As 2021 comes to a close, now is a great time to look at your business’s marketing plan and see what’s working and what needs improvement. Especially during the pandemic era, brands heavy reliance on digital marketing to engage and entice potential customers showed the importance of newer, more modern digital marketing methods and the move away from traditional marketing methods. Of the many digital marketing mediums companies had to choose from, some trends rose above the rest. 

When re-evaluating your digital marketing strategy, try to incorporate some of the digital marketing trends of the past year. Let’s take a look at some of the trends we see for 2022: 

  • Hybrid Events. With the pandemic still in force, more and more companies embrace hybrid events, offering both in-person and virtual options to keep consumers engaged with companies. Be sure to market these events well so that those who wish to attend virtually know how and what they can do and think of creative ways to involve virtual audiences. Virtual reality and alternative reality elements are great for this!
  • Conversational Marketing. Consumers have questions, and they want their questions answered immediately. With chatbots now more popular than ever, brands can respond to consumers quickly while establishing personal connections. Chatbots are proven to increase sales, generate more leads, and book more meetings while giving customers more positive direct experiences with companies. 
  • Artificial Intelligence. Many brands use artificial intelligence (AI) to power their marketing, and you probably don’t even realize it! AI can generate creative and engaging content with a personal touch that no one would notice if a human didn’t write it. AI has been shown to improve products and services, decision-making, and customer experiences while saving companies more money. 
  • Personalization. Personalized marketing is becoming more popular and is beginning to define what makes companies stand out. That means personalized emails, content, and even products and services. This improves the customer experience and brand perception, likely turning more leads into long-term customers. 
  • Engagement/Content. Speaking of personalization, try to make engaging content that is not just personal to your brand but to your customers, too! This means sharing blogs, articles, or videos from other sites that may be relevant or even enhance your brand. Do your best to use social media to communicate directly with followers, especially through Facebook and Instagram stories. You can also use interactive content to get followers’ opinions through polls, quizzes, and other immersive experiences.

Trust Mountain South Media to take your brand to the next level. As a full-service digital marketing agency from the division of The Smoky Mountain News and Smoky Mountain Living magazine, we provide various digital marketing services for local businesses looking to ramp up their marketing strategies. Visit our website to learn more, or call us at 828-452-4251 to start today!