8 Marketing Tips for 2022
Posted on 20th January 2022 at 12:19
Marketing today looks vastly different from that of ten years ago. Gone are the days where paid ads, membership of a local networking group and a presence at a local trade show were all you needed to promote your small business. To help you navigate this new age of marketing, we've outlined our top 8 marketing tips to promote your business in 2022.
It's a New Year, which means new plans, new ambitions and new things to think about to help boost your company's branding and image for the year ahead. GET NOTICED
1. Focus on your Branding
Developing a strong brand is imperative if you want your marketing strategies (and business) to succeed. Your brand is what makes your business unique - it should encapsulate your values and services whilst also being distinctly recognisable. Effective branding should:
Be visually appealing.
Be consistent across all mediums. On and offline, your colour palette, font choices and imagery should all be cohesive. (PS Instagram is no longer just for creative people)
Convey your services and values through slogans and taglines.
Attract your target audience
We have been focusing, on why clients choose and decide to come to us, mainly being that they don't feel looked after. But we reinforce our clients and keep them informed and up-to-date and they feel like they are getting the service that they felt they were lacking from their previous accountants.
2. Refine your Web Design
Your website is the virtual hub of your business - it is the centre of all your online activity. Therefore, it must represent your business positively and professionally. If your website is unappealing and difficult to navigate, you will struggle to attract new customers and clients.
To ensure your website reflects the quality of your business, it must be:
Informative
Easy to navigate
Mobile-friendly
Linked to all of your other online platforms
We spent a good deal of time last year, redesigning and making edits or adding sections to our website, giving it an almost entire new overhaul. Whether it is adding information about our team, or clearly defining our client market and our niche client audience, taking the time to keep your website up-to-date is essential.
3. Develop your Online Presence
To attract new clients, you must be active online - this means regularly posting on your website and social media channels. Posting helpful and informative content will allow your clients to engage with your business, whilst SEO strategies will ensure your posts are visible across multiple search engines.
If done consistently, you will successfully drive more traffic to your website.
A good way to see what social media platforms are useful for your business is look at your Google Analytics. Which of your social channels are bringing in the most traffic and buying customers? These are the social channels to spend most of your time creating and repurposing content for.
4. Harness Social Media Platforms
Social media is a great way to reach new clients. It is also a fantastic way to develop brand loyalty amongst your current clientele.
Articles, captions and videos all add tremendous value to your social media followers, whilst comment sections, direct messages and re-tweets allow customers to interact directly with your team.
Social media platforms change all the time. What used to be a great platform for your business to be active on may not be as good. For example, you may find that Instagram is getting more traction and results than Facebook or Twitter now. If you are aiming to get your messages in front of teenagers then Tiktok is the place to be. So pay attention to your marketing analytics to see where you should be putting your marketing efforts.
Growing up, Facebook and Twitter were the domineering spheres of social media, however in today's society of the 2020s, Instagram and Tiktok are the one's that seem to be dominating. Instagram focuses on pictures and #tags (hashtags). Especially with our niche clients being those in the trading sector; being sparkies, plumbers or builders, they very rarely have time to read stuff, but scrolling through and looking and liking photos is quick and easy. Some people are just more visual, and as they say 'a picture speaks a thousand words'. Tradesmen much prefer the platform of Instagram, uploading before and after photos of their works.
However, for more professional white collar oriented jobs, LinkedIn tends to be a more preferred social media platform, being a good networking tool to connect to other companies in the same industry and being more formal and professional than the likes of Facebook.
However, Facebook still has a very useful networking service, through having community pages, groups and marketplaces to utilse and connect with people on.
5. Create Original Content
Did you know that websites with blogs attract 55% more traffic than those that don't? Having a blog allows you to connect with your audience by sharing your expertise. By posting helpful and relevant content, you're able to answer consumer questions, build trust and draw more people to your website.
If your business already has a blog, why not take it further and start producing downloadable templates and guides?
6. Utilise Email Subscription Services
Email subscriptions ensure your customers and clients don't miss out on any news, posts or updates, by delivering weekly/monthly newsletters directly to their mailboxes. Other reasons to invest in email marketing are:
It's inexpensive
It has a high ROI (Return On Investment)
It draws people back to your website via direct links
It promotes customer loyalty
7. Encourage Customer Reviews
Whether you're buying a new toothbrush or switching energy companies, we all like to do our research - and that means checking the reviews.
Reviews are vitally important to any business as they provide an honest and unfiltered response to your quality of service. So as long as you're providing excellent service, more reviews can only encourage more customers! There are loads of places where your customers and clients can place a review for your business. Always ask them to put a review on Google, and potentially Facebook or any other important recommendation platform for your business such as TripAdvisor for hospitality and leisure businesses.
8. Sponsor Local Events
Not all marketing strategies are online, nor should they be. Sponsoring local events can be hugely beneficial for your business. It provides you with the opportunity to meet new clients, share your company values and, of course, promote your business to the local community.
Similarly, attending local charity events, making donations and partaking in voluntary work will also paint your business in a positive light.
Marketing made Easy
Effective marketing is essential to attract new clients and expand your business. Therefore, you must dedicate sufficient time and effort to developing your brand and online presence.
The devil is in the details, so focus on upholding consistently high standards (for branding and content) across all of your platforms and watch your online traffic surge.
Marketing done well costs money. However, if you are aiming to maintain or grow your business in 2022, marketing is an activity which needs to constantly happen in your business. If you are unsure of how much of your income you can afford to spend on marketing, get in touch. We can help you see how your numbers stack up and whether you can afford to spend what you marketing suppliers are suggesting you need to spend!
Published by Callum Williams - Business Administrator and Marketer
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Tagged as: 2022, accountants for small businesses, Accountants for trades, Accountants in Farnborough, Accountants in Hampshire, Business Marketing, customer satisfaction, here to help, Keeping up with the times, New Year, online presence, Refine and redesign, Social Media, tips and advice
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