Top 10 Essential Digital Marketing Tips For 2022 and Beyond

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In digital marketing, it's easy to get left behind if you're not constantly innovating and trying new things. But as with anything else, not all things are worth your time, and some are even downright counterproductive.

So, how do you decide what to invest your time in and what to drop? We've done the hard work for you and compiled a list of digital marketing tips you should implement in 2022 if you want to stay ahead of the competition. Let's get started!

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1. Optimize your site for the semantic web

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Suppose you're not familiar with the semantic web. In that case, it's a system of standards and protocols that allows computers to understand human-readable content by "reading" it similarly to how humans do. Following those standards makes your site's content more accessible and searchable on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo!

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So, how do you optimize your site for the semantic web? There are a few different things you can do, including:

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• Use the schema markup language to structure your data
• Make sure your site's content is well-written and easy to understand
• Use metatags to describe your site's content
• Leverage internal linking to improve the flow of information on your site
• Use external linking to improve your site's authority

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By following these tips, you can ensure that your site is as searchable as possible and that your content is easy for humans and computers to understand.

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2. Get active on Instagram and other social media platforms

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Social media is at the heart of digital marketing, so it's no surprise that you need to be active on social media to stay ahead of the competition. But with so many different social media platforms, it can be tough to know where to focus your attention.

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If we had to choose one particularly important platform for digital marketers right now, it would be Instagram. Not only is Instagram a great place to build your brand and find your target audience, but it's also an incredibly powerful platform for:

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• Boosting organic traffic to your website or blog
• Collaborating with influencers with large followings to promote your content or products/services
• Analyzing where your competitor's customers are coming from and reaching out to them
• Staying on top of your potential customers' minds

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So if you're not already active on Instagram, now is the time to start. And if you are active on Instagram, make sure you're using all of its features to your advantage, especially reels, stories, and collaborations.

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P.S.: This doesn't mean that other social media platforms are unimportant. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and TikTok are all still incredibly popular and can be used to reach different target audiences. So don't forget about them–just choose one or two platforms to focus on and do them well.

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3. Use long-form content to rank for more keywords

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Contrary to popular belief, long-form content is not dead–it's more important than ever. Not only is long-form content more likely to rank for multiple keywords, but it's also more likely to be shared on social media and linked to from other websites, which helps you bring in more leads and boosts your SEO rankings.

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According to SEMRush,

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• Long content (3000–7000 words) gets 2X page views and 24% more shares than articles of average length (900–1200 words)
• 7000+ word content drives almost 4X more traffic than articles of average length (900–1200 words)

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So if someone tells you that long-form content is a waste of time, don't believe them! Long-form content is still incredibly important and can help you boost your SEO and organic traffic. How so?

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Well, for multiple reasons, but the most important is that it allows you to target a broader range of keywords.

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If you have a 3000-word article, you can target 30 different keywords (or even more if you use LSI keywords). But if you only have a 1000-word article, you can only target 10 different keywords. This is important because longer articles allow you to rank for a greater variety of keywords, which means more website traffic and, eventually, more leads and sales.

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So if you're not already using long-form content, make sure to start–it could be the boost your digital marketing strategy needs.

Pro Tip: From Blog Post Ideas and Blog Titles to Blog Outlines, Blog Intros, and Blog Post Conclusions, CopyAI has everything you need to write high-quality, long-form content that ranks–without all the fluff.

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4. Use more video in your marketing efforts

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Did you know that 54% of customers WANT to see more video content from their favorite brands and businesses? That's not surprising, considering that video is consumers' favorite type of content to consume.

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Video is a great way to engage with your audience and promote your products or services. But that's not the only purpose; video can also be used to:

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• Educate your audience about your products/services
• Show off your company culture
• Build relationships with customers and partners
• Answer frequently asked questions (FAQs)
• Provide customer testimonials

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The possibilities are endless, so using more videos in your marketing efforts is important. Not only will it help you connect with your audience on a more personal level, but it will also help you boost your SEO and organic traffic.

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And one final thing: one of the reasons video is so popular is because it's compatible with mobile devices. People love being able to watch videos on their smartphones and tablets, so when you create videos, make sure they're optimized for mobile viewing so you don't exclude those who don't have access to desktops or laptops when they're on the go.

Pro Tip: Whether you'll be creating the videos on YouTube or another platform, make sure to optimize them for SEO by including keywords in the title, description, and tags. You should also include a link back to your website in the video description so viewers can easily find it after watching the video.

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5. Invest in live chat support

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In today's era, 60% of customers expect an immediate response when initiating a live chat, and 44% of people say live chat is the most valuable tool a company can offer on their website. If anything, these numbers will only go up in the future, so investing in live chat support is essential.

