Last year we gazed into our crystal balls and predicted the importance of analytics, agility, and humanity for marketing in 2021.

Now we’re back to share what we believe are promising avenues to success for small businesses in 2022. 

Hybrid Marketing 

COVID-19 has forced us to rethink many old habits and practices.  

There is no longer strictly digital and strictly physical. Hybrid strategies are a marketing trend to keep your eyes on.  

For example, either hosting or sponsoring live events has always been an effective marketing strategy.  

But with both laws prohibiting social gatherings and ongoing fears around exposure, such events are now a tricky proposition. 

One potential answer presents itself – during the pandemic, global spending on virtual reality products rose 50% to $12bil.  

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are now thriving markets easily accessed. 

By hosting events tailored to both VR/AR and in-person attendees, businesses can continue to deliver quality brand engagement without risk to their audiences.  

The potential of virtual marketing spreads across many industries:  

• Real estate companies can invite guests on elaborate virtual tours.  
• Educational companies can provide complex training.  
• Retailers can construct explorable 3D spaces, allowing their stores to become, well… Stores. 

Adapting hybrid policies also has potential positive ramifications in the workplace, too.  

By structuring the way your business functions to be around virtual presence instead of physical, you greatly expand your pool of potential employees – meaning you can find the right talent without concerns about the length of their commute. 

Consumable Content 

Perhaps you’ve noticed by now that this blog is being divided into short, digestible sentences that are clearly separated. 

The reason for this is that one of the key marketing trends growing stronger is consumable content.  

Consumable content is a steady stream of very short information bursts that your buyers can continuously ‘snack on’. 

By very short, we mean very short – eight seconds or less. Attention spans ain’t what they used to be. 

Think of Pacman in his maze, gobbling pellet after pellet. The short sentences we’re deploying here are those pellets.  

Your social media posts, the video content on your website, and your physical branding in your workspace are all those pellets, too – so keep feeding Pacman. 

Don’t get confused. Consumable content doesn’t mean throwing out whatever original material you can produce as quickly as possible.  

Quality and consistency across multiple platforms are key to earning consumer interest. 

Think of a novel, broken down into chapters, then into subchapters.  

That’s your story, told across a variety of mediums – a successful brand identity in 2022 is a page-turning cohesive overall narrative, delivered piece by piece by piece.  

The Importance of Authenticity 

Naturally, making your story a ‘bestseller’ without it seeming forced can be a challenge.  

People have become very good at spotting ‘fake’ identities, and authenticity is now a crucial element to successful brand identity. 

It’s more than just noticing plastic smiles and token gestures. With AI boosting data analysis to astonishing new heights, companies have more access to customer data than ever before.  

Utilizing this data, however, can come across as creepy and invasive – and your customers recognize that. 

More than ever in 2022, businesses must have a human core. They must identify who their market is, and not only understand the ideals of that market but live them, too.  

Through direct engagement at every touchpoint all the way to direct philanthropic involvement with societal causes important to their customers, you can build enduring loyalty and identity. 

Philanthropic activity is a great way of building rapport within your own team, too.  

A general feeling of pointlessness is frequently described as one of the leading causes of employee burnout – “If I didn’t file this spreadsheet, would anyone really notice?” 

Allowing your people to deploy their skills to something that has a more obvious and selfless effect can inspire fresh motivation, meaning improved productivity and increased quality of work. 

In Conclusion 

Of course, it’s impossible to predict exactly how the marketing landscape will change during 2022.  

There are always curveballs ready to be thrown from beyond the horizon. Be ready to pivot, adapt, and overcome, and you’ll find the success you’re seeking.  

If you feel your pivoting, adapting, and overcoming could use a little guidance, we’re always ready at William Joseph to lend a helping hand.