This year is expected to be an exciting one for digital marketing. If you are in the process of creating your new marketing plan for 2022, do not feel overwhelmed. To create a perfect marketing plan, you just need to follow a series of simple steps.

To help you do that, we have created a short guide that you can use to create a comprehensive marketing plan. In this article, we will outline all the steps you need to follow.

Are you ready to increase your ROI (return on investment) and generate new leads? Let’s set your business up for success in 2022 with a great marketing plan.

Before you Start Creating your 2022 Marketing Plan

The pandemic has changed the world of digital marketing in so many ways. That’s why it’s important to apply the knowledge you have gained in 2020 and 2021.

So before you start creating your marketing plan for 2022, you should:

• Review your 2021 marketing plan: Review the tactics and channels you chose in 2021. What approaches worked best to generate new leads? Did you achieve your goals? Looking back can make looking forward so much easier.
• Redefine your Audience: Have the needs of your target audience changed over the past 12 months? If you have customer personas, now is the time to optimise them for 2022. It’s smart to review your audience insights and interact with your most loyal customers.
• SWOT analysis: Another thing you should do before creating your 2022 marketing plan is to conduct a SWOT analysis. Identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats will help you adjust your sails.

Creating the Perfect Marketing Plan in 4 Easy Steps

Once you have reviewed your past marketing performance, it’s time to organise for the year ahead. Fortunately, you only need to follow 4 steps to create a comprehensive marketing plan.

1. Set your Goals for 2022

Your marketing goals for 2022 can relate to your strengths and weaknesses. Suppose you want 2022 to be the year you double your revenue. If so, you should make it a top priority to drive sales and conversion. Or say you wish to become the ‘top of mind’ brand in your competitor set. Well then your priority should be to build brand awareness and loyalty, attracting more fans than ever before. Your marketing plan should clearly spell out how your marketing objectives will drive sales and revenue.

Try to support your goals with KPIs (key performance indicators) and a well-structured target audience (use demographic and psychographic data). And always use the SMART goals framework for your objectives, so they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound. 

2. Choose the Right Channels and Tactics

Clarifying your past performance, target market behavior and goals will allow you to choose the right channels and tactics. For instance, if you want to increase your lifetime customer value, you can focus on email marketing. In fact, email is proving to be a budget-friendly tactic with an extremely high ROI.

Accordingly, social media marketing is effective in increasing brand awareness and community engagement. Focus on modern social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

• Email Marketing
• PPC Marketing (Advertising Campaigns)
• Influencer marketing
• Content Marketing
• Video Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• Experiential Marketing

Most effective Digital Marketing tactics for 2022

3. Construct your Marketing Budget

Creating your annual budget is critical to reaching your goals. Try to divide your budget per channel or per tactic. It is important to strike the right balance between different tactics by ensuring you have the optimal amount in the marketing budget based on your objectives.

For example, if you have a $50,000 budget, you can allocate $12,000 to social media, $5,000 to influencer marketing, $10,000 to PPC, $5,000 to email marketing, and the rest to public relations. In fact, this budget sounds about right for a small business that is aiming to increase awareness. 

Create a Marketing Plan Outline

Now all you need to do is create an outline for your marketing plan. A comprehensive outline should include the following:

• Your marketing goals and objectives 
• Your target audience and customer persona
• Selected channels and tactics
• Your budgets
• Your timeline (start/end dates, deadlines, etc)
• Skills, resources and responsibilities (team management)

If you follow all the tips above, it’ll be easier for you to create the perfect marketing plan for 2022. If you are still feeling stuck, speaking to a professional marketing consultant is our next best advice.