15 Digital Marketing Strategies For Small Businesses

In 2022, it’s more important than ever for small business owners to utilize digital marketing and create strategies to promote their companies online.

Do you know what kinds of marketing tools and tactics to use to increase your business’s relevance, gain an advantage over your competitors, and generate more revenue? If not, keep reading.

Our guide breaks down the best 15 digital marketing strategies for small businesses to implement if they want to succeed in the new year.

1. Small Business SEO

SEO (short for Search Engine Optimization) is essential for any business’s digital marketing strategy, but especially for small businesses.

SEO is all about increasing your business’s visibility on search engine results pages (or SERPs). You can do this using a variety of tactics, including consistent content creation, careful keyword research, and strategic keyword placement within your content.

2. Blogging

Businesses that have a blog generate, on average, 67 percent more leads per month compared to those that don’t.

By creating a blog and publishing posts regularly, you increase the likelihood of your business showing up on the search engine results pages. This also increases the likelihood that people will click on your link and engage with your business online.

3. Organic Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing ought to be an essential part of your small business’s social media marketing strategy. By regularly posting free, high-quality content on your social media feeds, you can gain your audience’s trust, increase online engagement, and get more people interested in investing in your brand.

4. Paid Social Media Marketing

If you’re a small business owner who wants to learn how to effectively target your audience, paid social media marketing is also beneficial. Social media paid ads are highly targeted, and investing in them allows you to specify exactly who you want to know about your business and what you have to offer.

5. Google My Business

Google My Business is a free local search tool that every small business should be taking advantage of.

When you claim your Google My Business page and keep the information updated, you ensure that people can find you when they’re searching online for businesses like yours. You can also share photos, product descriptions, and reviews on this page to provide more insight into your company.

6. Email Marketing

More than 4.3 billion people worldwide use email. How much better would your business perform if you could reach just a fraction of these people?

Use email marketing to stay in touch with your audience, alert them to sales, and share unique and engaging content.

7. Mobile Marketing

According to the latest data, 85 percent of Americans own a smartphone. Mobile marketing tactics like text messaging and mobile app development allow you to reach people on the device that’s always in their hand or back pocket.

8. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Marketing

Pay-per-click or PPC marketing is a unique type of online advertisement. These ads can appear at the top or side of a web page, as a promotion that runs before a video, or in a mobile app.

The great thing about PPC ads is that your business only pays when someone clicks on them, so they’re very cost-effective for small businesses.

9. Facebook and LinkedIn Groups

Interested in figuring out how to achieve lead generation in 2022? Consider creating and joining some Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

Social media groups like these allow you to connect directly with members of your target audience and learn more about what they like and dislike. You may also be able to promote your products or services here (just read the group rules first so you don’t get kicked out).

10. Online Forums

On a similar note, you may also want to join online forums and discussions like those hosted on Reddit. This gives you another opportunity to connect with members of your target audience, promote your products or services, and gain insights into what your business can do differently. 

11. Live Streams

By 2028, the live streaming market is expected to grow to $223.98 billion. People fell in love with live streams during the pandemic, and their obsession is going to hold strong for quite a while.

Live streaming on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitch can help you engage with your audience, answer their questions, and explain your business in real-time.

12. Guest Blog Posts

In addition to writing your own blog posts, it’s also helpful to write guest blog posts for other prominent websites. This helps you to gain credibility and allows you to build high-quality backlinks to your business’s website, which is great for search engine optimization.

13. Video Marketing

According to 87 percent of video marketers, creating videos has driven more traffic to their websites. YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world, after all, so it makes sense that a lot of small businesses would see an uptick in traffic (and likely sales) when they prioritize creating and sharing videos online.

14. Seek and Respond to Online Reviews

Encourage your customers to leave reviews online on sites like Google, Yelp, etc. Then, when you receive a review, respond right away, whether it’s positive or negative.

Responding in a professional matter boosts your credibility and helps to build customer loyalty and a better customer retention rate.

15. Referral Marketing

Finally, consider setting up a referral marketing strategy.

Encourage your loyal customers to refer their friends and family members — 92 percent of consumers say they trust referrals from people they know — then reward them when they do bring in new customers. Perhaps they can get a discount on their next purchase or a free item.

Trends in Digital Marketing to Know in 2022

In addition to understanding the best digital marketing strategies for small businesses in 2022, it’s also helpful to know the top trends for this year:

• The Metaverse: The Metaverse brings together major companies like Facebook (now Meta) and Microsoft and combines various technologies, from VR and AR to video to create an alternate digital universe for gaming, working, and connecting. Businesses that dive into this world will have a distinct advantage over their competitors.
• Social Commerce: Social commerce allows people to make purchases through social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. It shortens the customer journey and can produce major revenue increases.
• Shoppable Live Streams: Live streams are a great way to connect with your audience in real-time. When you combine shopping with these events, you can see even better engagement and conversion rates.

Time to Create an Effective SEO Strategy for 2022

Keep this list of the best small business marketing strategies to follow in 2022 and you’ll have no trouble seeing great results this year.

It doesn’t matter if you want to grow your audience, increase online sales, or generate more positive reviews. These top marketing tips for small businesses will help you get there.