The last two years have been...weird. Granted we’ve been battling a pandemic, but I don’t think anyone could have anticipated the large-scale changes a virus would bring to marketing and the core of how business is done.
As we look ahead to 2022, all these shifts and innovations will start to be refined even further. They might even solidify into entirely new business models! No matter where your brand plans to go in 2022, there are a few resolutions we think every business should be making to propel their marketing strategy forward in the new year.
Find Creative Ways to Engage Virtually
The COVID-19 pandemic changed some things. Okay, it changed everything. But mainly, it pushed businesses to break the mold in how they interacted and engaged with their audiences.
For example, Facebook (now rebranding as Meta; points for adapting) is launching its own virtual world called Decentraland. Think Minecraft meets Animal Farm but more. The app, or whatever we’re labeling this type of thing, is meant to be a virtual landscape where people can connect—meet each other, interact, buy/sell property and items (of the virtual world), etc. It takes the existing virtual reality landscape and makes it social.
Whether it becomes the next big thing or is a total flop, it’s genius. Not only because they’re building on a massive user-base, but because it acknowledges the shift in the type of engagement people are interested in. In-person interaction is coming back to the norm, but people are now more open to virtual interactions than ever before.
The barrier has been broken, so travel to the other side. How can your business find new ways to engage with your audience?
Build Your List in Owned Databases
Brand loyalty is becoming more and more important as consumers continue to be just as interested in who you are as what you sell. To keep pace, you want to house your loyal customers’ and engaged prospects’ data in a platform you own. Not just as an Instagram follower or email subscriber, but in a central location.
Why?
Because when Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp all went offline for several hours in October 2021, business just stopped. For plenty of businesses worldwide, as well as influencers and private users, the primary means of communication with their audience was gone.
Imagine if, in those hours, you were the brand sliding into people’s email inbox with a “Facebook’s down but we’re still here!” message. Relying on external means of storing data can be risky because you never know when you might lose access. If you keep it all on something you control, you could be the hero in the blackout.
New Positioning + New Messaging
Most businesses have had to make adjustments and shift their positioning or messaging in the last two years. As the world starts to resume pre-COVID patterns, it’s wise to go back to basics and evaluate those changes from square one.
Maybe you added new services or opened your business to more remote opportunities to address the social restrictions imposed during 2020. Perhaps your workforce moved to 100% telework or you shifted all of your events to online webinars. These tactics were necessary and met the needs borne by circumstance, and now it’s time to update.
You want to align those new services with your current messaging. Your website, sales copy and other communication channels should all reflect how the changes you made are still serving clients. Keep this messaging consistent when you're communicating with prospects, customers or even your internal teams.
Get on the Automation Train
Automation isn’t new, but we still see tons of businesses that aren’t using their automation tools to their full potential. This can lead to wasted time and manpower or missed opportunities. Take advantage of any automation you can get your hands on to keep your brand in front of leads and give your sales team time to focus on the best opportunities for conversion.
We can't wait to see how your brand innovates in 2022! Cheers to the new year and hitting the ground running in January. 🍾
