Every year marketers gaze into their crystal ball to determine which marketing trends will dominate the coming year. While I don't have a magic mirror to tell you definitively which strategies and tactics will win the marketing game, I know where I'll be investing my time, money, and resources.

Why would my opinion be worth anything? I doubled the number of people I employ in 2021 and significantly increased ROI. These are the marketing strategies that served me well.

So if you have the goal of accelerating your marketing and leveling up your business, these are my top 5 marketing strategies to jump on in 2022.

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1. Double down on email marketing

Unsurprisingly, email marketing is top of my go-to marketing strategy for 2022.

For years we've been told email is dead. But I believe it's more relevant than ever. And a recent HubSpot report validates my thinking. It noted that email delivers an impressive 4,200% return on investment. So I thought I'd put it to the test.

My team recently hit fast forward on our email strategy, and the results were staggering—triple the open and click-through rates and triple the sales. So what did we do differently?

1. We increased the frequency of emails to our list from one to three or four weekly.
2. We pre-planned our content, choosing to share a mix of free resources—value-led content with clear calls-to-action—and peppered in a few blatant sales emails. After reviewing our numbers, we saw resource-led emails linking to a blog or webinar outperformed sales emails. While the open rate remained stable, on average, sales emails received a click-through rate of 0.6%, with value-add generating 1.5%.
3. We dedicated an entire month to promoting one or two similar products. We did this, so our audience had time to warm up to the idea of purchasing that particular product. Remember, only 3% of your target audience is ever willing and able to buy immediately.
4. We hosted one or two webinars a month. This included a joint venture-led webinar where we invited a trusted consultant to share their knowledge around a specific theme or topic. Added to this, we wrote an email sequence to follow up with all registrants. This sequence included a link to the webinar recording, and it pushed a relevant product. Our average open rate was around 55%, and the click-through rate was a little over 14%.

So if you're going to invest in email marketing, use a mix of educational, entertaining, and sales emails. A good ratio is 3:1 (three educational or entertaining emails to every sales email). Be consistent and track your results. Read this blog to learn more about maximizing your email marketing strategy.

2. Think video-first.

A couple of years ago, every marketer worth their weight in gold told you to think mobile-first. We all have them. If you're honest with yourself, you're probably never without your mobile phone.

But here's why you need to start thinking of yourself as a media company.

Globally, video consumption is on the rise. Just check out Invideo's list of compelling video stats. But one that stood out to me is that 84% of consumers have bought a product or service after watching a brand's video.

And with platforms like TikTok (over 1 billion users generating over $1.9 billion in revenue) and Instagram growing in popularity, you need these networks to connect with your target audience. That means you need to be creating VIDEO content.

Posting pretty pictures and inspiring copy isn't going to cut it if you want to drive high-value leads to your website. You need a video strategy.

So get out from behind your computer and get in front of the camera. Even if you feel shy or embarrassed, just do it. Hit the record button and start talking.

Have fun with it. Play around with filters or hire a videographer to help you produce unmissable content and see how it goes. You might cringe at the first few videos you make, but I promise it gets easier.

3. Focus on in-person experiences.

If you're releasing a new product or book, host a launch. Take the necessary safety precautions like limiting the number of people who can attend, but give them a chance to interact with you.

As a business coach, you could host an in-person training where you book out a venue for a day, provide lunch, and smash through goals.

It's a great way to build brand loyalty and gain first-hand insight into why your customers love your business and what you could do better. PLUS, they'll appreciate you for it.

What kind of in-person experiences would your customers love?

After two years of working from home, isolating, wearing masks, and avoiding all contact with other human beings, the pandemic is hopefully coming to an end. And now is the time to start thinking about hosting in-person experiences again.

Zoom fatigue is real. People want to get dressed up, go out, and interact with brands in person. They don't want another help desk email or video discovery call. They want face-to-face experiences.

Your goal is to figure out how to make this possible.

4. Personalize your marketing.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: If you want to build a tribe of raving fans, you need to deliver personalized experiences. Your customers don't want to be thought of as just another transaction. They want you to validate their purchase.

So think about how you can use technology to replicate human-to-human experiences. For example, I've added live chat to my website. While we have a list of standard responses, a real person monitors and responds to user questions. Getting real-time answers can be the difference between a sale and a lost lead.

Another option is to support customers through Zoom and FaceTime. Unlike text-based responses, video is surprising and can catapult your marketing to the next level.

Think back to those video stats I mentioned earlier. Imagine if, within an hour of purchasing a product, you received a personalized video message via email thanking you for choosing that brand. You'd be pretty impressed.

Now consider that 92% of customers expect personalized marketing. And yet, too many businesses get it wrong. Your goal is to be the 22% of businesses that don't struggle with it.

So think long and hard about how you can deepen your relationship with prospects and customers.

5. Take a risk on emerging platforms.

While it's good to stay in your comfort zone, if you want to be a change-maker, you need to be prepared to step outside your comfort zone and try new things.

As entrepreneurs, we're used to taking risks. So this year, I'm going to do things a little differently and take a chance on new and emerging platforms like NFTs, augmented realities, and TikTok (I know I'm a little slow on this one).

Experimentation is essential, and yes, I could lose, but I could also win big. So look at having skunkworks in your business and use disruptive innovation to get ahead of the curve.

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Next steps

And those are my top five marketing strategies for scaling your business in 2022. That's where I'm going to focus my time, energy, and money. I already know email is delivering returns. I've launched live chat on my site, and I'm in the process of getting my TikTok account up and running.

But I'd love to know what you've got planned, and if you have any questions.

What marketing strategies have worked well for you in the past?

And where will you be doubling down your efforts?

Join my Lean Marketing Hub and share your business story.