Digital marketing is an evolving field, and small businesses need to keep up with the trends to grow exceptionally. With every year, the changing trends and technology make online marketing more sophisticated, and small businesses need to optimize accordingly to thrive in the market. So, let’s dive in and know about the trends that’ll help you grow your sales.

1. Artificial Intelligence

AI is growing every day, and it’s being added to various industries to optimize the process. Whether it’s corporates or government organizations, nothing is untouched by AI. 

AI is being significantly used in the digital marketing industry for understanding customer behavior, search trends, and data analysis. Chatbots are one example of marketing AI.

Mastercard produced a Facebook Message bot that employs natural language processing algorithms to figure out what the consumer wants and answers as if it were a real person, automating even the most difficult requests. This improves the customer experience and facilitates conversions.

2. Instagram Reputation Marketing

Customer reviews are used in reputation marketing to promote your company’s reputation in unique ways across several media.

Sharing success stories in the form of screenshots of client evaluations or photographs of completed work accompanied by a review goes a long way.

Using Instagram to advertise your business online is a great method to get new leads and increase sales.

This is because around 80% of Instagram users utilize the platform to assist them in making purchase selections from local companies.

Social proofs are a real help for users. Customer reviews are used as evidence of your company’s reputation in social proof, a sort of reputation marketing.

As a result, employing Instagram for social proof reviews helps to generate new leads by raising brand recognition. It also confirms the decisions of potential buyers as they get closer to the moment of sale.

3. Marketing Automation

It’s challenging to develop a message that conveys your company’s numerous layers in only a few words; it’s much more difficult to maintain your marketing materials consistent and dependable. This is where marketing automation enters the picture.

While email service providers make it simple to distribute digital content, there are now many possibilities for using more sophisticated automated marketing tools. With top-notch SEO and customer-focused message, you can now customize and automate every part of your email marketing to have the largest potential effect. In the same way, you can use the automation tools for other tasks as well, which are feasible and efficient for your business. 

4. Micro-Influencer Marketing

So you can’t afford to employ a million-follower celebrity influencer? That’s OK. In fact, micro-influencers are used by more than 56% of companies that spend on influencer marketing.

Micro-influencers are people who advocate brands on social media but have a limited following. Despite having fewer followers, their postings are typically more impactful owing to higher levels of engagement.

These influencers, too, have established a specialty in their field, which is why they’ve begun to play a larger part in converting leads, interacting with audiences, and increasing brand recognition.

5. Short Content

Short-form content is the second most effective trend presently being used by marketers.

More than 31% of worldwide marketers are investing in short-form video content, with 46% believing the approach is beneficial in terms of performance and engagement. And, by 2022, 89% of worldwide marketers expect to maintain or expand their investment in it.

Short-form videos not only need less bandwidth to produce, but they also fit nicely with the fast-paced attention spans of internet viewers of all demographics. This is most likely why TikTok, Reels, and, in prior years, Snapchat, have seen rapid development and marketing attention.

6. Evergreen Voice Search

By 2020, voice searches will account for half of all searches, and this trend is expected to continue. Voice-activated speakers are utilized as a part of 72% of people’s everyday routines.

Voice search is becoming increasingly important in providing individuals with all of the information they require. Many businesses have already included voice search into their digital marketing plans. This focuses on content strategy and SEO efforts in particular. 

7. Mobile Optimization

It’s estimated that we check the phone every 12 minutes or so! Isn’t it evident that optimizing your website for mobile makes sense?

Customers have come to anticipate the ability to explore and buy in minutes from brands and companies, so it makes it reasonable to include it in your 2022 marketing plan.

Begin by making sure your website is up to date and engaging. However, for those people that read their email on the go, you may move on to topics like email optimization.

8. Personalization

Although artificial intelligence and programming will be a new Marketing trend in 2022, the truth is that brand customization will always be the most important factor.

You must tailor your marketing in 2022 if you want to stand out. This includes personalized content or blog posts, goods, emails, and other forms of communication.

According to statistics, 63 percent of customers are extremely annoyed by generic advertising blitzes. Increase your sales by personalizing your content and providing a genuine experience.

EasyJet has launched a data-driven email campaign that analyses customers’ trip histories with the airline to build personalized experiences that then advise where they might like to fly next. Nearly 12.5 million unique emails were sent, with a click-through rate of 25% higher than emails without any personalization.

Starbucks is another effective example, which employs a gamified mobile app that is as customized as possible by relying on data such as purchase history and location. Customers may customize their beverages using the app, and its rewards system encourages them to use it more often, bringing in $ 2.56 billion in sales.

9. Social Commerce

Retailers ranging from Walmart to Saks tested social commerce on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram in 2021. This trend will continue in 2022, as companies strive to reduce the time between discovery and conversion

However, major businesses aren’t the only ones that will benefit from this marketing trend in 2022. You can create shoppable Instagram posts add your product to the Facebook marketplace to use social media for selling. 

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10. Local Services Ads

Local Services Ads are a sort of Google sponsored ad for small, local companies. They were first introduced by Google in 2018, but they have just recently begun to gain traction—and not just because of the global health crisis.

Because Google is rapidly growing the availability and functionalities of Local Services Ads. This implies that in 2022 and beyond, they’ll be critical to your success.

When potential clients search for your company’s service on Google, they see them first. 

Local Services Ads are often less expensive than conventional Google Ads, so that’s an additional bonus!

Google is projected to expand the number of metropolitan regions where Local Services Ads are displayed in 2022. More sectors and company types are anticipated to witness an increase in availability.

Although a Google Business Profile isn’t required to qualify for Local Services Ads, it’s a good idea to have both and connect them.

That’s because your Google Business customer reviews may be used as Google Local Services reviews, and your advertising won’t rank highly unless you have a lot of them.

11. First-Party Data

With the depreciation of third-party cookie data due to the global concern about consumer privacy, implementing first-party data will necessitate a certain level of expertise. All data obtained from a user’s actual visit to a website is referred to as first-party data. Data from product purchases, customer service interactions, social media, and other sources can be manually input or saved. When first-party data is used, a marketing approach switches from prospecting to creating stronger connections with current and potential consumers. It necessitates an omnichannel strategy that prioritizes different methods for different channels.

There are marketing trends that every small business owner should consider to nurture and grow their sales. All these small business marketing trends are studied and recommended by industry experts, and you must work on these to stay ahead of your competitors.

Good luck!

Author BIO: 

Gajendra Singh Rathore is a digital marketing expert and is associated with a digital marketing agency Toronto. He is always eager to learn, experiment, and implement. Astronomy is his escape from the outside world.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gajendr68284926