2022 Small Business Trends – The 4 Top Marketing Channels
Traditional marketing has proven to take a downward shift in its success rate over the last decade and show a stronger decline over the last 5 years.
The following marketing channels have proven to be much more utilized in recent years, especially due to the consequences of the pandemic. Over the last 2 years, consumers have relied highly on their digital research when evaluating buying decisions. This shift in consumer research is an indication to small businesses that creating relationships through digital marketing channels is an opportunity to shine and be found by more ideal customers.
What are marketing channels and which ones are the most promising for small business owners as they move into the future?
What are marketing channels?
A few examples of marketing channels are TV, radio, magazine advertising, billboards, social media, direct mail, email, and google searches.
The textbook definition is: It is the medium you choose to invest in which you are using to have your business discovered and convey your message.
Branding
Branding is not actually a marketing channel. You can argue that branding should be at the foundation of content created to represent your business. Developing branding guidelines that capture the business’ identity helps the team develop content with consistent messaging, images, and overall feel. Following branding guidelines allows the business to convey a personality and develop recognition. When your marketing is in digital form, there is a level of interaction that comes along with the content. Developing your brand and being intentional about the way you want the brand to be viewed and talked about enables more relationships to develop through your marketing channels. Consistency in the look, feel, and voice of your brand across all marketing channels it unites your content systematically. The result is content working strategically to deliver the highest conversion of fans and customers.
Social Media
Greater than 70% of people use social media to get their news and connect with their communities. This is a great place to expose your potential customers to your product or service.
Use these platforms to build relationships with your potential customers. This is the place to allow audiences to get to know your brand and find special offers. When people want to know more about your brand, they check your social media.
Something to keep in mind when developing your social media content is that this is a direct view of your brand’s image. What is the image your brand wants to portray? Your content gives your business the opportunity to share the type of experience that can be expected when doing business with you.
Website
When people want to know more about your product or service, they will go to your website. Make sure it is easy to navigate through your website. This means finding the direction for answers is obvious and convenient. Your website is the platform to lead your visitors into becoming qualified leads and customers. Have a clear sales funnel built into your website. An example of a sales funnel is an exclusive offer that requires a visitor to give their contact information in exchange for a valuable offer. With their contact information now willingly shared, your sales funnel is set up to nurture this relationship from visitor to customer and beyond.
Read: How to create a sales funnel on your website?
Email marketing can be a hugely effective marketing channel. Consider personalizing the content of the emails to make the receiver feel as though you are speaking directly to them. When using images, do not use images that are necessary to understand the point of the email. If your email has an image that includes all the details within the graphic of this image, it is very possible that an ad blocker or email filter will block the image from being viewed at first glance. Instead, keep your emails valuable, short, and to the point. Easy-to-read emails will have a much higher conversion rate than long complicated mass emails.
PPC Marketing
Paid Advertising linked to search engine data is available and can be hugely successful. The parameters available for PPC (Pay Per Click) marketing make it easier to refine the audience pool to convert as many of the ideal customers as possible. Google uses keyword bidding and the level of competition to set the cost of each click. The benefit of using something like Google PPC marketing is that your Google ad budget is used up per click and not the number of views. This click could seem like a higher cost compared to other online ad options, however, using strategic keywords that relate directly to the product or service offered will have an actionable conversion from consumers closer to the buying phase of their search.
This is a brief view of some of the most effective marketing channels for small businesses this year. When deciding which marketing channels are right for your business, consider your resources and the ability to be consistent with the delivery of content. Consistency and persistence will set your brand apart and at the top of mind for audiences. If you haven’t set your marketing plan and strategy yet, start today. The sooner you get a feel for the content that resonates with your potential audience, the sooner your business will build fans and customers eager to support your business.