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Live chat provides an excellent customer experience by allowing customers to get their questions answered quickly and efficiently and empowers you to engage with leads and customers in real-time. This is valuable because it allows you to build relationships, address concerns immediately, and even upsell or cross-sell products/services, resulting in higher conversion rates.

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And apart from that, you'll no longer have to send out surveys to get feedback from your customers (or at least not as frequently). By opening up more opportunities for interaction between you and your customers, you're more likely to get the organic and consistent feedback you need to improve your website and overall customer experience. 

Gone are the days when customers had to wait for business hours to get their questions answered. With live chat support, they can reach out to you 24/7/365 on any device, be it a desktop, laptop, or mobile phone. Customers have come to expect this type of convenience, and if you're not providing it, they will likely take their business elsewhere.

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Finally, live chat is a huge cost-saver. You can save your business a lot of money by eliminating the need for expensive toll charges when calling long-distance numbers. Not to mention, it's also more efficient because customers can get their questions answered without having to wait on hold or be transferred to another department.

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Pro Tip: If you're not sure where to start when it comes to investing in live chat support, some popular tools include LiveChat, ZenDesk, and HelpScout.

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6. Use more User-Generated Content (UGC) across your channels

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Word of mouth still matters; in the digital age, user-generated content (UGC) is the new word of mouth. This is content created by your customers that promotes your brand, product, or service. It’s an effective way to reach new audiences and build trust with potential customers because it comes from a third-party source (i.e., someone other than your company).

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Its effectiveness is clear in the below statistics:

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• 92% of consumers say they trust peer recommendations above all other advertising sources.
• 79% of people say UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions.
• Consumers find UGC 9.8x more impactful than influencer content when purchasing.

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As a result, word-of-mouth marketing leads to more than twice the sales of paid advertising, so it's important to find ways to incorporate UGC into your digital marketing strategy.

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There are many ways to do this, but some popular methods include featuring customer testimonials on your website or using social media platforms (such as Instagram) to showcase user-generated content. You can also encourage customers to leave reviews on third-party sites (like Google or Yelp) or create brand ambassadors to help promote your business.

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Whatever route you decide to go, ensure that you're regularly featuring UGC across your channels to build trust with potential customers and drive conversions. But here are a few quick tips:

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• When featuring UGC on your website, get permission from the customer first.
• Use relevant hashtags when promoting UGC on social media to reach a wider audience.
• Curate UGC carefully to ensure it aligns with your brand identity and message.
• Ensure the content is authentic, meaning it should be created by customers and not by your company.

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When done right, user-generated content can be a powerful tool in your digital marketing arsenal. It serves as free advertising, and customers are likelier to share UGC since it's relatable and useful. 

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Once you start incorporating UGC into your strategy, you'll likely see an uptick in engagement and conversions!

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7. Implement SEO from the start

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As opposed to paid search results, which are displayed as a result of an advertisement, SEO is about making your website the best it can be so that Google (and other search engines) will want to rank it high in their organic search results. For that reason, it's referred to as “organic” search (or natural or earned–all terms that mean the same thing).

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But it's worth noting that SEO isn't only about the standard Google search. It can also apply to other types of searches, including:

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• Image search (searching for images on Google)
• Local search (searching for businesses or products near you)
• Video search (searching for videos on YouTube or other video platforms)
• Academic databases' search (searching for academic papers or research)
• News websites' search (searching for news stories)

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And more!

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These are all examples of what's known as “vertical search,” which is a type of search that allows users to find specific types of content on the internet. And what's common among all these searches is that they're all powered by algorithms– a set of rules or guidelines that a computer program, like a search engine, follows to accomplish a task.

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In the context of SEO, search engines use algorithms to crawl the internet, index websites, and rank pages in their organic search results. So, to rank on any search engine, you need to understand how their algorithms work and what you can do to improve your website so that it meets their criteria.

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The difference between SEO and local business optimization

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There's sometimes confusion between SEO (search engine optimization) and local business optimization. So, what's the difference between the two?

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Local business optimization is optimizing a company's online presence so that its web pages will be displayed by popular search engines when users enter relevant keywords into their search engine query (e.g., "plumber in Irvine").

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Conversely, SEO is about making your website the best it can be so that Google (and other search engines) will want to rank it high in their organic search results. It's a more general term that can apply to any search, including local business searches.

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What about the difference between PPC and SEO?

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Another common confusion is between PPC (pay-per-click) and SEO. This one is clear-cut: PPC is when you pay to have your ad displayed at the top of the search results, and SEO is when you improve your website to rank organically at the top.

