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Top 11 Digital Marketing Trends for 2022: Predictions
Every year, we look back on the previous year and then look forward to best predict new trends. We’ve looked back on 2021 to predict the digital marketing trends for 2022.
2021 was another interesting year for marketing. Marketers and the working population settled into the ‘new normal’, whether that was returning to the office, working at home still or a new hybrid model.
Whatever the case, it was clear that companies were accepting homeworking wasn’t such a terrible idea. And as businesses continue to diversify how they work, we saw this trickle over into what businesses sell as they looked into new, more profitable revenue streams.
So, what are our top marketing trends for 2022? We delve into them here.
That sounds like an oxymoron, but ‘authenticity’ has long been on marketers’ minds. The thing is, that authenticity was never sincere.
Take a look at Instagram in 2020. It was polished profiles, slick photography and #plandid shots. With the ever-growing popularity of TikTok, marketers will further strive for real authenticity across the marketing channels, but particularly on social channels.
Late 2021 and early 2022 has already seen a huge rise in blurry photos, messy ‘photo dumps’ and 90s-style filters on polaroid-style photos.
Hand in hand with authenticity is DIY content. Reels and TikTok have blown up. No matter your niche, you can find someone creating reels or TikToks on a subject. And while it might not be the platform for everyone, it has given rise to DIY content.
No longer do you need to invest in kit, time, talent to create easy video content. Apps like TikTok and Instagram give you all the tools you need. And frankly, the scrappier the better. It doesn’t need to be polished to perform well.
Storytelling in marketing has always been key, but now more than ever. You can’t just post a campaign and that’s it. It’s got to mean something, it’s got to be a part of something wider. Creating a narrative behind your brand and product and supporting it with key, clear company values will help you stand out from the crowd.
Just think how many people have been online, alone at home, in 2020 and 2021. These people are seeking connection, and brands are just as well placed to offer that as anyone else.
And, if the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that your customers matter.
Have you bought food from a local business just to help them out? These are the types of customers every business is looking for, especially as we go into 2022. Because who knows what it could bring!
Seeking relationships online isn’t hard. Social media is the first step. Open up your digital channels for two-way conversations and be surprised at what it gleans.
And remember, while channels that offer conversations might be less of a priority, you might be surprised by their impact on your business. Without understanding where your leads are coming from, you won’t be able to maximise your channel marketing. Here are 6 ways you can track your marketing leads.
It feels like every man and his dog has created their own podcast. And when it’s as easy as it is to create and share audio content, we’re not surprised. Podcasts show no sign of slowing down.
But one new feature we’ve spotted recently that we think will continue to grow is audio capability on written content.
Just take this blog on Forbes for example.
This was done by Google’s Read Aloud Player, so it is important to ensure your written content is crawlable to become audio content too. It means you can reach and engage a wider audience base with the content they want, how they want it.
The reason many marketers fall flat on their faces is that they try to establish their products before they establish their brand.
Build a brand, and the rest will follow.
By understanding and dominating your niche, you can then build-out. Take TikTok for example. Many big accounts do the same thing over and over again; whether that’s dancing, reviewing films or drawing. They become established in that niche and then they can consider branching out as they’ve established themselves and created a persona people can get behind.
Posting and sharing random content and firing it out to anyone will leave you feeling like you’re shouting to an empty room.
AI really seems to know no bounds. Just take this AI that creates images based on certain celebrities.
And AI in 2022 will have much more practical uses too. From data analytics and data processing to chatbots and AR, AI will continue to shift how brands talk to their consumers. In such a shifting industry, it’s hard to predict exactly what could come to play, but rest assured we can expect something.
Live chat isn’t anything new, but it still has its hiccups. Especially in the B2B industry. We expect to see live chat continue to leave email in the dust in 2022.
Drift saw demand for instant and accurate responses increase by 64%.
The power of community knows no bounds and it’s one to have on your list for 2022. While organic Facebook might be dead, groups aren’t. Check out groups like those offered by companies like Slack and more. There are ample opportunities for you to engage your audience.
It’s been around for a while, but it’ll continue to grow and dominate in 2022.
Instagram was already offering product placement for your eCommerce businesses. These Now, posts, feeds, comments, chatbots, videos, forums or other means, depending on the social platform, can prompt social commerce.
While social commerce was primarily for Instagram and Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and WhatsApp are also catching up with social commerce features. In 2022, we imagine commerce options will be common in all major social media platforms.
Ok, so data-driven marketing isn’t a new thing, but, it certainly is picking up speed as we move into 2022.
Data-driven decisions can only be done with clear data. The problem marketers have is that their lead and sales data can be tricky to get visibility of.
Thankfully, there are tools to help you track each and every lead and all of their touchpoints. So, even if you’re selling offline, or you have a long sales cycle, you can still track the data you need, where you need it.
✏️ Note
Surprise, we help marketers with data-driven marketing! Book a demo to see it in action, or learn more about what we do by reading our complete guide to marketing attribution.
This one ties in nicely to developing your brand before your products. While reach is an important metric to track, what’s more important is making sure you’re relevant to your target audience.
While every piece of content is going to be selling you or your products, it still needs to be useful.
As we move ito 2022, it’s going to be even more important to highlight the personality behind your brand and show your potential customers that you understand their problems and what they care about.
And there you have it. 11 marketing trends for 2022!
Remember, the best way to plan for a new year is to review how your previous year went. We can help with that. Download our conversion benchmark report to see how players in your industry are currently performing and better understand how you rank. You might just find a new opportunity to explore in 2022!
