Entrepreneur Trends that Died in 2022
By VICKY BROWN
Every year there’s some new entrepreneurial wisdom, some new fad or trend to jump on. And they aren’t all bad – but trends can outlive their usefulness. And when that happens, it’s just best if you let them go – or they’ll hold you, and your company, back.
So, what should we stop doing in 2023?
Ignoring video.
Video is taking over all things marketing. Whether it be tapping into educational content marketing using video – like having a YouTube channel; online ads, training your team, or even answering your client questions – video is THE medium you need to take advantage of.
Now, I’m not saying get rid of your blogs, or whitepapers or any other form of the written word. It certainly has it’s uses – and in fact can be a very nice compliment to video. But for immediacy, and personalization, and to communicate one to many – while making it still feel personal and specific – well, it’s video.
And it doesn’t have to be, put your face in front of a camera and start talking. That’s one way to do it, but there are a whole host of clever ways to use video.
Use a service like Vyond to create animated videos to explain your service, or act as the video version of frequently asked questions. You can drop in narration, or narrate it yourself, and it will sync to the animated character’s lip movements.
And don’t get me started on training.
You can train your team on company SOPs (that’s standard operating procedures), or create step by step guides using an app like Loom. You can document and narrate each step of a process, and voila! You have a video guide.
Why not create a powerpoint on CANVA, record your screen, and use that video to guide your new clients through the implementation process.
And here’s a pro tip – you can include a shot of your face or keep it faceless if you want.
And using video in marketing can be your secret sauce – well, maybe not so secret – but it will be your special sauce.
It’s not just social media – eMail marketing, your website, those are just some of the places video will come in very handy. But OK – let’s not ignore the 5000 pound elephant in the room – and another trend that definitely died in 2022 – if not earlier…
Ignoring social media. I know ,I know, your business is unique and specific. You provide professional services and consultation to your clients. You’re not looking to capture the attention of the local 15 year old. And, you just don’t see how dancing on TikTok is going to expand your client base.
OK, I’m going to tell you right now – you’re going to have to give us that mindset. Social media is now what TV was back in the day. Just think of all the businesses that missed out on valuable marketing opportunities because ‘we’ve always advertised in the newspaper, and we always will advertise in the newspaper – this television thing is just a fad that will go away as quickly as it appeared on the scene’.
“… Social media is now what TV was back in the day. Just think of all the businesses that missed out on valuable marketing opportunities because ‘we’ve always advertised in the newspaper, and we always will advertise in the newspaper“
That kind of thinking sounds crazy now – because we have the advantage of hindsight. But when some of the biggest names started out, companies ignored them. Facebook was just for talking to your friends – there wasn’t any viable market you could target. Instagram was a faddy influencer (whatever that was) platform where people spent an inordinate amount of time posting perfect pictures of themselves doing perfect things. You couldn’t actually SELL on that thing. And YouTube was the home of cat videos. Customers? No, you definitely wouldn’t find customers on YouTube – that is unless you were selling cat toys.
Ah, but look at them now. YouTube is the second largest search engine, just behind Google. And in fact, at the time of this episode, TikTok is coming up fast in the search engine category. Yep – I said TikTok and Search Engine in the same breath. Talk about evolution.
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So, don’t miss out – take a close look at all the platforms (don’t use them all, no one has time for that; but do evaluate them all); figure out where your target market might be (and be creative, look at your competitors – they’re there for a reason); develop a strategy (do not, I repeat, do not go into using social without a strategy – that’s just a waste of time, and maybe money) and figure out how you’re going to execute.
Business owners – your competitors – have realized that today’s marketing, with it’s focus on content and education, fits perfectly with social platforms. And they’ve figured out ways to use those platforms to massively grow their businesses.
In fact, some have used them as a foundation to expand into other services.
Don’t ignore digital education. Now I know that, strictly speaking this isn’t a trend that’s dying, and honestly, you may or may not decide that launching into the world of digital education is right for your business. But I will say that not even thinking about the possibility – well that is a trend that’s dying. Here’s the thing – you know a lot about what you know a lot about. And figuring out a way to teach, even some of that, to the many, can be a GREAT additional revenue stream opportunity. So take a bit of an inventory and figure out if you can monetize your knowledge.