Tis the season for “2022 Marketing Trends” reports and headlines about how to “kill it” on TikTok and “slay” at the latest and greatest hype-y digital marketing channels.
I don’t publish those types of things because I couldn’t care less about what’s “trending.”
What matters—what has always mattered most—is that you show up in a way that feels good to you. Because like attracts like. And if you’re showing up in a way that feels good and natural to you, the right clients and customers will be attracted to that. You won’t have to try to win them over. They’ll just vibe with your message and your vibe and done.
On the flip, if you’re showing up in a way that feels fake and salesy to you, the right clients and customers will be repelled. You’ll try and try and try, but your ideal clients will be on the fence about you at best.
So, trends be damned. If what feels good to you matches what’s trending, great. If what feels good to you doesn’t match what’s trending, great. Doesn’t matter, really. What matters is the energy you bring to the table.
With that, let’s talk about honing that energy toward a Marketing Resolution or two for 2022. Where’s your energy going to be? What will you aim for as you show up to market your business in 2022?
There are two core marketing resolutions I highly recommend you adopt for the New Year:
1. I will be myself.
2. I will eliminate or delegate the rest.
Let’s break these down.
I will be myself.
I sort of already covered this earlier. Bring your truest, most natural, feel-good self to the table and your ideal clients will be leaning in. Don’t, and they won’t. More about this dynamic here.
To help you identify what this actually looks like in your marketing strategy, find out what your Marketing Personality Type® is and build a marketing strategy utilizing the marketing tactics that feel best to you. I highly recommend grabbing your Marketing Personality Type® Full Report to help you with this. It’s the straightest shot at knowing how to be yourself in marketing.
I will eliminate or delegate the rest.
Once you identify a marketing strategy that will feel really good for you to implement (because it aligns with your personality type), there will inevitably be marketing tactics you won’t be employing. You might feel a little FOMO with this or maybe you’ll fear that if you don’t do that super trendy thing that makes you feel like sh*t you’ll miss out on the business success you dream of.
Listen, I get it. I get sucked into this trap too. We all do.
Here’s the thing—it’s not that your business’s marketing strategy can’t ever ever ever employ the marketing tactics that don’t feel good to you. I would just suggest they not be implemented by YOU. If you truly feel your business will be missing out on great success if you don’t implement a specific marketing tactic, find someone to implement it for you—someone who genuinely feels good doing that specific type of marketing. If the thing you’re choosing not to do isn’t a make-or-break activity, just eliminate it. Take it off your plate and don’t add it to someone else’s. Move on to the good stuff!
Now for Marketing Resolutions based on your personality type!
Analyst Tribe
INTJ – INTP – ENTJ – ENTP
I will double down on what I know already works.
As part of the Analyst Tribe, you’ve already ran the numbers. You know what’s working and what’s not. Double down on what the numbers indicate to be your absolute best use of energy and attention.
Diplomat Tribe
INFJ – INFP – ENFJ – ENFP
I will create only content I want to create.
As part of the Diplomat Tribe, you likely have content seeping out of your eyeballs. Okay, maybe it’s not that gruesome. But really, you have lots of ideas of content to create, whether it be written blog posts, social media content, podcasts to record, videos to make. In 2022, try creating only that which YOU truly want to create. Resist the urge to get bogged down in topics you don’t really want to talk about, questions you don’t really want to answer. Stick with what you genuinely want to research, formulate, and discuss.
Sentinel Tribe
ISTJ – ISFJ – ESTJ – ESFJ
I will collaborate with others as a way to get in front of new audiences.
As part of the Sentinel Tribe, you thrive and shine in a teamwork setting. Be on the lookout for collaboration opportunities that will get your brand and business in front of new audiences. What companies or organizations can you align your business with that would be a win-win for all parties? These collaborations may be your best investment of time and energy this coming year.
Explorer Tribe
ISTP – ISFP – ESTP – ESFP
I will consistently show up in one specific area of my marketing.
As part of the Explorer Tribe, you either want to do ALL THE MARKETING THINGS or absolutely none of them. Let’s meet in the sorta middle. Choose one marketing tactics to consistently show up in in 2022. You don’t need to be hyper-consistent about all of it. Choose one thing. Do that. Commit to it. Continue showing up for that one thing.
Which of these 2022 Marketing Resolutions will you take on as your own in the New Year? Maybe you have on to add to the list? Would love to hear it in a comment.
ENFJ here – love this reminder. I don’t get bogged down in writing/posting/speaking about stuff I don’t want to. What I do instead is NOT write/post/speak about stuff I want to. There is a kind of safety in writing by the marketing/SEO rules that are generally espoused as gospel. You don’t need to put your real self out there – you just need to feed the algorithms. It’s safe but unsatisfying and disappointing. One of my coaches teaches us to use “bridge thoughts” when we are struggling to believe big things for ourselves or step out in a big way. One of those bridge thoughts is “I just want to see what will happen if…” So for 2022 I just want to see what will happen if I write/post/speak from my heart instead of for whatever is hot on Pinterest today or whatever keywords I can rank for. Thanks for this encouragement!
SUCH great insight here, Elizabeth! It can certainly feel a bit safer to feed the algorithm and focus on SEO, if not totally “natural” for a Diplomat type. But you have such depths to dive into when it comes to content—algorithms and SEO be damned. I feel so encouraged by your willingness to go there! Excited to see what happens next!
Brit – For 2022, after spending 2021 laying the foundation for my retirement, I have chosen my membership with International Association for Woman as my networking partner. They offer speed networking events monthly. I am also pursuing my proofreading endeavors (volunteering with Project Gutenburg) and have 1 client. Currently, I have 2 coaching clients (time management). Plenty of time for my coloring, jigsaw puzzles, and ‘new’ – embroidery.