How to plan your marketing strategy for 2022

13.01.22 12:33 AM

There are some big topics on every marketer's mind for 2022. This includes digital, privacy and sustainability.

All businesses were impacted by the pandemic in unprecedented ways. As business owners and marketers we understand that these navigating digital marketing, privacy and sustainability are neither quick nor easy to navigate. I have rounded up some tips, thoughts and insights to set the tone for the finalisation and implementation of your 2022 marketing strategies.

How to plan your 2022 marketing strategy

Digital Marketing

Covid-19 and the pandemic has accelerated the shift to digital for businesses of all sizes and in all sectors and has driven the transformation of operations to keep up with shifting consumer needs, expectations and behaviours.

With that in mind, marketers are more convinced than ever that digital will be- and remain the norm. Digital marketing thus remains top of mind for businesses in 2022. For businesses that have been slow to adopt or suffer from years of outdated or "traditional" practices, it can be difficult to decide where to start and not get overwhelmed. Making the necessary changes now will essentially help you future-proof your marketing strategy in this and coming years.

This process usually starts by setting realistic goals for the year. Enhancing the digital maturity of your institution requires strong awareness and support from management and leadership. This, according to Google's Zarina de Ruiter requires:

First-party data: The creation of a two-way value exchange with customers through linking online and offline data together.
End-to-end measurement: Focus on measurement and implement predictive models, which can be used to bridge gaps in data measurement such as attribution and conversion.
Agility: Encourage better reactions to fast-evolving consumer behaviors.

Privacy: Deliver value and respect data choices

There has been a plethora of changing privacy regulations to consider including GDPR and the South-African POPI Act which bombarded consumer mailboxes in 2021.

News of Google's removal of third-party cookies will also throw a spanner in the works for marketing teams in all sectors. For brands the challenge remains staying compliant while building trust and continually improving the privacy-first experience.

A Google commissioned interview of 7200 people about their data concerns found that users are happy to provide personal information to companies they trust. This was, as long as they knew how it would be used and what they would receive in return. As marketers now proceed with the implementation of the strategies planned for 2022, the following actions from the above-mentioned research can guide marketing teams in ensuring marketing is both privacy-safe and effective:

Make sure it is meaningful: Users want experiences that feel valuable to them.
Make engagements memorable: Users should be able to recall sharing their information with brands on an active and voluntary basis.
Make marketing manageable: Users want to retain ownership and control of their information. They should be able to review and manage the way in which their data is used, including specific data topics and other preferences.

Sustainability

Definitely the broader and more complex topic in this post, and one that not many marketing strategists understand how to incorporate is sustainability. Sustainability efforts need to move beyond "fluffy" message updates and setting long-term goals. Legitimate, thoughtful action needs to be taken. There are multiple opportunities that can be considered to drive positive action and prioritise sustainability in 2022:

Focus on the positive: Emphasise the meaningful changes and impacts your brand has made and take action in a transparent, authentic and measurable fashion. This includes ensuring misleading statement about sustainability of products and services are removed from your communication and collateral. This is often referred to as "greenwashing".
Make it effortless: Embed sustainability into the existing brand value proposition, rather than position it as a bonus feature. Make these brand promises cohesive by including them alongside or in-relation to product and service benefits.
Shift the focus from perfection to progress: Marketers can assist the reinforcement of positive consumer behaviours by showcasing how these moves contribute to sustainability efforts.

Success across these areas are not intended to be quick or easy, but rather steps to include as consistent focus for 2022 to ensure you can level up your marketing plan in 2022. What will your business be focusing on in its 2022 marketing strategy? Tell us in the comments!

Nadia Landman

http://www.nadialandman.com/