With the new year finally here, now is the perfect time to go over your digital marketing strategy, so 2022 is as successful as possible. You’ve probably just gone over your metrics and data from 2021, and what better time to set some goals for improvement? Plus, with so many new trends and marketing avenues seen in 2021, now is a great time to start applying those channels and avenues to your marketing plan. 

We’ve compiled some of the best tips and strategies to add to your 2022 digital marketing plan that will lead your business to immediate success. Take a look at our guide to starting your 2022 digital marketing off right: 

  • Set Reasonable Goals. Once you’ve looked at your end-of-the-year data from 2021, set some goals based on its outcomes. This will help you develop some reasonable expectations for what you can expect for 2022. For example, if you want to increase brand awareness by gaining more followers on your social media channels, look at your growth from the year before to determine a realistic improvement for 2022. 
  • Social Media. Speaking of social media, it’s time to focus more of your efforts on your social media, especially if you haven’t already! Having a consistent social media presence will increase your brand awareness and generate more sales and repeat customers. In addition to increasing brand awareness, some other social media goals to focus on are: 
    • Create engaging yet original content. Not every post should be promotional material!
    • Refine and develop your target audience. Research your business’s ideal customer and start creating content that is more geared towards that demographic. This may also mean starting or stopping accounts on different social media channels (i.e., if your audience is more active on Facebook than Twitter, then you’ll want to put more effort into your Facebook account!). 
    • Determine the metrics that are important for your business. Reach, likes and follower counts, click-through rates, and sentiment will tell you different things about how your audience is reacting to your content. Which numbers matter the most to your marketing strategy?
  • Engage with Customers. Now more than ever, it’s essential to use your digital marketing plan to help you interact with your customers. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, customers have had higher expectations for a business’s social media channels, as this is the primary way they can communicate directly with a business. Find ways to casually interact with your audience to find out what’s important to them and what they want to see from your brand. This will help your business grow without spending any extra marketing dollars and increase credibility for your brand throughout your audience. 
  • Update Your Website! Take a look at your website and ask yourself: is it outdated? You want your website to be your 24/7 salesperson, so you want your website to have accurate information, be easy to use, and look modern and clean. Some other questions you may want to ask yourself when auditing your website include: 
    • Are you educating your customer on your product and services in a clear way? Do you have videos or media to demonstrate your product and services?
    • How interactive is your website?
    • Does your messaging sound too corporate, or does it focus on the customer?
    • How is the speed on your website? Will users be waiting too long for loading times? Is your website optimized for both website and mobile platforms?
    • Can your website be easily found on a Search Engine?
    • Are pages easily found on your website to purchase products or contact your business?
  • Stay Flexible and Adapt. As 2022 rolls on, stay on top of your digital marketing plan. If you don’t continuously monitor how your marketing plan is playing out, you won’t know where or how to improve throughout the year. Stay flexible and be open to changes so you can adapt campaigns as needed to keep your business growing towards success!

Mountain South Media is a full-service digital marketing agency from The Smoky Mountain News and Smoky Mountain Living magazine. We focus on providing services to small businesses in our region, finding unique strategies and plans to give them the results they need. Services include social media, website development, Search Engine Optimization, and more.