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PPC is a type of paid search, meaning you only see results if you're willing to pay for them. In contrast, you don’t pay for SEO –you don't have to pay Google AdWords or Facebook Ads for your website to rank in the organic search results.

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Of course, that doesn't mean that SEO is entirely free. It takes time, effort, and even money (for things like keyword research tools) to improve your website, so it meets the criteria of the search engine algorithms. But once you do that, your website will rank high in the organic search results, and you won't have to pay for each click as you do with PPC.

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8. Create a responsive, mobile-friendly site and blog

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Websites that aren't responsive and mobile-friendly are at a serious disadvantage in today's digital landscape. Google long ago stated that responsive design is their recommended mobile configuration, and they penalize sites that aren't mobile-friendly by pushing them further down in the search results.

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Apart from that, mobile accounts for more than half of all global internet traffic, so if your site isn't designed for mobile users, you're missing out on a huge portion of your potential audience, and who wants that?

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So if your website is difficult to navigate on a mobile device, users are likely to give up and go to a competitor's site that's designed better for their needs.

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Here's what you can do to make sure your site is responsive and mobile-friendly:

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• Use a responsive theme or template: If you're using WordPress, plenty of responsive themes are available. Make sure to test them out on different devices before committing to one.
• Optimize your images: Make sure your images are the right size for the devices they'll be viewed on. Large images can slow down your site, and no one wants to wait for a page to load.
• Use mobile-friendly ads: If you're running ads on your website, ensure they're optimized for mobile devices. You don't want to run an ad that's too large or doesn't fit properly on a mobile device, as that will annoy users.
• Optimize your website for speed: A fast website is a good website. No one wants to wait around for a slow website to load, so make sure your site is as fast as possible. You can test your site's speed with Google's PageSpeed Insights tool.
• Make sure you're publishing high-quality content: When adding new pages to your website, consider whether they'll be worthwhile when published. For instance, will the title be helpful in search results? Your content should be boosting you on the SERPs–not holding you back or giving you just a short-term boost. This is part of mobile-friendliness because Google won't only rank your content higher if it's mobile-friendly but also high-quality and useful. 
• Check your site: Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to see if your site passes.

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9. Use chatbots on your site and messaging applications

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Like investing in live chat support, chatbots can be a great way to improve your customer service. Chatbots are computer programs that mimic human conversation. They can be used to answer common questions, provide customer support, and even generate leads.

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What's great about chatbots is that they're available 24/7, so your customers can get the answers they need whenever they need them. And since they're automated, they can handle many inquiries without getting overwhelmed.

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Chatbots are also relatively easy to set up. You can use many platforms, such as Chatfuel or Manychat. All you need to do is create an account, add your chatbot to your website or messaging app, and start training it to understand human conversation and set up your responses.

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Chatbots can tremendously improve your business by:

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• Enhancing your customer service (through providing quick answers to common questions)
• Generating leads (by collecting information about users and then passing it on to your sales team)
• Increasing sales (by upselling and cross-selling products) 
• Retaining customers (by providing helpful support and recommendations)

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Pro Tip: Don't forget to test your chatbot regularly to make sure it's working properly and giving accurate answers to users. You can do this by asking questions or setting up tests with a group of beta testers.

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10. Prioritize quality over quantity when growing your email list

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Last but not least, there are 4 billion daily email users, meaning that email marketing is still one of the most cost-effective ways to reach your target audience. In fact, for every $1 spent on email marketing, businesses could make up to $44 in return.

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However, it's not just about having a large email list but also a targeted and engaged email list. There's no point in having a list of subscribers who never open your emails or don't care about your brand.

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To grow a quality email list, you need to:

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• Make sure your sign-up forms are effective: Your sign-up forms should be short and easy to fill out. They should also be placed strategically on your website, in the sidebar or at the bottom of a blog post.
• Incentivize sign-ups: You can incentivize people to sign up for your email list by offering them a discount, free shipping, or early access to new products.
• Only send relevant emails: Don't bombard your subscribers with emails they don't care about. Send them emails relevant to their interests and needs.

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Your email list is the most important asset when marketing your business online, so ensure you're focused on building a quality list from the start. With a responsive and engaged email list, you'll be able to achieve your business goals–generating leads, making sales, or retaining customers.

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Ready to take your digital marketing to the next level?

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With these ten digital marketing tips, you can start creating your robust digital marketing strategy to take your business to new heights. Don't forget to track your progress along the way to see what's working and not–digital marketing always changes, so it's important to stay on top of the latest trends.

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Anything that involves the written word is our specialty, so whether you need help with your email marketing or social media marketing, CopyAI is your AI writing assistant. Try it out to see for yourself–you won't be disappointed!

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