, engage, and inspire them.
This leads us to the top 10 marketing tactics we expect to dominate in 2022:
- Branding
- Video Awareness Ads
- Social Media Ads
- Pay-Per-Click Advertising
- Direct Response Video Advertising
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Remarketing Via Google Ads
- Email Marketing
- Remarketing on Social Media
- Gathering First-Party Data
Presentation is everything, and reaching your customers at the right time, on the right platform, and with the right message increases their likelihood of converting. By organizing your marketing and advertising according to the following goals, you can start 2022 for your business off with a bang.
Building Awareness of Your Business in 2022
Before customers can buy from you, they need to know who you are. Whether you are a household name in your community or an international brand, driving new business means getting your name in front of people. When these new customers are ready to buy, you want them to think of you.
The top marketing tactics for building awareness in 2022 are:
1. Branding
Your brand is the message consumers take with them when they see your ads. Before you can tell potential customers who you are, you need to take the time to develop a compelling brand identity.
This may require investing time and effort in the following:
- Strong visuals in your digital and offline marketing assets, including fonts, colors, and typography
- A memorable logo
- The design and user experience of your website
- The words and tone you use in written and visual communication – this is known as a brand persona
Once the components of your brand identity are in place, consistency is key. You are trying to make potential customers aware of your business, so you need each and every touchpoint to convey the desired message using a voice that represents your business effectively.
Forging a relationship with new customers takes time. Unfortunately, time is what most people don’t have. The average consumer is inundated with as many as 10,000 ads every day. Most of these ads fail to cut through the daily noise, leaving potential customers unaware of a reputable business providing products and services they might one day want.
If you want your business to avoid this sad fate, you need to build an effective brand that gets you noticed. This is the first step toward making a sale.
2. Video Awareness Ads
Video is one of the most powerful marketing and advertising channels today. If you are not taking advantage of the massive audience for digital video, you are missing out on a huge opportunity to drive awareness of your business among consumers.
At the very least, you should have a YouTube channel that is regularly updated with quality videos that tell viewers about your business and your products and services. To truly stand out, however, you need to be able to reach customers where they watch videos online. This is where video advertising comes into play.
The Google Display Network allows businesses to run ads on YouTube videos and video content on other partner websites. These ads can be 6 seconds, 15 seconds, or 30 seconds long and run in the pre-roll (before the video starts), mid-roll (during the course of the video), or post-roll (after the user watches the video).
Consumers who watch online videos tend to be more engaged than those who watch programs on television. This, combined with the option to take action directly (such as visiting your website, making a purchase, etc.), makes video advertising a golden opportunity to make potential customers aware of your business and even take the next step in the sales funnel.
3. Social Media Ads
Major social media platforms represent another great avenue for reaching new customers. The options for doing so are as varied as the options for getting social online, but the best place to start is Facebook.
Despite a seemingly never-ending series of missteps in recent years, Facebook is still the most dominant social media platform on the internet. For advertisers, Facebook offers unparalleled opportunities to reach and engage a massive audience.
Consider the following ads if you are looking to boost awareness for your business:
- Facebook Page Likes: As the name suggests, Page Likes campaigns are designed to drive users to “Like” your Facebook page. When they “Like” your page, your posts and updates will appear in their newsfeed. Regular, engaging updates are a great way to stay in front of both loyal customers and those who have only recently learned about your business.
- Facebook Lookalike Ads: Facebook develops lookalike audiences based on information you provide about your ideal customers, including the demographics, their interests, etc. With a lookalike audience in hand, you can deliver ads to users who may be interested in your products and services but don’t know about your business yet.
- Facebook Boosted Post: Boosted posts are a way to get more eyes on your updates. Drawing attention to an engaging update can help drive awareness of your page, which in turn can get you more followers and increase recognition of your business among prospective customers.
- Facebook Awareness Video: Video is huge on Facebook and other social media sites. If your goal is to create awareness of your business, it’s tough to beat a video ad that reaches users in the Facebook feed and on other platforms owned by Facebook (such as Instagram, Messenger, etc.).
Each of these ad campaigns can drive engagement for your Facebook page and the content you share. To get the most from advertising on Facebook, you will want to create a Facebook pixel and install it on your website. This will enable you to track the actions users take when they visit your website, which is key for assessing the effectiveness of the campaign as a means of building awareness and driving leads.
