Marketing Trends 2022

Marketing is confusing these days. It is. Even for those of us who have worked in it for years -- I mean, the word 'omnichannel', for instance, enough said.
That's why marketing trend reports are so helpful -- to see what everyone else is doing.
Not every business has a big marketing team and a budget to match -- so what can small to medium-sized businesses do to obtain new customers without breaking the bank?
The key is to develop and deliver the most effective marketing and content strategy -- and pick the right people to help you.
Be ruthless -- focus on the most successful areas.
Before stepping into marketing trends in 2022, let's just take a breath and remember before we create anything, there needs to be a clear idea of what we want to offer customers and who customers are (understand their challenges and goals) -- that will never change.
Your website needs to align with the above before you start building out a marketing and content strategy (what to create and where people will view what you create). Create a user journey that makes sense -- can you quickly find everything you need on the website?
It’s also essential to give the customer what they expect, trust, and like once they are a customer. When we nurture, listen, and look after a customer -- they stay and tell others.
We need to attract customers, engage with them in a way they prefer, and delight them.
Marketing trends 2022

Image source: HubSpot report 2021
Social media marketing trends in 2022
Social media has finally overtaken every other activity, which is perhaps because after creating lots of amazing content, businesses continue to engage with people this way.
Businesses focus on these top five social media providers:
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
LinkedIn
Out of the above, most businesses say that Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn have the best return on investment.
So, how are businesses making social work?
62% Social listening
48% Hashtags
46% Live video
19% Augmented reality -- one to watch
At MPH, we focus on LinkedIn and see a tremendous increase in engagement when we actually listen, which is great because we’re really nosy and like to get involved in conversations.
Social listening and engagement is the best tool to understand what your customers or clients care about.
Social hashtags are great at pointing your ideal customers to your content and live video gives a real insight into your business.
Search optimisation -- getting seen on Google
Making sure that your content pops up on Google is not new but still hard to achieve -- 69% of businesses are prioritising it.
Watch out, though. There are lots of businesses out there promising a number one spot on Google organically (not paid). You only have to look at Google to see that most page-one results are paid spots these days.
There is no shortcut to search optimisation -- you need to write lots of optimised content, ensure that your website ticks a lot of boxes, and be patient. It takes at least 12 months to get some serious traction with search optimisation.
The top three tactics for SEO are:
Strategic keywords
Localisation
Optimise for mobile
Don’t underestimate mobile optimisation and speed, as SEO efforts are thwarted by poor website performance.
ABM -- Account-Based Marketing trends in 2022
Perhaps the most underestimated marketing tactic, account-based marketing, is the process of narrowing down your ideal customers and providing them with targeted email and content that is personalised to their needs and challenges.
LinkedIn is perfect for this as you can target job titles, industries, and much more.
It's essential to do your homework before you send a message, though. Take a look at websites and personal posts to understand the person, and always focus on their business and what they have achieved before pointing out a challenge or area you can help with.
Don't assume they'll pick up the phone -- try suggesting content or a case study they might find interesting.
Content creation trends in 2022
Content creation is hugely important, but what are other businesses focussing on?

Source: Hubspot report
Top tip: Create your blog first, then spin-off videos, infographics, and social media posts -- it’s quicker.
MPH Copy is a professional content marketing agency based in Stourbridge in the West Midlands. Get your free content audit to support your business growth here.
If you’ve found this interesting, you might also like Gartner focus: Customer self-reflection and customer course change as a business priority.
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