Every year, we see brand-new, surprising digital trends that set the stage for the direction of marketing. Even in the difficult year of 2021, we haven’t been let down. The digital marketing trends for 2022 are expected to be among the most innovative yet.

TikTok, which has now surpassed all other platforms as the most popular social media site among Gen Z users, continued its upward trend at the beginning of the year. NFTs and cryptocurrencies kept growing, igniting discussions about the financial industry’s future. By 2023, Google said it would phase out third-party cookies, giving advertisers and online marketers just two years to find alternative ways to connect with their target audience. In a gesture to the company’s desire to embrace the metaverse, a 3D virtual world, Facebook most recently changed its name to Meta.

Overall, the digital world is experiencing many innovative and exciting advances that will change how we interact with our audience. We’ve outlined the most important digital marketing trends to watch in 2022 to make it easier to understand and manage the coming year.

Here are the 9 digital marketing trends to get ahead of in 2022:

1. Short, DIY videos

Short video posts have replaced status updates and carefully managed photo grids on social media thanks to TikTok. Other platforms quickly joined the trend, with Youtube focusing on “shorts” and Instagram debuting its Reels feature.

Short videos draw attention to how quickly we consume content and the need for clear, concise messaging or interesting content that invites participation, such as learning a new dance, taking on a challenge, or answering surveys and polls.

The beautiful thing about these brief videos is that anyone can use their phone to put together a quick video that isn’t super polished. Younger viewers like candid, behind-the-scenes, DIY, authentic stories, and brief, entertaining video content that has a less polished appearance.

2. Tell a real story

Storytelling is crucial to brand marketing at all times. However, consumers are sick of hearing how you, the brand, think your products or services are superior to the competitors when it comes to selling your product in the contemporary market. They are interested in learning how you met their needs and expectations by keeping your commitments.

This does not imply that businesses should back off and let customer feedback speak for itself. Instead, businesses should explain through tales and client testimonials how the product or service may help to address a particular problem, rather than just telling consumers the advantages of their product or why it is superior to that of their competitors.

Although it might not result in immediate sales, it’s a terrific method to position your brand in front of customers who are thinking about a certain problem. In this manner, you will be the first person people consult when they encounter that problem.

3. Focus on your audience

Social media users have grown restless, worried, and occasionally sad as a result of the constant attack of content in their feeds for more than a year during lockdowns. Some people have even canceled their accounts after biting the bullet. It would be an understatement to suggest that the daily barrage of advertisements, campaigns, and news that floods social media feeds are overwhelming for those who choose to stick around.

Be aware of how many sales-related postings each individual sees in a two-minute scroll and think about how and why yours would stand out. You’ll find that your messaging reaches those who are most interested in what you do if you concentrate your strategy on connecting with your current audience and developing your database.

Consumers are becoming pickier about the material they receive and consume as the digital landscape changes, and as a result, their expectations are high. Don’t be one of the accounts that get unfollowed.

4. Privacy, transparency, and trust-building

Consumers are becoming increasingly suspicious of the content they are targeted with as a result of the overabundance of digital advertising. Because of this, digital marketers should get ready for stricter privacy regulations in 2022 that will change how they may track the activity of their users.

Google has actually stated that it would stop using third-party cookies by 2023. This implies that many marketers and advertisers will need to review their tactics.

However, data-driven content and marketing are not yet over. Even so, targeted advertising is not yet over. It’s the start of a new era of trust and transparency between business and customer if you’re searching for a way to look at the demise of digital marketing monopolies as we previously knew them. Informing customers of the information you are gathering and why is important. Make it simple and available for anyone to opt-out at any time. Additionally, only get the data you absolutely need.

Customers are more interested than ever in “keeping it real,” therefore if you embrace this new approach to digital marketing, it will probably have a positive impact on your customer relationships.

5. Personalization

In 2022, personalization will be very important. Making targeted advertisements that speak directly to your target market will produce better results than general content that tries to appeal to as many people as possible. You need to get more than just the material correct, though. In a landscape that is overly saturated, it is essential to make sure that your audience sees those advertisements at the appropriate time and location.

You can develop tailored messaging for each group by taking the time to comprehend the platforms your target uses and how they use them. This will make your advertising dollars go further and ensure that your message reaches the proper target in the method that appeals to them most. It may also result in enhanced customer loyalty.