Driving Direct Response in 2022
Direct response refers to marketing channels designed to elicit instant action on the customer’s part. Unlike awareness, which represents an earlier stage in the sales funnel where customers are getting familiar with your business, direct response tactics harness the customer’s intention to buy.
Successful direct response campaigns should follow the “dollar-in, dollar-out” model. They are effective if the money you put into them is paid back in sales and conversions.
The most important marketing tactics for driving direct response in 2022 are:
4. Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)
Few advertising tactics are more direct than PPC advertising. PPC ads show up at the top of the search results, providing users with an immediate destination for answers to their questions. If users like what they see when they arrive on your website, they might convert right then and there.
In 2022, the key to PPC success will be to stay on top of the paid search space. For example, Google Ads will no longer support expanded text ads starting June 2022. Advertisers will instead need to adjust to a “new normal” where responsive search ads are the norm.
Responsive search ads rely on machine learning and automation on Google’s end to determine what PPC ads users see. In the new year, you will need to be diligent in your keyword research and actively monitor the performance of your ad campaigns. Doing so will enable you to get the most bang for your buck and maximize leads and conversions through PPC.
5. Direct Response Video Advertising
Video ads aren’t just great tools for raising awareness. They are also immensely effective at driving leads and conversions.
Reaching consumers through video and inspiring them to take action requires you to know how the audience watches videos. A whopping 70% of online videos are viewed on mobile devices. With this in mind, maximizing your mobile video presence is crucial.
Google has implemented robust video advertising features that allow your business to do just that. A recent survey revealed that 75% of online shoppers find that “YouTube enhances the traditional shopping journey by delivering unexpected inspiration.” Your business can deliver this inspiration with a few different ad campaigns:
- Video action campaigns: Advertisers can entice viewers to shop online directly from video pages, the home feed of YouTube, and more. Video action campaigns display a product library that viewers can peruse when they are watching videos, enabling them to visit specific pages of your website and make purchases directly.
- Discovery ads: Discovery ads are served to users’ personal feeds on YouTube, Gmail, and Google Discover. When used in combination with Video action campaigns, more than 60% of advertisers report “incremental conversions at or below their original cost-per-action.”
- Influencer outreach: YouTube BrandConnect enables advertisers to get their products mentioned by leading content creators on YouTube. Top creators are highly influential, trusted voices; a partnership with an influencer can dramatically boost your bottom line.
Combining these video advertising tactics is a highly effective strategy for turning window shoppers into online buyers. This triple-whammy enables you to reach customers directly on mobile and make shopping for your products a cinch.
6. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Despite the importance of staying competitive in paid search, no marketing plan in 2022 would be complete without an effective organic search engine optimization strategy. SEO is crucial for reaching customers online and earning their business.
No matter what tricks you might have heard for dominating the first page of search results, there is only one secret to consistent success: Knowing the customer. You need to deliver reliable, authoritative information on your products and services. When users recognize you as an authority, you will not only get more business but your website will stand out in the SERPs and more people will visit your website.
We recommend a multifaceted SEO strategy that encompasses the primary keywords you want to target as well as long-tail and low-hanging queries. Combining these two approaches allows you to rank for many different terms users search, increasing the likelihood that customers will choose you ahead of the competition.
Nurturing New Customers in 2022
For many industries there is no such thing as a quick sale. Whether you deal in products (such as car parts and vehicle accessories, outdoor equipment, solar panels, etc.), professional services (such as the legal or automotive industry), or experiences (such as hotels, leisure activities, etc.), customers often need time to make the best decision on how to spend their money.
Savvy business owners and marketers recognize the value of giving consumers time and space to make informed decisions. They also know that they can position their businesses so customers will gravitate toward them when they are ready to buy.
Nurturing a “warm” lead requires much less time and money than reaching a “cold” customer who is unfamiliar with your brand, products, and services. The top strategies for nurturing new customers in the new year include:
7. Remarketing Via Google Ads
A remarketing campaign serves ads to people who have visited your website but didn’t convert. You can create and execute remarketing campaigns in Google Ads by segmenting audience data to focus on users who (a) accessed your website and (b) did NOT take the desired action (such as filling out a contact form).
