Small businesses are expected to thrive in 2022 and beyond. A 2021 New Business Insights report by Intuit predicted the formation of around 17 million new small businesses in 2022.

As small businesses continue to play a critical role in the local and global economies, competition in the space also increases. As a small business owner, effective marketing is crucial if you seek to stay ahead of the competition. Below are the top small business marketing trends to stay on top of in 2022.

1. Google Local Services Ads

Ninety-seven percent of consumers search online to find local businesses. When users search for business services on Google, the first thing they see are Local Services Ads. These are a form of paid ads geared towards small, local businesses.

Google launched these ads in 2018, and they are becoming a popular marketing channel for small businesses to level the playing field. Google is expanding the features and utility of Local Services Ads and increasing the metropolitan areas where they display the ads. As such, Local Service Ads will be pivotal to the success of many businesses in 2022 and beyond.

2. Video Marketing

Video has been the breakout trend in marketing in the last decade. Video marketing continues to go strong, with 86 percent of businesses utilizing it and seeing favorable ROI, according to a Video Marketing Survey conducted by Wyzowl. An effective video marketing strategy helps improve SEO, improve customer engagement, boost social shares, build rapport with customers, increase conversions, and boost sales.

Consumers increasingly favor video over text since it’s fast and easy to understand. Video marketing also allows you to grab the attention of relevant audiences. These aspects of video marketing make the marketing channel suitable for small businesses.

3. Social Commerce

In 2021, numerous brands experimented with social commerce on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Snapchat with great success. Social commerce is set to grow in 2022, and businesses look to shorten the gap between discovery and conversion.

For small businesses, social commerce offers a new method to get their products in front of their target audiences. Online social platforms are investing in social commerce solutions such as Instagram Checkout and TikTok Commerce. Small businesses can capitalize on this marketing trend driven by competition for advertisers and audiences.

4. Omnichannel Marketing

Online marketing evolves to adapt to changing consumer behaviors. Consumers today utilize different websites, apps, services, channels, and platforms to interact with their favorite brands. If branding is inconsistent across different platforms, a business may unknowingly lose customers.

Omnichannel marketing has grown recently to solve this problem by ensuring marketers and brands unify their channels and provide a cohesive customer journey across all devices and platforms. It essentially involves being where your target customers and audiences are.

Small businesses will benefit from this customer-centric strategy by engaging target audiences through cohesive and consistent positive experiences across all relevant platforms. Omnichannel marketing will also enable small businesses to access actionable consumer data that’s vital for improving their experiences.

5. Virtual Events

The pandemic played a crucial role in the growth and adoption of virtual events. Virtual events arose as a means for businesses to reach their audiences in a world of restrictions. As opportunities for online business evolve, small businesses are presenting their products and offerings with online-only events.

The allure of virtual events is their inclusivity regardless of location or ability, as well as a low barrier to entry. For small businesses, virtual events may be orchestrated through live streams, Microsoft Teams live events, Metaverse events, webinars, and online conferences.

There are other notable marketing trends for 2022 that small business owners should be on the lookout for, and this overview is not exhaustive. These trends include scalable content, personalization, sustainability, voice search, influencer marketing, and conversational marketing. These trends have gained a foothold in recent years, and as the year forges on, more small businesses will continue to leverage them to thrive in an increasingly competitive environment.

 

More to Explore:

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Simple Action Tips for Business Growth in 2021

 

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