Top 5 Digital Marketing Trends to Watch in 2022
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Each year, we witness the emergence of new and surprising digital trends that establish the groundwork for marketing’s future. And we have not been disappointed, even in a year as turbulent as 2021. If anything, the digital marketing trends for 2022 are expected to be some of the most revolutionary in history.
The start of the year witnessed the continued rise of TikTok, which has now surpassed all other social media platforms as the most popular platform among Gen Z users. NFTs and cryptocurrencies maintained their momentum, igniting debates about the financial future. Google recently declared that it would phase out third-party cookies by 2023, giving advertisers and digital marketers less than two years to find new ways to reach their target audiences. And most recently, Facebook rebranded as Meta, a tribute to the company’s aim to embrace the metaverse, a three-dimensional virtual environment.
In sum, there are numerous new and interesting innovations taking place in the digital world that will impact the way we connect with our audience. To assist you in digesting and navigating the year ahead, we’ve summarized the important digital marketing trends to watch in 2022.
The following are the top 5 digital marketing trends to watch in 2022.
Authentic long-form content
According to experts from one of the top digital marketing agencies in Singapore, if you are not creating or publishing long-form content, you do not stand a chance to rank on search engines! Real content is a highly effective marketing technique for small businesses on a shoestring budget. However, you’ll want to keep it longer as well. While 2021 was the year of Instagram and TikTok videos, with its three- to five-minute clips, 2022 sees the pendulum swinging in the opposite direction, with 1,000- to 7,500-word essays becoming the standard.
This holds for both blog entries and articles and video and audio content. Sharing information about issues of interest to your customers is an excellent method to increase brand exposure and loyalty. You may earn trust by demonstrating that you care about more than just making a transaction.
Whether your content is a social media post, a blog article, or an email blast, strike a balance between promoting your items and delivering useful, practical advice.
Conversational AI Technologies and chatbots
According to Drift’s State of Conversational Marketing research, nearly 42% of consumers purchase using conversational AI and chatbots. Despite this, most small business owners questioned stated that they did not employ technology. Chatbots and increasingly complex conversational AI can answer basic questions from clients at any time of day or night, even if you’re busy with other work.
“With a controlled message, AI-powered chatbots may be utilized for customer assistance, significantly increasing contact strategy,” said Joey Penick, vice president of marketing at Lumen Technologies. “These chatbots have gotten so realistic that many customers are unaware they exist, but they also have the extra benefit of gathering, analyzing, and providing actionable data that can be utilized to improve the customer experience.”
Short, DIY videos
TikTok has altered the social media environment away from status updates and carefully managed photo grids and toward brief video posts. Other platforms quickly followed suit, with Instagram debuting its Reels feature and Youtube embracing shorts.
Short films emphasize our fast-paced material consumption and the importance of basic and brief messages or interesting content that invites us to participate—whether it’s about accepting a challenge, learning a new dance, or participating in surveys and polls.
The beautiful thing about these short videos is that anyone can create a quick video that isn’t perfectly finished on their phone. Additionally, this brief, engaging video content is frank, behind-the-scenes, DIY, true stories, and has a more unpolished look, which younger customers desire.
Analytical data mining
While most organizations prioritize data analytics, marketers have a long way to go, according to Curtis Tingle, senior vice president of product at intelligent media delivery provider Valassis.
“Marketers must get a better understanding of how to use the data they collect,” he said. “Customers are continually providing firms with personal information – everything from purchase behaviors to preferred items to the best ways to reach them via advertising and marketing activities. Customers are seeking a return on their data sharing, whether it be in the form of more personalized marketing or targeted coupons/deals.”
Tingle’s point is critical: Marketers must do more than collect data. The data must be meaningful, and firms must utilize it to optimize their marketing campaigns. [Related: Is Analytics Predictive or Prescriptive? Both Are Required for Your Business]
Predictive data; smarter, scalable, and more customizable datasets; edge computing for faster analysis; and hybrid computing, which combines off-premises and on-premises cloud solutions, are the key trends for 2022. Additionally, you’ll see an increase in the use of machine learning-driven solutions such as augmented analytics, engineering decision analytics, and data visualization for improved decision-making, business management, insight, and automation.
The Metaverse
The metaverse is a futuristic synthesis of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI) that culminates in a new 3D immersive experience that blurs the line between physical and digital. Due to the explosion of cryptocurrency valuations, this virtual world has become a reality.
Examples include interactive advertisements such as NASCAR on the interactive game platform Roblox. Users can construct avatars to “enjoy” experiences without purchasing them. This has resulted in the marketing company’s newest word, “advertising,” which refers to the practice of marketers and businesses advertising their products through gaming. According to Wunderman Thompson, advertising has taken over the film and music industries.
On the retail frontier, firms are also experimenting with technology such as augmented reality to create integrated shopping experiences in which shoppers may “try on” garments, “sit” in chairs, and “live” in certain geographical places via their avatars.
Conclusion
This concludes your handy guide to the leading digital marketing concepts we anticipate gaining traction in 2022. They’re difficult to ignore, and you’re not going to want to. Keeping up with current trends is the surest way to maintain competitiveness, growth, and consumer loyalty.
From quantum computing to artificial intelligence to data privacy, technology continues to lead in 2022. It’s going to be a major year for technological developments, marketing tools, and forward-thinking techniques, so if you’re making any resolutions for the new year, they should focus on your agility, flexibility, and willingness to adapt to changing circumstances.
