The Power of Digital Marketing for Small Businesses in 2022

The past couple of years have been an incredibly challenging time for small businesses. Whatever your industry, you no doubt felt the squeeze of the repeated lockdowns, shifts in customer buying behaviours and the problems that COVID-19, and measures to prevent its spread, have created globally. At the end of the first quarter of 2022, there is much more positive sentiment with light on the horizon for small businesses – and much of this is thanks to the power of digital marketing.

Digital marketing has been a life saver

Throughout 2021 it was digital marketing that kept channels of engagement open between small businesses and customers. Marketing and selling online became the key to survival, as consumers became increasingly accustomed to researching and buying products and services online more than they ever had before. We saw growth in online search traffic, as well as the use of influencers and a rise in advertising rates too. So, now that we’re into a new year that has less of the shadow of the pandemic over it, where does the power of digital marketing lie for small businesses in 2022?

The power of digital marketing in 2022

• Social networks present incredible opportunities for expansion. Once again, Instagram is rising in popularity and Facebook continues to be an incredibly powerful tool, not least because it has more than 2.8 billion monthly active users. Marketing to customers on Facebook represents a key growth opportunity for any business in 2022 and a simple way to see the power of digital marketing in action.
• Reputation marketing is on the rise. This, essentially, uses customer reviews to promote the reputation of your business for example by sharing stories of customer experiences or screenshots of reviews. Instagram reviews is a simple way to start tapping into this, as 80% of users now turn to Instagram to help make decisions about buying from local businesses.
• In 2022 your Google Business Profile matters more than ever. This platform promotes local businesses across Google Search and Google Maps and it’s becoming increasingly important because of the huge increase in local searches.  Searches that contain the term “near me” have risen by 136% in the last year alone. A strong Google Business Profile means more visibility online, generating more traffic and – ultimately – more revenue.
• Local Services Ads are worth investing in. These are paid ads on Google for small, local businesses. Google is currently aggressively expanding both the availability and features of these ads, which makes them a great investment for 2022.
• Google My Business gets new features for 2022. Most recent statistics indicate that phone and messaging leads – including from Google – are up to 15 times more likely to convert than website leads. So, it’s vital to have a good grasp of everything that Google My Business has to offer if you want to stay ahead of the competition in 2022.

Digital marketing is an incredibly powerful force for small businesses in 2022, and these are just some of the ways that you can start to make it work for you this year. Iconic Digital is a full-service digital marketing agency in London that has the skills and know-how to help your business reach its full digital capabilities in 2022. To find out more about Iconic Digital’s award-winning digital marketing services get in contact today on 020 7100 0726.