Imagine the frustration of entering a store with no clear signage, disorganized shelves, and no staff to guide you. How long would you stay? The same applies to website navigation.
2021 brought a completely new perspective on digital marketing. Because of the pandemic, many companies decided to move to the digital world, even though they did not expect that they would have to implement such a change so abruptly. Some did not succeed, but the vast majority soaked in the world of the Internet and appreciated its possibilities. What are the current trends in marketing and what can we expect in 2022?
What’s new in digital marketing? Create a positive digital experience!
The first thing that shows up in all predictions about the top digital marketing trends for 2022 is digital experience. What is that? The main point is to make shopping online or the decision to contact a service provider as easy or attractive as possible for customers. The idea is to build a positive digital experience that will convince customers to like your brand and make them more likely to buy something. How can you achieve this?
- The virtual assistant is a feature that is often described as one of the hottest digital marketing trends. Waiting for hours on end, trying to reach an agent on the customer service line, is one of the worst experiences that most consumers mention in surveys. On the other hand, the costs of employing a large number of people to operate a customer support line or outsourcing it to a call center company can become the bane of an entrepreneur. That’s why having a virtual assistant is one of the best solutions! Such bots are able to eliminate most problems or answer all initial inquiries regarding the offer, and only redirect the contact to the appropriate consultant when it’s actually needed! In general, artificial intelligence is one of the repeating marketing trends in 2022.
- Virtual maps, online fitting rooms for jewelry and VR offer presentations are also a great way to build positive consumer experiences.
- Providing demonstration systems or test packages.
- Non-standard approach to the offer presentation. It can be, for example, a surprising short film, a presentation prepared with the use of VR or employment of a famous person from the industry for the promotion.
Storytelling is back!
When it comes to digital marketing forecasts, there’s definitely a lot of talk about storytelling coming back. There was a point in early 2021 when storytelling felt unimportant and a lot of companies did not want to use it. However, they quickly changed their opinion, after realizing there’s nothing better than a good narrative. This year, storytelling will come back in full force! Users love stories, they need to know what kind of people are behind a given brand, they want to be aware of who they are buying from. A good story can help you in sales, so keep that in mind.
Authenticity – one of the top digital marketing trends
For a while, one of the biggest trends in online marketing has been authenticity. This trend will be even more visible in 2022! People want to see all the work done backstage, they value brand transparency, and are fed up with filtered content. There is a trend among influencers to not use any filters, to show the ups and downs of their lives and that they are just normal people – like their audience. The use of retouching or presets in photos decreases. People start to value authenticity more than anything else. Users want to feel that brands are made for them – for “ordinary people.”
Artificial intelligence – help for marketers
We’ve already mentioned artificial intelligence, but it’s worth expanding on this trend a bit. Upcoming digital marketing trends assume that it will be also often used in analytics. One of the tools that marketers love is LinkedIn Sales Navigator, which, in a nutshell, was created to better understand the clients and improve communication with them, and thus obtain leads.
Automation – one of the latest digital marketing trends
All activities related to marketing automation are very important to dynamically develop one’s brand. In 2022 marketers will definitely put a lot of emphasis on this idea. Some time ago, they had to collect data on their own, perform analyzes and only then adapt advertisements to the results. Thanks to automation, they can match messages or other activities to a specific target group with one button! How does it actually work? For example, if you have an online store with different products, you can send different messages in emails to a group interested in cosmetics, and a different one to a group that pays attention mainly to clothes.
No cookies!
Innovative digital marketing predicts an even greater focus on maintaining the anonymity and privacy of users. Starting from 2022, Google officially withdraws from supporting the third party cookies. Consequently, marketers need to find other ways to perform strict targeting and remarketing. This will definitely be one of the biggest challenges for many people!
Audio and video are the basis of innovative digital marketing
What will we focus on in 2022 marketing strategies? First of all, on all activities related to audio and video. Written content is important, but not as important as sound or image. That’s why voice search will definitely be important. It has been popular for some time and it will be used even more often this year – it saves a lot of time when we are in a rush. The trend of listening to content is also strong and on a rise. All podcasts, audiobooks or even voice ads are currently extremely popular and, what’s more important, effective! When it comes to videos, you must make sure that they are as interactive as possible. Dynamic content that Internet users will love even more this year includes the aforementioned podcasts, but also audiobooks, live video streaming or short clips, such as those on TikTok.
Social media marketing – TikTok and Instareels!
There will be some changes in 2022 when it comes to social media! TikTok has reigned supreme since the pandemic started. It’s a social networking site where short, several dozen seconds long videos are published. TikTok is the perfect place to run your video marketing, especially if you want to communicate with Millennials or Generation X, who spend most of their time there. It’s also worth paying attention to the reels that appeared on Instagram. Their format is exactly the same as on TikTok. If you want to introduce some innovations in marketing strategy on your social media, you absolutely need to consider these two places!
Digital marketing trends 2022 take from the past
You already know what kind of digital marketing innovations are coming and what the new trends of online marketing are. However, it is also worth paying attention to the trends from several years ago that might make their way into 2022 as they have in the previous years. There are 5 things you need to keep in mind if you want to be a leader in your industry:
1. A consistent and strong brand
Building a strong brand requires a lot of commitment, patience, knowledge of the latest digital marketing trends, as well as continuous branding activities. But that’s not all. A brand is also about products and the people behind them, so you need to maintain a cohesive brand message. Each element of communication should be carefully thought out and matched with the vision, mission or general activity of the company.
2. Content marketing
Nowadays, every firm is putting more and more resources into creating content – because that’s what sells products! Make sure that your content is interesting, engaging, inspiring, maybe even educational. It all depends on what style of communication with users you have chosen in your company. When planning the website content creation, do not forget about the variety of forms (video, text, graphics, audio).
3. UX
You don’t have to dwell on user experience for a long time. It’s a topic that has been talked about for years. Your application or website should be tailored to the needs of your target audience. They need to be as dynamic and structured as possible. Don’t forget to include internal search engines, so that the customer can find specific information quickly and without problems.
4. Progressive web apps
Progressive web apps are also present in the marketing industry trends. A good application is an incentive for users to pay attention to your offer. For example, if customers have stores with the same products at their disposal, but only one of them will offer a dynamically operating application that significantly speeds up shopping, they will probably choose that option.
5. Simplicity and minimalism
The trend for simple, bright spaces, also online, has been present for several years. There is no indication that this will change in 2022.
You already know all the trends of online marketing. Start preparing now to get your website ready for what’s coming! Are you looking for someone who will help you in web application development or content creation? Contact us!
