The world of digital marketing moves at neck breaking speed. Just as we get used to doing something a certain way, there is an update, the algorithm changes or a new social media platform pops up. It is difficult to stay on top of all the changes, but to stay relevant and engaged with your customers, it is important to remain aware of what is happening in the digital world.
Therefore, to help you stay up to date with the latest in digital marketing, we have have rounded up the top 5 trends for 2022:
1. TikTok
With over 1 billion active users and growing, TikTok’s influence and ability to advertise will continue to increase in 2022.
The majority of TikTok’s audience is under 30 and therefore a highly lucrative place to advertise if you are wanting to reach people in this target market.
At the moment, fashion, media and entertainment brands and companies are the biggest players in the TikTok space, however as the platform grows, we will start to see other industries expand into the app.
As the platform is still relatively new, it is probably not worth investing a heap of time and money into advertising and content at this point in time. However, it is definitely worthwhile familiarising yourself with how the platform works and what the advertising looks like. It is also a good idea to follow brands or companies similar to yours to see what they are doing well and perhaps give you some inspiration.
2. Video content is king, but keep it short.
The demand for video content continues to explode across the world. Over the last couple of years, video content has been getting shorter. The onset of the pandemic saw short form videos on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels gain popularity. The popularity of these short videos has flowed out to other platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.
For marketers, short form video is perfect for attention grabbing ads that can hold the short attention spans of online audiences. The great thing about video content, and in particular short form video content is that you don’t need to hire an expensive production crew. All you need is your smartphone and some editing software and away you go!
3. Virtual events are here to stay
With uncertainty still surrounding the pandemic in 2022, virtual events will still be commonplace. The good news for marketers is that virtual events are very cheap and easy to run. Have a product launch? Easy! Just set up your Facebook live stream and you’re off and running. Just make sure your customers know it is happening, and that you press record so people will have the chance to watch it later.
Hybrid event options will also become popular with a mix of people attending onsite and others logging on to view the live stream.
4. Blogging is going nowhere
Blogs have been a huge part of the internet since websites began back in the 90s. However, far from being out of date, this long prevailing internet content only gets bigger and more engaging every year.
Blogs have many advantages for marketers – they allow companies to advertise their products and services in a cost effective way. They help to provide another touchpoint for consumer engagement. But perhaps the biggest benefit of blogs is they assist with organic search discoverability. Websites with great blogs make it easier to implement SEO strategies than those that don’t. For example, if you were looking to buy an umbrella online, you will type “Umbrellas” into your Google search. Websites with established blogs are more likely to show at the top of the search list than those that don’t.
5. Customers will have more control over their digital privacy
Data such as email addresses, smartphone location, phone numbers and demographics are highly valuable in the marketing world. The good news for consumers is that companies such as Apple and Google are giving people back greater control of use of their data. In 2021, an Apple IOS upgrade allowed Iphone users the choice over whether apps could track their third-party data. Apple has further updates coming later in 2022 around email privacy protections.
Similarly, Google will discontinue the use of third-party cookies on Chrome.
All these updates are great for consumers, however marketers will need to change their strategies in order to target their consumers.