Even if you’re marketing the same product, it’s important to consider diverse locales and cultural associations in addition to personalizing your marketing efforts for each social media platform. Because the customers who watch your campaign at various touchpoints will be persuaded by various content at various times and in various ways. Make your audience feel heard and understood; it’s time and work well spent, we assure you.

6. Content segmentation

The majority of businesses use segmentation to target clients with comparable demographics or related interests. Segmentation has been around for a while. Additionally, segmenting communication channels like e-newsletters, news, updates, or offers and promotions is a popular practice.

However, going beyond the conventional opt-in or -out marketing techniques, firms can focus on more thorough and attentive tagging of their email content that enables a user to really opt-out of getting particular sorts of content.

Bloom & Wild, a flower company that offers its consumers the option to opt out of marketing related to delicate events like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, is a perfect example of content segmentation in action. The Thoughtful Marketing Movement was also introduced in 2019, and it is based on the idea of “treating customers with the same care you would give your own friends and family.”

It doesn’t look good in the increasingly customized digital world when those who don’t celebrate Christmas are bombarded with holiday advertising every December.

7. Conversational marketing and quality interactions

Conversational marketing is nothing new because brands have been interacting with their consumers for a long time. However, with the growth of social media and chatbots, conversational marketing is expanding on a much bigger scale and altering the way companies connect with their customers.

The shift in consumer behaviors brought about by the rapid advancement of technology in recent years—namely, the expectation of instant and direct messaging in real-time, whether that be with friends, colleagues, or businesses—is likely the cause of the increased interest in conversational marketing. And now that chatbots are more popular, these discussions may take place more quickly and smoothly than ever before. Large amounts of data are generated as a result, which aids in understanding client wants and expectations.

This improves the brand’s relatability and gives the customer a generally favorable and satisfying experience. But it’s a challenging market to dominate; you must be well aware of your client’s expectations and demands to avoid having a fruitless or ineffective conversation.

8. Artificial intelligence in digital marketing

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years has made reporting more user-friendly and automated typical marketing activities like tracking website traffic and enhancing search engine optimization for natural reach. But now is the moment to consider how AI will affect digital marketing in the future, not just what we have already learned from it.

The capabilities of AI technology are expanding as well, from automating activities and advertising to predicting what clients are likely to want next. In comparison to humans, AI can evaluate more data more quickly. Because of this, it can use the extensive data set to examine client behavior and purchase history. After that, be able to advise a certain product or service or even tailored marketing.

You may target your customers with the goods or services they require at the precise moment they require them by using AI to predict their next action. High conversion rates and the impression that you comprehend your clients’ wants without being invasive or overpowering them with irrelevant targeting will result from this type of targeting.

9. NFTs and crypto in social media eCommerce

Even if you don’t personally invest in cryptocurrencies, it’s been hard to ignore the growth of NFTs and online currencies in recent years. On the surface, it might not seem like a trend that has an impact on your marketing plan, but in 2022, that’s not the kind of passivity we’re looking for!

Now is the moment to think about how your business may join the movement, with social media platforms like Twitter taking measures to integrate cryptocurrency payments and a growing trend for display tools that highlight in-app NFT sales. Avatars and NFT display options are already being promoted by Facebook, and we anticipate seeing more businesses follow suit.

With NFTs and cryptocurrencies, the emphasis is on considering how to market a brand beyond its goods and services, possibly even including the company’s ethos.

Ready for digital marketing in 2022?

There you have it: a simple guide to the top digital marketing trends that will be big in 2022. You won’t want to ignore them since it’s difficult. The greatest approach to maintain competitiveness and growth, and ensure client loyalty will be to keep on top of current developments.

Whether it’s NFTs, AI, or data privacy, technology will continue to rule in 2022. If you’re going into the new year with any resolutions, they should be focused on your agility, flexibility, and openness to change with the times. This year is going to be a significant year for breakthroughs in technology, marketing tools, and forward-thinking methods.

