Every year, we see new and surprising digital trends emerging, laying the foundations for marketing’s future. Even in a tough year like 2021, we haven’t been let down. The digital marketing trends in 2022 are expected to become the most revolutionary ever.
The rise of TikTok, which has now exceeded all other platforms as the most popular social media network among Gen Z users, continued at the start of this year. NFTs and cryptocurrencies grew in popularity, stirring discussions about the future of finance. Google has conveyed that third-party cookies would be pulled out by 2023, giving advertisers and digital marketers less than two years to find new ways to target their potential customers. In a reference to the company’s aim to embrace the metaverse, a 3D virtual world, Facebook just changed its name to Meta.
Overall, there are numerous new and interesting advancements in the digital world that will have an impact on how we connect with our audiences.
To assist you to understand and manage the year ahead, we’ve listed down the 9 key digital marketing trends you cannot ignore in 2022.
9 Digital Marketing Trends
Here are the 9 most popular trends in digital marketing in 2022.
1. Do-it-yourself videos and short videos
TikTok has altered social media’s landscape away from status updates and curated photo grids and toward brief video posts. Other platforms quickly followed suit, with Instagram releasing its Instagram reels feature and Youtube adopting the shorts format.
The necessity for basic and quick messages or interesting content that urges us to participate whether it’s learning a new dance, joining a challenge, or participating in surveys and polls is highlighted by short films.
The beautiful thing about these short videos is that anyone with a smartphone can put together a quick video that isn’t perfectly manicured. Furthermore, this brief engaging video content is honest, behind-the-scenes, DIY, true stories, and has a more unpolished look, which is what younger consumers look for!
2. Pay attention to your target audience
Over the course of a year, social media users have grown exhausted, worried, and even disheartened looking at the constant bombardment of content in their feeds. Some people have gone so far as to delete their accounts.
Consider how many marketing posts each person experiences in a two-minute scroll, and consider how and why yours would stand out. If you concentrate your strategy on engaging with your current audience and growing your database, you’ll notice that your message reaches the people who are most interested in what you do.
Consumers are getting more choosy about the content they receive and consume as the digital landscape changes, and as a result, their expectations are high. Make sure that you aren’t one of those accounts that get unfollowed.
3. Tell a true story
It is important not to underestimate the value of storytelling in brand marketing. Consumers are tired of hearing how you, the brand, believe your goods or services are superior to the competition when it comes to selling your product in the modern landscape. They want to know how well you’ve carried through on your promises and filled their wants and expectations.
This isn’t to say that brands should sit back and let their reviews speak for themselves. Rather than merely telling customers about the benefits of their product or why it’s better than the competition, businesses should use stories and client testimonials to demonstrate how the product or service may assist them to solve a specific problem.
Storytelling is the new marketing method. It won’t immediately sell, but it will make your buyers think to themselves, “Damn, maybe I should try this out.”
It may not result in immediate sales, but it’s a terrific method to get your brand in front of consumers who are thinking about a certain issue. Therefore, you will be the first person they call if they have a problem.
4. Segmentation of content
Segmentation has been around for a long time, and most businesses will utilize it to target clients with similar demographics or common interests. It’s also normal to segment different types of messages, such as e-newsletters, news, updates, or offers and promotions.
But, in addition to the traditional opt-in or-out marketing methods, businesses can explore more extensive and thoughtful branding of their email content that allows users to really opt-out of getting certain types of content.
Bloom and Wild, a floral firm, is an excellent example of content segmentation in action since it allows clients to opt-out of content related to sensitive occasions like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. They also started the Thoughtful Marketing Movement in 2019, which is based on the notion of “serving clients with the same care you would show your own friends and family.”
Consider how many people who don’t celebrate Christmas are bombarded with holiday marketing every December: it doesn’t leave a good impression in an increasingly customized digital world.
5. Confidentiality, transparency, and building trust
Consumers are becoming increasingly sceptical of the content they’re being targeted with as a result of the overload of digital advertising. As a result, digital marketers should plan for greater privacy limitations in 2022, which will change how they may track their consumers’ behaviour.
Google has stated that third-party cookies would be wiped out by 2023. Because of this, many marketers and advertisers are going to have to rethink their strategies.