Remarketing ads are served across the Google Display Network. Potential customers can see your ads on millions of different websites and apps.
Audience reporting in Google Ads provides a robust amount of data you can use to identify and refine your remarketing audience. Navigating these reports, however, can be difficult for the uninitiated. It is crucial for you, someone in your organization, and/or your agency partner to be well-versed in analytics and reporting to get the most out of this strategy.
8. Email Marketing
People are flooded with emails every day. However, when they receive engaging communications from brands they know and trust, they are likely to take notice.
Email marketing is the most cost-effective marketing channel, with campaigns returning an incredible $42 for every dollar spent. You won’t get these mind-blowing results for your emails, however, if they are written like something destined for the spam folder.
In 2022, consumers want personalized, thoughtful emails that reward the time they take to open the message. You need to add value, so make the effort to craft an irresistible subject line, copy that captures their attention and puts your business in a good light, and a clear call to action.
For bonus points, consider segmenting your email audience according to their previous interactions with your business. An email written for a customer who bought from you before but hasn’t in awhile should be different from an email intended to make the first sale.
9. Remarketing on Social Media
Remarketing on Facebook (known as retargeting) involves creating a custom audience using the Facebook pixel embedded on your website. You can deliver retargeting ads to this audience across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and more.
When setting up your campaign, you will be asked to define which website visitors should see the retargeting ads (i.e., all website visitors, visitors who access certain pages, etc.). You will also be asked to specify the time frame for visitors you are trying to reach (i.e., those who visited your site 30 days ago, 60 days ago, or up to 120 days ago). Keep both of these factors in mind when you develop your retargeting ad campaign, as you will be trying to nurture prospective customers who have recently become familiar with your business and indicated some level of interest in your products and services.
No matter which platform you choose for your remarketing campaign (Google, Facebook, and/or a combination of the two), it is of the utmost importance to nurture the customer, not badger them. These are people who know your business; the ads they see shouldn’t look like something a total newcomer would see.
Instead, you need to add value and entice them to take the next step. For example, an ad pointing them to a page where they can download a custom whitepaper may be an effective solution to break down barriers for a product with a lengthy buying cycle.
10. Gathering First-Party Data
Cookies are coming to a close. In addition, the launch of iOS 14 saw many users opt out of device tracking. With more and more customers upping their privacy and taking steps to limit the data shared with advertisers, businesses need to start getting creative to obtain the contact information it takes to forge a direct, personal connection.
Businesses can no longer rely on a middleman to gather data. Without first-party data, you will lose your ability to engage in the most powerful marketing paradigm today: direct-to-consumer (or D2C). Thankfully, there are steps you can start taking right away to up your D2C game, including:
- Creating forms on your website to get users to share their information. This is best achieved by offering some kind of irresistible deal and asking the user to submit his or her email address.
- Lead gen campaigns. Multiple advertising platforms have campaign options designed to drive leads that require users to enter their information. Check out the Google and Facebook campaigns for starters, then consider additional avenues for reaching your target customers.
- Create premium content. Whether it’s a customized, downloadable PDF or access to a webinar, enticing users to engage with premium content is a great way to gather valuable first-party data while providing something memorable in return.
Ultimately, each of these strategies is dependent on your ability to foster an image of trustworthiness. People are becoming increasingly leery about sharing their private information, and you can’t afford to be viewed as shady.
Your brand messaging needs to show that you care about consumer privacy. The best way to do this is by giving customers the option to opt-in (and clearly say what they are opting in to) and consistently providing value to those who do (through custom newsletter, ads, and other tactics that nurture your leads).
Kick Off 2022 Right with Expert Marketing Assistance
What business owner isn’t busy after New Year’s? Although you might be eager to try these super-effective tactics on your own, you might find it overwhelming to take on everything at once.
Hiring a proven marketing agency is the best way to get your business on track right from the start. Twelve Three Media has the expertise, experience, and up-to-date knowledge that you need in a partner that can help you reach the next level.
At Twelve Three Media, we celebrate when our clients win. Gain the unfair marketing advantage today to learn how our team can help your business make 2022 your best year yet!