2022 Marketing Trends: 3 tactics you need to know to crush your lead gen goals this year

The world of marketing is constantly changing. This was especially true in 2021, which may have seen more changes impact marketing than any in recent memory. 

Some companies went completely virtual in response to the pandemic, others (like BroadBased) adopted a hybrid model. Employees left their jobs in record numbers, and others took on new roles. 

All of this activity contributed to some major shifts in the marketing landscape as we had to evolve our strategies to connect, convert and wow our customers. 

As we welcome in 2022, we’ve identified some of the most important trends that will play a key role in getting results and keeping your goals on track. No matter how much things change, staying ahead of the curve is always key to the success of any marketing strategy.

1. Dynamic content for each stage of your marketing funnel

Animated videos, interactive tools like calculators, and even games have become the new go-to forms of content to attract, engage and convert leads. 

You have to offer your prospects new ways to learn more about your unique value propositions, and create experiences that set you apart from your competition. 

Each phase of your sales and marketing funnel gives you an opportunity to align content based on your prospect’s specific spot in their buying journey. 

Animated videos, like the one below that we created for our own LeadSite product, are a great way to introduce your product or service in a fun and interesting way. 

These videos are especially effective in breaking down a complex process in a way that make it easy to understand, and can be promoted on all the platforms in your marketing strategy. 

Once you’ve advanced prospects from the awareness stage of your funnel, calculators and comparison tools can drive them to conversion by showing them the real value that you provide. 

Whether it’s a cost-savings, a time savings, or just a general headache reliever, interactive tools that allow your prospects to enter their information and unique value for themselves will deliver more leads. 

Here’s a great example from HubSpot’s advertising ROI calculator: 

Next steps: Take your most successful ad campaign and create a piece of dynamic content around its key message. Then, add it to your top-converting landing page, incorporate it into your email marketing campaign, or promote with ads on your best social platform. 

2. An integrated strategy in response to the “new normal”

In 2022, your marketing strategy needs to carefully consider the new lifestyle of your target audience. They’re probably working from home more often, taking meetings online and talking to coworkers via chat apps. 

And this is just the professional side of their lives. They’ve been dealing with disruptions for almost 2 years now. The bottom line? What you were doing pre-pandemic to connect with people may not work as well now. 

Enter an integrated strategy. 

Introducing tactics like Over The Top (OTT) advertising may help you capture your audience that’s flocked to streaming networks over traditional cable and radio. OTT advertising has really taken off in recent years, and shows no sign of slowing down as the next generation continues to stream. 

Mixing in some targeted direct mail could be the perfect complimentary tactic for your digital campaigns. We’ve seen a resurgence in direct mail for our BroadBased clients, particularly B2C, and combining direct mail pieces with trackable phone numbers and custom landing pages has proven to be highly successful in driving leads. 

We’ve also seen text message marketing, or SMS marketing, emerge as an effective medium to stay top-of-mind with your customers, as well as notify them of new offers and updates. 

Your customers have had their lives changed, and an integrated strategy will ensure that you’ve adapted to these changes and will keep you ahead of the competition. 

Next steps: Revisit your 2022 strategy and take a closer look at your analytics for 2021. If there’s areas that you think fell short, consider adding some new tactics to the mix that may be a more natural fit given the changes your customers are dealing with. 

3. Pay attention to what your customers pay attention to: Reviews

Online review and reputation monitoring has always been an important part of your marketing strategy, and now that businesses and people are getting back out there, they’ve become even more vital. 

People look to reviews to gain insight on new companies before reaching out to them, and they also help with organic search rankings. 

Most companies have a system in place to gain more reviews, as well as respond to both positive and negative feedback, and in 2022 we expect to see an increased emphasis. 

More importantly, using reviews to learn about your customers to add value to your products and services, and the overall experience you’re providing, should be a top priority in 2022. 

Next Steps: Invest in some online review/reputation management software if you haven’t already. If you’re already using one of these tools, make sure you’re taking full advantage of the features. 

Final Thoughts

2022 should be an exciting year for marketing as we look to see what’s next for several popular platforms like Facebook (now Meta) and in-person conferences and events begin to start back up. 

While we’ve talked about a few of the major trends that we think will impact the marketing world, there’s bound to be others and all should be thoughtfully balanced with your current strategy vs. going all-in on the latest shiny object. 

Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter below to stay up to date on all the latest marketing trends as the year goes on, and get in touch with the BroadBased team to talk about your marketing strategy.