The world is changing, evolving, and transforming rapidly.

In 2022 alone, there were 15.9 million new cancer cases diagnosed worldwide, and 7.6 million people died from the disease. At the same time, there were 39.2 million cases of COVID-19 globally, and nearly 10 million people died as a result of the pandemic.

Cancer and COVID-19 affected nearly every country, region, and territory on the planet. The impact of these epidemics was far-reaching – from healthcare systems being overwhelmed to businesses closing down due to lack of clients. In light of these events, the year 2022 was a pivotal one.

As businesses and organizations adjusted to working remotely and maintaining a presence online, the marketing industry also adapted and reinvented how it conducted business. While many sectors were struggling to find their feet, marketers reaped the benefits of a connected world and were able to maintain a steady state of interaction, education, and engagement with consumers.

The Evolution of Marketing in 2022

The practice of marketing has evolved over the years – from face-to-face interactions to online and digital marketing strategies. Throughout the last century, marketing grew along with business-to-consumer (B2C) industries such as retail and consumer electronics. B2C marketing expanded to include direct marketing, telemarketing, email marketing, and online advertising.

“Traditional marketing channels have evolved to become more effective and relevant to people’s needs. This is evident from marketers’ increasing focus on measuring the effectiveness of their campaigns and adjusting strategies accordingly,” said Jason Miller, manager of content strategy at HubSpot. “Marketers now use a variety of tools and techniques to analyze consumer behavior, gain insight into opportunities, and identify target audiences. This approach enables marketers to drive more personalized, relevant messaging and campaigns, while limiting the impact of irrelevant or outdated information on people’s minds.”

In addition to changing consumer behavior, technology has enabled marketers to be more effective, agile, and innovative. The growing popularity of social media and digital marketing has made it simpler for companies and organizations to keep in touch with customers, engage with prospects, and understand how to move forward with effective marketing.

How to Get Started with Digital Marketing in 2022

With so much changing and evolving, it’s important to find a way to stand out from the crowd. To that end, entrepreneurs and businesses are increasingly turning to digital marketing to gain a competitive edge over their competitors.

Digital marketing is the use of online platforms, such as social media platforms (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat), to promote products and services. (For more information, check out the HubSpot blog post, What is Digital Marketing?)

If you’re looking to enter the world of digital marketing but don’t know where to begin, this article will help you get started.

Select a Niche

The first step to entering the world of digital marketing is deciding on a niche. This is similar to deciding on a target audience – except that with a niche, you are more specific about what you are trying to achieve. When selecting a niche, make sure that it is a relevant and attractive to your target audience. That way, you will be able to effectively market your products and services to the right audience.

For example, if you are trying to promote a business providing residential cleaning services, but your target audience is mostly made up of business owners, you might want to consider selecting an eco-friendly cleaning niche.

Get A Logo And Branding

Once you’ve chosen your niche, you will need to decide on a logo and branding for your new business. Again, make sure that the logo is relevant and attractive to your target audience. Once you’ve acquired a logo and branding, make sure that they are consistent throughout your marketing materials (e.g., websites, social media accounts, etc.).

Decide on a Plan Of Action

Now that you have a logo and a brand, you can begin to lay out a plan of action. This is similar to the approach that you would take if you were developing a marketing strategy for a physical store – make a list of everything that you need to do in order to bring in more customers, and then break this down into smaller pieces.

For example, if your plan is to reach out to certain bloggers for coverage, you might want to identify these bloggers first, and then begin to build a relationship with them. Once you’ve established a small community of engaged followers, you can begin to pitch your products and services to these people.

Set Up Regular Contacts With Key Decision Makers

Deciding on a social media strategy is one of the first steps in the plan of action stage. Once you have a social media strategy in place, you can begin to set up regular contacts with key decision makers. These are individuals within the company or group that can provide you with sponsorship, coverage, or other valuable support in your endeavors. (For more on establishing key contacts, check out the HubSpot blog post, How to Get More Out of Social Media).

As a digital marketer, one of your key responsibilities is to gain access to decision makers within an organization. Once you have established these relationships, you can begin to sell your products and services to these individuals. The closer you are to the decision makers, the easier it will be to gain their support and trust. This is vital for any business, particularly those just entering the digital space.

Develop Products And Services To Attract The Right Audience

Developing products and services to attract the right audience is a fundamental tenet of effective marketing. The underlying assumption is that if you can reach the right audience, you can gain traction and ultimately convert these audiences into customers.

To determine the right audience, you will need to consider a number of elements, including your niche, products, and services. (For more on this, check out the HubSpot blog post, How to Attract the Right Audience to Your Business).

Online Events: An Essential Tool For Marketers

In addition to developing products and services, another important area for marketers to consider is online events. Online events are a great way to educate consumers about your products and services, network with other businesses, and launch new products.

An online event can take any form that you might choose, including a webinar, an e-mail series, or a virtual meeting. In general, though, online events should be bite-sized and allow participants to go back and engage with the content over time – like a webinar where you cover a specific topic for 30 minutes and then give the audience 10 minutes to ask you questions about it. (For more information on this, check out the HubSpot blog post, Creating Virtual Events for Marketing Purposes).

The Importance Of Building A Brand

As a business owner or marketer, you obviously want to drive sales and gain maximum exposure for your products and services. While many in the industry may try to sell you a la carte services, creating buyer personas, and using digital marketing tactics to gain leads, your goal should be to build a brand. Specifically, as a business owner, you want someone to take a call from your company, rather than just another marketing agency, and you want to be known for something more than just your products or services. That is what building a brand is all about – creating a connection and loyalty between your product and the customer that purchases it. You want to brand yourself as a reliable and trustworthy source of information or support.

Use Metrics To Improve Marketing Performance

To ensure that you’re heading in the right direction, you should be carefully tracking the results of your marketing efforts. One of the best things that could help you gain greater insight into the performance of your marketing campaigns is to track and analyze metrics. These are the measurable pieces of data that can help you determine the efficacy of your efforts. (For more information on this, check out the HubSpot blog post, Using Metrics To Improve Your Marketing Performance).

Conclusion

While the world will never be quite the same, the changes that have occurred as a result of the pandemic have in no way diminished the importance of marketing. Far from it. The world is now at a place where it is ready for marketing to play a larger role in people’s lives, and the industry is ready to respond.