With the end of 2021 insight, it’s the perfect time to start planning your online and digital marketing strategy for 2022. As you develop your 2022 business budget, did you remember to account for your website, content, and social media needs?
Firstly, if you’re new to preparing an annual budget for your business, there are many low-cost and free small business resources and mentors to help you complete a realistic budget. Every budget will be different depending on your marketing goals, but most companies spend 7-10% of their total annual revenue on marketing (digital or otherwise).
What expenses and activities go under the marketing budget? Business cards, brochures, other printed materials; radio, tv, or billboard advertisements; sponsored social media posts; Google or other search engine advertising; attending or sponsoring events; or anything else your business does to spread awareness of your business, support and grow your brand, or attract new customers. Out of your total marketing budget, at least half should be going to your online and digital marketing efforts. Every year digital and content marketing becomes increasingly important so it’s not an area you want to skimp!
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Important digital marketing methods to focus on in 2022:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Many tools for SEO are low or no-cost but can be labor-intensive. It’s important to allot time and labor from your team or hire someone to complete this sometimes-tedious, but crucial work. Optimization includes targeted keywords, building SEO-friendly content for your website, backlinks, and having responsive site designs so your effort is successful across all devices. - Pay-Per-Click Advertising / Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising/Google Ads is a type of digital marketing where you are charged only when someone clicks on one of your ads. The goal is to set ads in an online ad space where potential customers will see the advertisement. We suggest researching the common search phrases from customers and where your competitor’s advertising.
When building any PPC campaign, make sure you have a clear goal in mind. A paid ad should point your customers to a specific landing page you’re highlighting. Set the budget based on keyword research. Estimate the success of certain keywords with Google Ads Keyword Planner or other similar tools.
- Email Marketing
Do you keep an email list of your current customers? Earning sales from returning customers is usually less expensive to your business than the effort of bringing in new customers. An email list is a great way to nurture leads and clients with a high ROI. The key to successful email marketing, like most digital marketing, is consistency. You don’t have to (and shouldn’t) send a daily email to clients, but a bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly email reminds your clients about working with you and gives them multiple opportunities to work with you again. It keeps you at the top of their mind and informs them of new products or services you have. - Paid Social Media Advertising
74% of people use social media when making purchasing decisions. It can be tough navigating the ever-changing landscape of social media, but very lucrative in the long run. Did you know that the average organic (non-paid) reach for a Facebook post is 5.2%? That means only 5% of your followers may ever see your posts if you don’t put some money behind them. But where is the best place to put your social media dollars?
First, you need to choose the right social media platform based on your target audience. Your business does NOT need to be on every social media platform available; not all customers will be found on all social sites. Social media usage can vary depending on demographics like age, gender, occupation, income, and more. When you know who you are targeting you can choose to concentrate your efforts on the right platforms. Next, you’ll create content based on your social media and overall marketing goals. Ensure content reflects your brand – your brand should be consistent across digital platforms, including your website, and all printed materials.
Be mindful of “ad-fatigue.” While checking social media analytics you might notice that paid ads are not performing as well, if your audience is tired of seeing the same ads repeatedly. Switch up advertising images and copy every few weeks, or when you notice your engagement for certain posts decreasing.
- Marketing Automation
Marketing automation allows you to have a digital campaign without having to hit the “send” button on each and every email. Many automated marketing tools are included with CRMs (Customer Relationship Manager) like Hubspot, Salesforce, etc. CRMs make it easy to automate messages to your clients as well as track your relationship with them so things don’t fall through the cracks. Once you’ve identified your target markets and decided on a campaign strategy, marketing automation does all the heavy lifting, automatically tailoring messaging to each customer based on their profile. You can set up certain “triggering events” like a customer signing up for a newsletter, booking their first appointment with you, having their oil changed, etc and sending out pre-determined messages that keep those clients engaged with you by creating relevant and personalized messaging across email, mobile, social, web experiences, and beyond with a few simple clicks. Delivering personalized experiences for your customers, whether you have 100 or 100,000.
2022 Digital Marketing, Here We Come!
With all the above tactics, setting a goal and regularly monitoring the progress and analytics will be the key to your success. Each post, ad, or email should support your overall business goals. It can be easy to be tempted to post something for the heck of it, but a little planning goes a long way. If you’d rather focus on other aspects of your business, GreenHaven Interactive is here to help you choose how to best focus your digital marketing efforts and budget based on the goals you have for your business in 2022.
