By Sean Cleland

10/27/2021

DIGITAL MARKETING 2022:

IMPORTANT DETAILS AND EMERGING TRENDS

Marketing and change are droplets from the same faucet; they go hand-in-hand. Every marketer faces the continuous challenge of marketing the products in a viable manner while keeping up with emerging trends as consumer demands alter.

Let's talk about the year 2021 and how the global pandemic abrupted many conventional mechanisms and affected traditional industries to put things into perspective. As a result, consumers are transitioning to e-commerce platforms to make their purchases.

According to the UN, the e-commerce market jumped to $26.7 trillion due to COVID-19. This was undoubtedly a huge challenge to overcome for the marketers as they had to transition towards e-platforms.

THE SHIFT TOWARDS DIGITIZATION

Although the detrimental effects of the pandemic have been curbed over time, many consumers have gotten used to the comfort of staying inside. As a result, marketers now have to develop innovative virtual ways to keep them entertained continually. As a result, 2021 witnessed many changes, and we are about to experience many more as we head towards 2022.

There are many things to expect; the seed of digital marketing planted last year will sprout exponentially in the coming year. What mediums will prove to be successful in reaching the target audience? What will be the emerging trends? How do we provide consumers value for money?

We will discuss all these possibilities and emerging trends for the upcoming year and essential details to keep in mind.

7 WAYS TO IMPROVE Your online presence IN 2022:

Let's discuss how marketers can leverage unorthodox methods to engage their audience and attract more individuals to their platforms.

1. A FUSION TAKE ON EVENTS:

When the epidemic caused shutdowns and made social distance compulsory, marketing departments abruptly canceled a wide range of physical events, from store ostentatious launch parties to large-ticket stage shows. Virtual events, in their place, have become a cornerstone for connecting with consumers and prospects.

Higher expenditure on digital media and social channels contributed to the success of these events. However, if you want a winning strategy and want more and more consumers to have an interactive experience with your brand, you must provide them with the facility to participate in e-events without stepping out of their comfort zone.

2. MAKE USE OF VIDEO-BASED CAMPAIGNING:

Usage of static visuals is a widespread technique used by marketers, and its saturation is slowly kicking it out of the picture and making it obsolete. A transition towards video-based campaigns has been witnessed for the past three years, and according to Forbes, it is set to conquer the marketing front entirely.

In addition, HubSpot stated that more than 86% of brand and marketing managers already implemented video-posting in 2021 as a technique to engage and interact with their customers.

Cisco predicts that more than 80% of the consumers will partake in video-watching by 2022 to learn more about the products and offerings of a business.

Millions of consumers watch videos on social media platforms every day, and marketers must capitalize on this trait.

3. SOCIAL MEDIA RELEVANCY:

According to research conducted by HootSuite in 2021, there are currently over 4.2 billion social media users globally, and on average, every user has around 8.6 social media accounts, as confirmed by Backlinko. The defying quantity of these socially linked consumers is more than enough to justify this marketing strategy.

The best technique to incorporate is posting material that leaves a lasting impression using platforms with the highest footfall. Just consider TikTok as an example, it has been downloaded over 200 million times, and this number is expected to increase even more by 2022. They have over 1 billion users as of now, and this is continually growing.

It would be best if you leveraged the footfall on the fastest-growing social media platforms to promote your brand and reach new audiences.

4. MAKING USE OF MICRO-INFLUENCERS

Every time you open a social media app, you are bound to come across at least one celebrity-endorsed product; this kind of marketing comes under the umbrella of influencer marketing. Every brand uses this tactic to attract consumers, where they employ relevant artists who resonate with their brand image to promote their business, which has proven to be a success. As a result, influencer marketing has continued to grow year on year and is expected to be worth 15 billion by 2022.

The concern for marketers is the big chunk of the marketing budget that these influencers eat away – and as a result, more brands have started to switch towards micro-influencers. This way, they can employ more influencers or celebrities in the same budget and impact the audience more. Examples of such influencers can be bloggers, stand-up comedians, local musicians, and more.

5. VOICE SEARCH OVER TYPING

Consumers have gotten weary of the traditional way of searching for queries or products that they want to purchase. Now, we are witnessing a swing towards voice search. By 2022, smart speaker devices are expected to be in the hands of 55% of households. The reason for this change is the convenience users avail of through voice search – it provides accurate results and reduces the on-screen time of the user. Over 71% of users now prefer searching with voice rather than typing out.

For marketers to leverage from this change, they can implement Voice Search Engine Optimization. If they execute it correctly, the voice assistant will display the most desired search results. For example, you run a pediatric clinic. You can get your website voice optimized, and every time a prospective patient searches for a pediatrician nearby through the voice assistant on their smartphone, your website will rank higher in the results.

6. PRODUCT REVIEWS WILL BE A VITAL DIFFERENTIATING ASPECT

Looking up for user reviews of the product you are about to purchase is not uncommon knowledge, and every one of us does this. 2022 will witness a more significance of product reviews; hence to overcome the impediment of ambiguity regarding genuine products and their quality, many companies have a dedicated review section on their websites. Those who do not put up user reviews are assumed to be false and shady – as a brand custodian, you wouldn't want to layout a wrong impression! Trust us.

The medium you should be targeting is Google Business, which is the go-to site for consumers looking for accurate product reviews.

7. LOCAL SEO USING GOOGLE-AUTHENTICATED LISTINGS

For local companies, such as a cleaning service or a grooming salon, the Google My Business listing gives crucial details and aids in establishing your presence.

Establishing a defined geographic service area with a Google My Business page allows clients to discover more about the company through Google Search results. Any prospective customer may view your business hours, location, and rating system left by the other customers in a snap. In addition, it also helps you appear in "near me" queries.

More business owners will opt for this because it will define their operations as verified, making them more authentic and trustworthy in the clients' eyes. A call, website click, or direct request is a result of 5 percent of the views on Google My Business Listing, making it a conversion rate of 5% - this is expected to grow even more by 2022.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCIES:

As you can see, 2022 has a lot in store for us, and trends are continually fluctuating. Having a solid digital marketing agency on your speed dial will prove to be nothing but beneficial for businesses. They will make your lives easier and provide your brand or business with all the current and unconventional approaches and mechanisms to give them that much-needed competitive edge.

It is already challenging to look after all the organization's departments, and if we add the digitization factor into it, it will only get grimmer. Make your lives simpler, let agencies such as ours do the work so that you can divert your energy into other vital elements of the business.

KEY TAKEAWAY

With the paradigm of marketing shifting daily, brands need to be thoroughly prepared with what the future is bringing to the table. 2022 will witness more growth in digitization and e-platforms, and organizations need to be equipped for that reason.

Making use of social media, including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook – ads, in particular, voice search, the importance of SEO Google Listings, along with the rest of the points mentioned above, are going to be essential. So, do your research accordingly or just hire a digital marketing agency and let the magic unfold!