Seven Important Things to Keep in Mind About Your 2022 Marketing Plan

There’s always an interest in strategic planning and digital marketing trends around the turn of the year, and 2022 is no different. But, considering the events of the past couple of years, making predictions has become increasingly challenging.

Nothing has returned to “normal” as expected, and no one is quite sure what normal should look like anymore. But law firm thankfully still have clients, and the overriding goal is to anticipate and meet their needs.

The face of marketing will continue to evolve as law firms become more connected, diverse, and nimble in the face of various challenges. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, here are seven important things to keep in mind about your 2022 marketing plan.

1. The Client Experience is Everything

It seems like every year is the year of the customer. And that isn’t likely to change. But marketing has shifted for good from trying to convince people to work with your firm to providing a fantastic client experience instead.

About two-thirds of today’s consumers say that the client experience is an important factor in their buying experience. What does this mean? When it comes to the sales funnel, providing a lot of useful information to prospects is vital. Instead of telling people how excellent your firm’s service is, provide content that answers their most pressing questions and gives them some peace of mind.

2. AI Is an Effective Digital Marketing Tool

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now used by many businesses across all sectors, including law, healthcare, retail, banking, and more. And it’s being used more frequently for marketing purposes to automate repetitive tasks and personalize the user experience.

AI can perform basic tasks like recommending keywords for SEO, reporting on website traffic, and managing customer leads. According to a survey by Epsilon, 80% of consumers admit they’d be more willing to do business with a brand that delivers a personalized experience. AI can help you hyper-personalize social media, email, and content marketing with increased data collection and insights.

3. Consumers Like Chatbots and Voice Assistants

Consumers have become much less patient when it comes to getting their needs met, probably because there are so many technology solutions available to get the job done quickly. Instead of picking up the phone during business hours or waiting for a return email message, chatbots have taken over simple customer service and support tasks. An AI-powered chatbot can answer basic questions, schedule appointments, and even pre-qualify a lead 24/7, leaving more of the heavy lifting for your human staff.

Consumers are also increasingly using voice assistants to get questions answered and perform other tasks (like shopping). Digital assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant are projected to see an increase in use of 18% over the next year. When you integrate your digital marketing strategy with these solutions, you can expect to see even better results.

4. Mobile-First Marketing is a Must

More people use mobile devices today to access the internet than any other type of device, such as a desktop. Businesses must create mobile-friendly websites and content or risk a reduction in search engine visibility.

In 2022, every website must have a responsive design that allows customers accessing the information with any type of device to do so quickly and easily.

5. Multichannel Marketing Will Make a Difference

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic drove a lot of consumers online, people still want to visit physical stores and offices. And, if your firm is strictly online, it would be a mistake to concentrate all of your efforts on a single marketing channel, such as a blog or social media network.

A multichannel marketing approach allows brands to create a strong voice that resonates across as many channels as possible, meeting different customers where they’re at in their buying journeys. This might involve an ongoing combination of blog content, email newsletters and messages, video content, in-store events, and social media posts.

6. Target Featured Snippets in Google Search

Last year, we mentioned Zero-Click Search Results as a growing trend. This is something brands should continue to target through Google’s featured snippets, knowledge graphs, and video carousels. Google introduced this feature in 2019 as a way to give searchers quick information at the top of the results page. It was so popular that the search engine giant continues to expand on it and give it more importance in terms of the user experience and SEO.

Consumers like to get their information in as few clicks as possible. If you can score one of these features on the first page of Google, you can still get exposure for your business as well as drive traffic to your website from people who want to drill down for more in-depth information. Depending on your strategy, you secure these positions with video content, bulleted lists, tables, and other useful data and statistics posted on your website.

7. Video Marketing Produces Results

Finally, if you haven’t made video marketing one of your priorities, it is definitely time to start in the coming year. According to research by Cisco, video will account for 82% of all online traffic in 2022. Currently, about 84% of consumers have decided to make purchases after watching an online video.

Your firm has many options when it comes to video content. It can use video to create product demos, produce webinars, and even host live video events. You can post explainer videos that answer people’s questions and introduce your business to viewers.

Is Your 2022 Digital Marketing Plan Ready?

Now is the time to start planning your 2022 marketing strategy. Make sure you start with a clear idea of your goals and how you plan to achieve them. Marketing trends will continue to evolve, but a firm understanding of your audience and its needs will ensure you are able to establish strong relationships and make fast adjustments when needed.

If you are ready to drive more traffic to your website and keep your audience engaged, find out how we can help. Too Darn Loud Digital Marketing is dedicated to offering its clients results-driven digital marketing solutions that work in the current environment. Contact us today at (800) 649-1764 or reach out to us online to schedule a free consultation.