Digital Marketing Trends in 2022 That Will Drive Success
Kit McKinley
Agency Director
2022 is the year of strategic change. In the past, marketing was about getting your name out there. This year, it will be about a strong brand, engaging storytelling, and the effectiveness of that story. Marketing will consist of business owners taking risks, investing in their brands, and listening more to their engaged customers.
Effective marketing is more than just short-term quick wins; it requires long-term planning with compelling storytelling that will be more pivotal in a company’s success. Here we will highlight some trends to achieve success.
Video Marketing
Video marketing is the future of marketing! This might sound like an overstatement, but there is data to prove it. Google states that YouTube reaches more 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the United States. (More YouTube Statistics by FortuneLords) Facebook reports six times the engagement to video posts vs. photo and link posts, and Twitter has also seen an increase in video views by 160%.
What does this mean for Marketers? It means that video needs to be in your strategy, or you could be missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with your audience and build their trust. Video is vital for building customer relationships; it puts a human voice behind the brand and builds credibility and customer loyalty.
2022 will see more short-form videos. While long-form videos can dive deep into helpful information, marketers know the effectiveness of getting straight to the point. Not only does it take less bandwidth to create these videos, but they align with the fast-paced attention spans of audiences found on TikTok, Reels, and Snapchat.
Content Marketing
In 2022 we can expect even more fragmentation and noise, making it harder to break through with advertising messages alone. Content marketing is one of the most important aspects of any digital strategy.
Content is a powerful way to connect with customers while engaging and building trust. Good content builds credibility, which will turn leads into customers. Compelling storytelling can make a company into something consumers want to engage in, which can go the opposite direction with missing or destructive content.
We believe in the CORE content model, Create Once, Repurpose Everywhere, to keep the story fluid and consistent across all platforms.
Focus More on Data Analytics and Metrics
A significant focus on data analytics will be more critical than ever in 2022. Companies are spending less money, and showing return on investment will become increasingly important to justify purchases and budgets.
If you have detailed information about your customers’ behavior, you can make better business decisions. Data analytics helps you understand what drives them. With increased customer service, marketing teams need to identify audiences and their likes and dislikes. It’s key to understand what consumers think and support branding efforts.
Social Media Content
Social media channels, such as Facebook and Instagram, have drastically changed since they came onto the scene. We have seen the addition of stories, reels, and even a rebranding. Consumers are scrolling so quickly that it has become difficult for brands to capture their attention for extended periods. The days of selling on social are long gone, and why storytelling is the best approach.
Social media has become more visually driven, meaning it is essential to create high-quality images and videos to garner the interest of potential customers. Businesses need to concentrate on creating content that will be shared outside of their brand itself.
Don’t forget about your permanent content! We aren’t saying good-bye to ephemeral content, the type that stays published for 24-hours before disappearing but seeing the effectiveness of standard posts, videos, and live events in a platform’s feed viewed at a later date. If you are focused on the bottom line, ephemeral content might not be the best strategy, but a mix of both ephemeral and permanent gives the urgency and engagement of temporary content and a steady stream of attraction, brand awareness, and discoverability of content that doesn’t disappear.
Influencers
Influencer marketing is moving from trend to a common marketing tactic. HubSpot reports,” While 57% of marketing professionals that currently leverage influencer marketing say it’s effective, 46% of them plan to increase their investments in 2022. Additionally,11% say it’s the top ROI-generating trend they’ve tested.”
How is this trend evolving to a commonly-used tactic? Influencers come with an engaged audience and are usually masters of their platform. Companies can expand brand awareness and gain new fans with collaboration with influencers.
Can’t afford celebrity influencers? Micro-influencers, those with smaller followings (thousands to tens of thousands), often come with a higher level of engagement and have found their niche in their industries. These influencers play a more significant role in connecting to audiences, boosting brand awareness, and converting leads.
Improve Customer Experience
The future of marketing will focus on customer needs, not selling. Data and internet companies, like Google, have made it possible to hyper-personalize experiences based on customers’ previous actions online. This gives businesses the ability to understand their clients better and build better long-term relationships with them, which leads to brand loyalty and advocacy.
People want to be approached as individuals, not just a wallet. With this in mind, marketers need to provide value before pitching products or services. Marketing and product development teams need to work together to create excellent user interfaces with great marketing content focused on the strategy of value and need fulfillment.
Consumer experience is now at the top of almost every company’s list of priorities, meaning all departments need to deliver it effectively. This reorientation can be challenging but will create a more memorable consumer experience, leading to increased brand awareness and higher sales. I wrote this article last year about changing from the funnel model to the flywheel model and how it is customer-centric.
Marketing roles are forever evolving and should be considered educators and leaders. These roles are to work with consumers to learn their behaviors, needs, and wants and, in turn, educate them on how their lives will be better with products or services. It’s getting the message in front of the right audience and telling the story that builds awareness, value, and trust. Set yourself apart with detailed, data-driven content that answers all the questions.
Related Resources:
Read about a more customer-centric marketing model, the flywheel.
Check out some new trends in video marketing here.
