Gone are the days of word-of-mouth-only and other traditional forms of marketing. Advancing technology necessitates changes in the way business owners approach marketing strategy consulting. Digital integration is on track to become this year’s next biggest trend in consulting, with companies seeking to integrate more digital platforms into their marketing strategies like never before.

From search engine optimization (SEO) to social media marketing, the number of digital methods you can utilize to reach your target audience are virtually endless. It seems like every marketing consultant is jumping on this digital bandwagon; and for good reasons. Digital integration will trend and positively impact strategy consulting in 2022 as follows:

• It allows businesses to reach a wider scope of their target audience
• It increases brand awareness and loyalty
• It optimizes your business’ customer service success

Reach More of Your Target Audience

Digital integration acts as the segue from using traditional marketing methods to implementing a more relevant, user-friendly approach. According to one article on SuperOffice.com, “Digital transformation is forcing companies to change their business models and adapt to the new market reality.” Think about the world of knowledge you can access at the click of a button. The internet was once the greatest technological advancement of our time, connecting people to information and strangers across the globe.

How much has that same technology evolved over just the last decade? We once needed a PC to surf the web. Now, we have tablets and smartphones, and the list of devices is ever-growing. Because this technology is available to everyone, digital integration allows consulting firms to get their branding message out to a much larger number of targeted users.

Increase Brand Awareness and Loyalty

Digital integration allows your consulting firm to amplify your brand’s message on a myriad of digital platforms, thus greater opportunity to create brand awareness and loyalty. In the same article on SuperOffice.com that was referenced earlier, the author quotes some surprising statistics: “…highly engaged customers buy 90% more frequently, spend 60% more per purchase, and have 3x the annual value (compared to the average customer).” The more engaged you are, the more likely you are to buy. And the more you buy a particular product, the more likely you are to recommend that brand.

Optimize Your Company’s Customer Service Success

Not only does digital marketing optimize your brand’s online presence, but it also gives consultants valuable insights into potential and existing customers’ needs. According to Aureon.com, “Access to online customer relationship management tools—where you can collect contact information, business website behavior, and customer purchase and service behavior—can significantly enhance your consumer engagement strategy.” A successful marketing strategy utilizes website intake forms and CTAs (calls to action) to gain key information about potential customers and use that knowledge to optimize their strategy going forward.

The Digital Move Forward

Perhaps not all traditional marketing methods will be scrapped in our effort to stay relevant to the changing needs of consumers—but it’s safe to say most will become obsolete. The evidence is clear—in order to keep up with the new market reality, digital integration will be the hottest trend in consulting in 2022.