has been growing, evolving, and adapting at a rapid pace over the last few years, so much so that it’s become challenging to keep up with (and even more difficult to plan for). Nevertheless, as you enter 2022, there are a few items on nearly every ‘s wishlist and each new higher return on investment, loyal clients, better data visualization tools, real-time metric checking, and higher conversion rates.
As you work to improve your in 2022, these eight improvement ideas will inspire you to keep evolving. So whether you’re starting a direct mail campaign, revisiting your strategy, or looking for brand-new ideas, let’s dive in.
Staying on top of new trends is a primary responsibility of marketers and valuable use of time. Equally helpful, though, is the evaluation of those trends for the audience you want. So, before editing your to include the latest new fad, do your research and ensure you have the buy-in from a significant portion of your .
Which online tactics are likely to drive results this year? It’s no surprise that remains king, with video and following closely behind as the to watch for in 2022.
Still, questions remain, and like every year, are expected to ebb and flow. If you’re already in full mode this year and want more tips and data from experts, we have you covered. These eight best practices will help you improve your in 2022.
Whether you’re looking to improve your current 2022 or starting a new one, the following tips will help you make the most of your resources for this year.
Before you can improve your for 2022 and take advantage of new , it’s imperative to understand how your 2021 strategy performed and where you need to make changes for the upcoming year.
Unfortunately, marketers often skip this step because it’s not flashy or exciting. However, skipping ahead can result in repeating the same mistakes year after year. It’s important to make plans before you know what worked (and what didn’t).
To audit your 2021 tactics and evaluate your most effective , compare the performance of each or tactic against the goals you set. For instance, if you set a goal to increase website traffic by 15% for the year, run a report of your site traffic numbers from 2020 versus 2021. Then, go deeper to analyze the tactics that helped you achieve the goal or that may have contributed to missing the target.
What was your return on investment? Did you budget appropriately, or does the budget need to be adjusted for 2022?
While it’s great to celebrate achievements, it’s even better to understand why they were successful. Again, this reinforces the need to be specific when creating your strategy. You’ll want to have the necessary data and tactics to analyze when performance isn’t measuring up.
Planning advertising campaigns or strategies are exciting and fun for many owners. Unfortunately, too many marketers skip the necessary foundational work and launch campaigns without proper structure or context.
Some of the most extensive improvements are made behind the scenes. These foundational pieces like a solid , in-depth analysis, a well-functioning website, an eCommerce platform, and clearly defined business goals are essential to your overall .
There’s a bit of irony to envisioning a room full of executives guessing what motivates their customers to spend more money or respond to initiatives. On the other hand, companies who engage in social listening are more likely to understand their customers’ needs and preferences and have better .
Social listening can be as simple as using as a two-way communication channel, encouraging followers to send direct messages or comments, including a line in every email conversation to encourage readers to reply with feedback, and creating interactive surveys or forms to gauge interest in new ideas, products, or services.
Incorporating customer feedback into your signals to your audience that you’re listening and as concerned about their happiness as you are about your profits.
There’s nothing new about creating a that uses multiple communication channels. That advice has been around since the early days of when more than one channel became an option. However, many marketers stop there, assuming they’ve covered all their bases since they’re using multiple channels.
This approach misses the mark, however. For instance, a campaign is vital to reaching a specific target population segment. But further segmentation inside that strategy is also required. Social ad campaigns require a diverse set of messaging, visuals, and conversion techniques. This is to appeal to different generations, platforms, and product offerings.
Your brick-and-mortar retail front may need a Facebook campaign emphasizing a Shop Local campaign and local promotion strategy. And, it might also benefit from a TikTok campaign. One that showcases the variety of clothing and accessories available, along with fashion advice and trends.
This type of diversification is also relevant to other forms of advertising. For example, campaigns must be segmented and highly personalized to be effective. Likewise, website landing pages work for a particular audience. Radio or television advertising is likely to hit those missed by other efforts.
