Digital marketing can be a fickle beast. Although it’s important to plan for both the short- and long-term futures, it’s impossible to be certain which way the trends are going to go. However, industry giants do us a great service by performing huge amounts of research on these topics, giving us some insights into expected upcoming trends. 2020 threw the world a curveball that it never saw coming and like many, digital marketers were caught completely unawares. After two years of the ‘new normal’, we’re dusting ourselves down and getting back on track. So, without further ado, here are some of the expected digital marketing trends for 2022.
Digital marketing can be a fickle beast. Although it’s important to plan for both the short- and long-term futures, it’s impossible to be certain which way the trends are going to go. However, industry giants do us a great service by performing huge amounts of research on these topics, giving us some insights into expected upcoming trends. 2020 threw the world a curveball that it never saw coming and like many, digital marketers were caught completely unawares. After two years of the ‘new normal’, we’re dusting ourselves down and getting back on track. So, without further ado, here are some of the expected digital marketing trends for 2022.
Privacy is king
Privacy was perhaps the buzzword of internet-related affairs in 2021 and that shows absolutely no sign of abating. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), tracking-free search engines and encrypted communications are rapidly becoming the norm, as consumers become increasingly concerned that companies know more about them than they’d like.
While this long-overdue societal shift restores a little faith that we won’t completely descend into a 1984-style Orwellian dystopia, it does pose a challenge for digital marketers. 2022 is the year where brands have to get it right. One wrong privacy-related gaffe has the ability to smash a reputation, and it will take a long time to rebuild that trust.
Data protection strategies need to be reviewed with a customer-first approach, and brands have to accept that they’ll have less data available for digital marketing purposes. Be proactive in assessing the impact this may have on your marketing strategy and consider alternative means of targeting your audience.
Video marketing
Video marketing is rapidly on the rise, with social media platforms consistently reporting increasing engagement over the last few years. In fact, video is the most engaged-with form of social content, with 85% of marketers considering short-form video the most effective form of social media content in 2021.
Thanks to the more human element, videos allow digital marketers to connect with their audiences in a way that no other content form can. Whether it features a friendly-faced presenter or a simple voice over, our brains are hardwired to lock in on it. This makes it far easier to form a bond with your audience, rapidly building credibility and loyalty if managed correctly.
There’s an abundance of data available on the effectiveness of video on various platforms, along with comparisons of different forms of video themselves. Product demonstrations, webinars and live video events form a portion of this list, and each has its place. However, it’s interesting to see that live events tend to be watched three times longer than pre-recorded video and are a very popular way for audiences to learn about new products. This approach taps into the FOMO effect (fear of missing out), as audiences want to be the first to get snippets of game-changing information in a live event.
Any way you look at it, video marketing is going to be a key tool for digital marketers in 2022.
Embracing technology
The march of technology never ceases – it’s part of what makes our jobs so interesting! However, figuring out the direction of the next shift is almost as challenging as the development of a marketing strategy to utilise it.
Of course, advancements in technology take almost limitless forms. Chatbots and AI began to take to the digital marketing stage a few years back, and many brands have been keen to adopt them as part of their websites and social media. However, for smaller companies, figuring out this new tech was a little out of their scope.
As these tools have become the norm, simple, ready-to-use options have surfaced, allowing brands of all sizes to reap the benefits. By establishing an immediate line of communication with customers and giving instant answers, you can provide a great experience that encourages them to make a purchase and return to your brand in the future.
In a similar vein, voice search has also enjoyed continued popularity with consumers, with rapid improvements to reliability in this area of technology offering a convenient alternative to typing. To stand a chance in the SERPs once voice takes over, you need to make sure your website is optimised for voice search by prioritising the who, what, why, when, where and how questions that make up semantic searches relating to your industry. This is particularly important for local SEO campaigns and ranking for “near me” searches.
How will you approach digital marketing in 2022?
2022 heralds interesting times for digital marketers, encouraging us to further evolve with the times and consider the concerns of our audience, and how best to address them.
One thing is clear, the role of marketing is developing far beyond selling products, making an already complex job even more daunting. If you need help with your digital marketing strategy in 2022, contact DWH today and we’ll be happy to discuss the right way to move your brand forward.
Claire Baldwin
Claire has over 10 years' copywriting experience across a range of print and digital media, working with a variety of styles, formats and tones of voice. She has written as part of an in-house team client side, as well as at marketing agencies based in the East Midlands. Claire's services include copywriting, copy editing, content creation and proofreading.