However, data-driven content and marketing are not dead. The end of customized advertising isn’t even a thought to be discussed. Consider this: it’s the start of a new era of trust and transparency between a company and a consumer if you’re searching for a new outlook on this revolution of digital marketing monopolies as we know them. Inform customers about the data you’re collecting and why you’re collecting it. Make it simple and quick to opt out at any time. Also, only collect the information you require.
As previously said, customers are more interested than ever in “keeping it real,” and embracing this new trend of digital marketing is sure to create excellent benefits for your customer interactions.
6. Customization
In 2022, customization will be a major factor. Creating targeted advertising that caters to your audience will yield more beneficial results than broad content that casts a wide net in the hopes of reaching as many people as possible. But it’s not simply the content that must be perfect. In an oversaturated market, ensuring that your audience receives those advertisements at the proper time and place is critical to engagement.
You can build customized messaging depending on each demographic if you take the time to learn about the platforms your audience utilizes and how they use them. This will ensure that your message reaches the proper audience in the most appealing way possible, allowing you to stretch your ad budget further and potentially boost customer retention.
Even if you’re marketing the same product, it’s not only about customizing your marketing efforts for each social media platform; it’s also about taking into account different locales and cultural connections. Because unique content, at different times, and in different ways, will interest customers observing your campaign at different touchpoints. Believe us when we say that making your audience feel noticed and understood is well worth the time and effort.
7. Artificial intelligence in digital marketing
Artificial intelligence (AI) improvements in recent years have resulted in more sensible reporting, as well as the automation of typical marketing activities such as site traffic monitoring and search engine optimization for organic reach. Instead of focusing on what we’ve already learned from AI, it’s time to think about how it will impact digital marketing in the future.
As AI technology improves, so do its capabilities, which have progressed from automated activities and campaigns to the ability to anticipate what customers will want next. AI can analyze more data and often at a faster rate than humans. As a result, it can assess the purchase history and behaviour of clients using the enormous data set available. Then you’ll be able to recommend a certain item or offer, or even a customized ad.
You can target your customers with the product or service they need, just when they need it, by using AI to predict their next step. This type of targeting will result in high conversion rates and the impression that you are mindful of your client’s demands without being bothersome or overwhelming them with useless targeting.
8. Quality engagement and conversational marketing
Brands have been connecting with their customers for years, so conversational marketing is nothing new. This type of conversational marketing is gaining pace and redefining the way organizations connect with their clients, thanks to the rise of social media and chatbots.
Increased interest in conversational marketing is likely due to a shift in consumer behaviours that have been accelerated by technology in recent years, especially, the expectation of instant and direct messaging in real-time, whether with friends, colleagues, or corporations. These discussions may now take place on a wider scale, faster, and more fluidly than ever before, thanks to the increased use of chatbots. Large amounts of data are generated as a result, which aids in the understanding of customers’ requirements and expectations.
This not only increases the brand’s relatability but also gives the customer a positive and rewarding experience. But it’s a tough arena to own: make sure you know exactly what your customer wants and needs so that the conversation doesn’t go off track or become useless.
9. Social media eCommerce clubbing with NFTs and crypto
Even if you aren’t a cryptocurrency investor, the rise of online currencies and non-fiat currencies (NFTs) in recent years has been difficult to ignore. It may not appear to be a trend that will affect your marketing plan on the surface, but that’s not the kind of naive thinking we’re looking for in 2022!
Now is the moment to consider how your organization can jump on board, with social media platforms like Twitter aiming to integrate cryptocurrency payments and a growing trend for display tools that promote in-app NFT purchases. Facebook is already encouraging the usage of NFT display options and avatars, and we anticipate that other businesses will follow suit.
With NFTs and other cryptocurrencies, the focus is on figuring out how to market the brand beyond products and services, and possibly the brand itself and its ideology.
Conclusion
So there you are!! You can’t afford to ignore the top digital marketing trends expected to make an impression in 2022. They’re difficult to overlook, and you won’t want to. The greatest way to stay competitive, grow, and secure consumer loyalty is to stay on top of current trends.
In 2022, technology will continue to lead the way in everything right from NFTs to AI to data privacy. It’s going to be a major year for technological innovations, marketing tools, and forward-thinking strategies, so if you’re making any resolutions for the new year, consider those around your agility, flexibility, and willingness to change with the times.
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