Your 2022 needs diversification of channels and messaging within those channels to produce the greatest return on investment.
became a buzzword at some point, but there’s nothing trendy about it. While it’s helpful to save time, staff resources, and human error. It’s also the key to implementing many strategies that once remained vision without execution.
Marketers are ambitious early in the year. They create plans, draw charts and graphs, and create tracking spreadsheets with audacious goals and lofty aspirations. And then, the real world appears. The mundane work of creating , training staff, and managing budgets take over, and all those plans are harder to execute.
This gap is where is comes into play. When automated processes don’t get missed or pushed aside for greater priorities. For instance, welcome sequences for new customers are often on the list of “let’s improve those”. Yet, they feel lower priority than optimizing the product descriptions or buying new software.
When you use automation to accelerate your plans and capitalize on the efficiencies, it allows you to be more visionary. It also allows leaders to assess what’s working and what needs tweaking quickly.
Let’s say you’re trying to hang a new painting in your office, didn’t have nails or a hammer. Someone would indeed speak up. They may suggest acquiring the right tools for the job. Similarly, investing in the right tools to market your business is critical to improving your online .
These tools aren’t just about making life easier, though that’s a clear advantage to using software to maximize efficiency. Often, the best tools reveal new ideas and approaches to old strategies that marketers may have otherwise overlooked.
For instance, investing in an SEO-optimizing tool is perfect for keyword research, competitor analysis, and understanding the search volume for your industry-related . However, it might also uncover a brand-new tactic of link-building opportunities you weren’t previously aware of.
The best tools operate within your current scope of work and don’t require you to implement new tactics. They rather enhance the results of the ones you’re already using.
For example, it might be a new platform with more robust automation or website plugins to optimize your eCommerce products with prompts for upsells or related products. Or you can use Handwrytten to send personalized notes and letters at scale.
Evaluate the tools you currently use, set a budget for new additions, and test out the features before you buy.
Before you incorporate the newest trend for 2022, it’s essential to evaluate whether or not the movement is relevant to your industry, product, or service.
Every year, there are thousands of articles with the “ to watch for” title floating around and just as many marketers jumping on the bandwagon, often prematurely. While early trend adopters revel in the novelty, a more cautious approach is usually best.
Before you incorporate the newest trend for 2022, it’s essential to evaluate whether or not the movement is relevant to your industry, product, or service. And, even if the relevance passes the test, is the trend something your audience is interested in? (This is where that social listening technique comes in handy.)
Influence is a great example. When this trend first surfaced, every company wanted a piece of the affiliate pie. It was a smart move for many, and this approach has proved it’s more than a trend – it’s now a tool used by millions. However, for some companies, remains a poor fit.
programs have gone from mass-market to a more targeted personalized . Instead of generic efforts focused on brand impression, marketers are now working to understand buyer personas and preferences. Then they can specifically develop that resonates with them.
In the world of client avatars, keyword research, and audience analysis, companies sometimes forget to address the real person behind the screen and the importance of the . It can feel impossible to reach millions of people while also personalizing the message. However, it’s not as challenging as you might think.
A personalized is nearly a customer demand right now. Customers expect a near-immediate response rate to concerns and real humans to be available via customer support. They also expect personalized recommendations based on their browsing or shopping experiences.
This personalization might feel unattainable, especially for larger companies with even larger customer bases. Luckily, there are various tools out there to make it easier, from digitizing handwriting and signatures in your direct mail campaign to personalizing data in , emails, and video , and chat software.
In theory, it’s relatively simple to improve your : make better decisions, focus on what gets results, ignore everything else.
In reality, these eight areas of improvement demonstrate that the most effective strategies are sometimes formed behind the scenes, require trial and error, and a personalized approach that keeps the customer at the center of every effort.
As you begin to implement your new strategies for 2022, start with the . Whether you’re diving into a new , running for the first time, or working on other business goals, the customer should remain the center of your focus.
As things change rapidly in the online world, staying updated on the latest strategies and direct mail is more important than ever.
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