Everything changes, not always for the better. New ideas, inventions, and technologies emerge every day. And so do marketing trends. Marketing is a fast-paced industry with new innovations and trends popping up almost as quickly as old ones disappear. Keeping up with these changes can be challenging. Even more so when you’re working in an industry that requires you to adapt to new circumstances on a regular basis. The world of digital marketing is no different when it comes to trends emerging and disappearing as fast as lightning. Every marketer needs to stay on top of their game in order to keep up with the latest developments and remain relevant in their field of work. These are the 6 most important digital marketing trends you need to know about if you want to succeed in 2023:

Rich Content Marketing

Content marketing has been around for decades. It has also always been a crucial part of digital marketing campaigns. With the growing competition in online businesses, however, content marketing is becoming more important than ever. Rich content marketing campaigns are built on the idea of creating valuable, useful, and engaging content that helps you achieve your marketing goals. This can be in the form of written content, images, video, or a combination of all of these. This type of marketing is a great way to establish your brand, build trust and authority, generate leads, and increase your sales volume. Equally important is the fact that it doesn’t require a big investment. This makes it an excellent choice for startups and small businesses that don’t have a large budget to spend on marketing.

Artificial Intelligence for Marketing

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, it is gradually making its way into marketing campaigns. It has already proven its worth in many industries, including finance and medicine. It is also expected to play a crucial role in digital marketing in the future. The goal of AI-powered marketing campaigns is to provide better customer experiences, generate more leads, provide more personalized content, improve campaign efficiency, and increase ROI. When done right, AI can help you with your marketing efforts in many ways:

• Create better content: AI can help you create better content by generating ideas and suggestions based on your audience’s preferences and demographics.
• Personalize your messaging: You can personalize your messaging and increase your leads by using AI to analyze your audience’s data and create personalized content for them.
• Create more leads: AI-powered marketing tools can help you automatically generate leads by engaging your customers and encouraging them to take action based on their needs.
• Improve campaign efficiency: AI can help you track your marketing activities to see what works and what doesn’t. This allows you to make adjustments and optimize your campaign based on these insights.
• Increase ROI: Investing in AI tools can help you achieve a higher ROI with your marketing campaigns. You get more value out of your budget with better results.

Video Marketing

Video marketing has been around for decades, but it is experiencing a resurgence as the go-to way to connect with customers. There are many reasons for this:

• Videos are the most popular form of content on the internet. In fact, 90% of people consume videos every month. These numbers are expected to grow even further in the near future.
• Videos generate more leads and sales than other forms of content. They are also easier to create and cheaper to maintain than other marketing campaigns.
• Video marketing campaigns can be highly profitable, especially when you consider that customers are willing to pay more for products after watching videos about them.
• 70% of customers want more video content from brands.
• 85% of people would rather watch a video about a product than reading about it.

Virtual Reality for Marketing

VR is another marketing trend that is poised to make a major impact in the near future. It has been around for decades, but only recently has it experienced a major resurgence in popularity. VR can be used to create interactive experiences that bring products to life and allow customers to try them out before they make a purchase. When done right, VR marketing campaigns can help you achieve many different business goals:

• Create better content: VR can help you create more effective product demonstrations by letting you put your customers inside your products.
• Create better customer experiences: VR enables customers to try out your products and services from the comfort of their homes and get a real feel for what it’s like to work with you.
• Increase brand awareness: VR allows you to engage with your customers and give them a taste of what it’s like to do business with you. It does this by giving customers a preview of your products and services.
• Boost sales: VR lets you offer customers a better shopping experience by letting them try out your products from the comfort of their homes. This helps you increase your sales volume by reducing returns and increasing your average order value.
• Improve lead generation: VR can help you generate leads by letting you conduct virtual product demonstrations. This allows you to target new audiences and engage your customers in new ways.

GDPR and Data Protection

A decade ago, many people didn’t think privacy was important. Unfortunately, this negligence led to some major data breaches that are still affecting people today. This has prompted lawmakers to introduce GDPR, a new data protection law that is expected to further change the face of digital marketing. With GDPR, the EU hopes to safeguard its citizens’ data and protect them from further breaches. GDPR also applies to businesses outside of the EU. This means marketers need to adhere to specific data protection requirements and collect less data when engaging with customers. This will change the way you approach digital marketing campaigns. GDPR will also make it more difficult to achieve certain marketing goals:

• GDPR will make lead generation more difficult. This is because you have to obtain permission from your customers before you can contact them. This changes the way you approach digital marketing campaigns.

Summary

Keep these 6 digital marketing trends in mind if you want to succeed in the coming years. Investing in rich content marketing campaigns, creating more videos, and using VR technology to boost your brand awareness and interact with customers will help you achieve your marketing goals. GDPR and data protection are also important issues to keep in mind. Stay up-to-date with the latest developments in these areas and you’ll be in a good position to tackle the challenges and opportunities of the future.