What lies ahead for digital marketing trends in 2022? We look into our crystal ball.
2022 is set to be a big year for digital marketing, especially as covid has driven a huge rise in internet shopping. The high street’s loss is the digital marketer’s gain and as tools such as AI and VR become more sophisticated there’s an increasing number of creative ways to reach customers, build relationships with them and ultimately sell your products and services. Here are our top predictions for 2022.
The rise of the metaverse
The recent rebrand of Facebook’s parent company to Meta reflects the huge significance “metaverse” tools, assets and resources such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have for the digital marketing of the future. Brands will increasingly embrace these elements – for example, by selling digital-only assets that provide access to exclusive content and online spaces; buy enabling people to try on products virtually; by offering innovative AR experiences such as those used by Starbucks to bring its coffee cups to life using animation; and by enabling customers to design custom products online.
Short form video
Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Stories and YouTube Stories will become more popular than ever in 2022 as businesses recognise and harness the power of short form storytelling. This will be a key channel for digital in 2022, helping to build strong customer relationships and engagement. Watch out for a rise in livestream shopping events too.
The continued rise of micro influencers
A knock-on effect of the rise of TikTok and Instagram Stories is the increased power of nano and micro-influencers – that is, influencers with between 1000 and 100,000 followers. These influencers are more affordable than the bigger names and facilitate keenly targeted marketing to very specific audiences. The recommendations of “normal people” often carry more weight with consumers as compared to recommendations from major celebrities, and as the reach of short form video platforms expands, so will the power of the micro-influencer.
Email marketing
It’s the oldest form of digital marketing but still one of the most effective. Email marketing enables brands to communicate directly with customers and potential buyers and to send them highly personalised messages. Its importance will continue in 2022, with an emphasis on sending relevant, engaging, timely content.
Podcasts
Podcasts offer a way to showcase your brand through engaging, value-added audio content, building subscribers and increasing brand buy-in. Their popularity is set to rise in 2022, with podcasts from individuals and brands reaching a growing audience. To maximise reach there will be an emphasis on promoting podcasts on social media, via email marketing, through blog posts and by using keywords and SEO.
Focus on first-party data
With ad blockers shutting out third party cookies and Google committed to phasing out third party cookies in 2023, digital marketing efforts will increasingly focus on gathering first party data, encouraging people to hand over their details in return for offers, newsletters, podcasts and other appealing content.
Need help?
At Primedia Marketing we can take your digital marketing efforts to the next level and help you succeed in 2022. Get in touch today to find out more about how we can help you.