As we come to the end of 2021, it's time to start thinking about your marketing resolutions for 2022. While it may sound cliché to make business goals at the start of every new year, these resolutions are crucial to the success of your business throughout the year. So, which marketing resolutions can your business employ to succeed in 2022?
Here are 9 marketing resolutions to run a successful business in 2022:
Create a social media strategy
Develop a marketing plan for the year
Set up email automation
Hire influencers to promote your products or services
Employ referrals, networking, and partnerships with other companies
Invest in paid advertising
Track your results and make adjustments as necessary
Stay up to date on the latest marketing trends
Celebrate your business successes
The rest of this article will go into detail on each of these resolutions. Read on for information on these and pro tips on planning for a successful business year ahead.
1. Create a Social Media Strategy
One of the essential marketing resolutions for any business is to create a social media strategy. This involves setting specific goals for your social media presence, determining which platforms you will use, identifying your target audience, and creating content that will engage them.
Examples of brands that have succeeded with this strategy include:
Nike: With a consistent social media presence that embodies its slogan "Just Do It," Nike has built a strong following on all major social media platforms.
Starbucks: A business that has grown into an international presence, Starbucks uses social media to engage with customers in their various locations. Their socially conscious business mission is also reflected in their social media content.
Red Bull: Red Bull uses social media to create excitement around its products and brand, with a heavy focus on entertaining and informative content.
Apple: Apple's social media strategy focuses on high-quality visuals and promoting its products and services in a subtle way.
Target: Target's social media strategy is all about engaging its customers with content relevant to their lives.
Pro Tip: Before diving into creating a social media strategy, it's crucial to define your business goals. The goals you set for yourself should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
For example, "reach at least three sales from new leads this week" is a SMART goal because it's specific, measurable and time-bound. Defining business goals will ensure your social media strategy aligns with business objectives.
2. Develop a Marketing Plan for the Year
Another vital business goal is to develop a marketing plan for the year. This involves writing out specific business goals, identifying the tasks necessary to accomplish them, setting deadlines for each task, and determining who will be responsible for completing them.
Pro Tip: Once you've written a marketing plan, determine the business results you expect to see. For example, if your business goal is to increase brand awareness by 15% in the next year, write out when and how that will happen. You should also set benchmarks for success to enable you to determine if your business has achieved the milestones.
3. Set Up Email Automation
Email automation is a great way to save time and increase the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. With email automation, you can set up automated emails to send customers based on their interactions with your business. For example, you could set up an automated email series that sends out a new blog post to customers who have downloaded your e-book.
Note: You can automate business emails using marketing software like HubSpot, Marketo, and Pardot. These platforms allow you to design automated email templates that can be sent out automatically depending on which actions business leads take. For example, different business contacts could receive an email inviting them to a product launch event based on their behavior on your website.
4. Hire Influencers to Promote Your Business
If you are looking for an added boost in business, consider hiring influencers. Influencer marketing takes advantage of the influence that certain people have on their followers and customers, which you can use to get the word out about your business or products.
Notably, hiring influencers to promote your business allows you to leverage their network of loyal followers.
For example, an Instagram influencer could share a photo featuring your business or products with the business's brand logo prominently featured in the post. This gives business contacts a visual representation of your business, encourages them to follow you on social media, and allows them to purchase your products.
Caveat: Be careful when selecting business influencers to partner with. Make sure the influencer has a large and engaged audience, and choose someone in line with your business's goals and values.
5. Employ Referrals, Networking, and Partnerships With Other Companies
One of the most effective (and affordable) marketing techniques is to use referrals, networking, and partnerships with other companies. This involves reaching out to other businesses in your industry and forming relationships with them. Your organization can use these relationships to exchange business leads, promote each other's business on social media, and sell each other's products.
In general, business contacts are more likely to trust contacts they know and respect. Therefore, referrals between business contacts are an excellent way for your business to establish new relationships and improve its image within the business world.
Pro Tip: When networking, you want to identify business contacts who have the power to bring business leads. These are business owners and decision-makers who can influence potential customers, so do your research beforehand to find the right business contacts for you.
6. Invest in Paid Advertising
If you are looking for a quick business boost that is relatively cheap compared to other marketing techniques, consider investing in paid advertisements. This involves paying companies like Facebook or Google to promote your business and its content. Some types of ads include Facebook ads, Google search ads, and Twitter promoted tweets.
7. Track Your Results and Make Adjustments As Necessary
While business goals are essential for business success in 2022, it is also crucial to track your results and make adjustments as needed. This way, you can determine which marketing strategies are most effective at driving business growth. Then, you can focus your efforts on those strategies while scaling back or abandoning those that are not working.
Pro Tip: Here are 5 marketing tools that may come in handy when tracking marketing success:
Google Analytics
HubSpot Marketing Grader
Moz Pro Campaigns
UberSuggest Keyword Tool
Unamo Web Traffic Reports.
8. Stay Up to Date on the Latest Marketing Trends
To stay ahead of the competition, businesses need to stay up to date on the latest marketing trends. This involves reading industry blogs and websites, attending marketing conferences and webinars, and subscribing to marketing newsletters.
Here's a video that describes some of the trends and opportunities to expect in 2022:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pC4oBDaWUE
9. Celebrate Your Business Success
After all is said, done, and achieved, be sure to celebrate business success with your team. This could involve rewarding employees who have contributed to business growth, hosting a company party, or simply taking a moment to reflect on what has been accomplished.
This will allow you to appreciate the hard work that everyone has put into business growth and maintain business momentum in the future.
Key Takeaway: Whatever you do, make sure to take the time to appreciate all the hard work that has gone into making your business a success.
Final Thoughts
In a nutshell, there are several crucial business goals and marketing resolutions that you can work on in 2022 to help grow your business. By setting realistic goals and employing effective marketing strategies, you can help ensure the success of your business in the years to come.
For the best results, make sure to track your progress and make necessary adjustments along the way. And, most importantly, make sure to celebrate your business success. Finally, if you need more insights into running a successful business, be sure to contact us today.