Change is the only constant. It pretty much applies to the industry. You need to be aware of the Digital Marketing trends for 2022, to make sure you are ahead of your competitors with the right marketing strategies.
2019 was a busy year for Digital Marketers. There were throughout the year that flooded the industry, and many agencies and Digital Marketing practitioners were not ready for them, so they had to lag way behind in the digital race.
We are in an
era where consumers’ behaviors and interests are not predictable. Educated
guesses do not work anymore. If you want to stay ahead in today’s digital
landscape, the only way is, to be able to adapt to the ever-evolving marketing
trends.
Here are the 25 Digital Marketing Trends in 2022 that you need to be aware of.
Make sure to
adopt them into your business not to just survive, but to win the race.
#1.
Artificial Intelligence
The basic intention of Artificial Intelligence is to create smart machines that can think and function like humans. AI has been helping the Digital Marketing industry immensely in recent times.
Many companies have been able to predict and understand consumer behavior, and as a result, they have been able to come up with better solutions and better consumer experiences. Consumer satisfaction is the primary goal of any marketing strategy, businesses are going to use AI more in their Digital Marketing Strategies 2022.
Some of the benefits of AI include:
- Reaching the target audience faster and easier
- Helps in decision making
- Highly predicted ROI
- Better user experience
- Fewer error rates
- Easier tracking
- A better understanding of user persona
#2.
Programmatic Ads
Programmatic ads use Artificial Intelligence to automate ad buying so that businesses can target audiences more specifically. Real-time bidding is one of the examples of programmatic ads. The primary reasons that make Digital Marketers choose programmatic ads are,
- Faster and more efficient
- Higher conversions
- Lower customer acquisition costs
Programmatic ads have been changing the face of digital marketing future rapidly. Here is the step by step approach on how programmatic ads work,
Step 1: Someone clicks on a webpage
Step 2: The publisher puts up your ad impression for auction
Step 3: An auction will be held among the competing advertisers
Step 4: The advertiser who bids for the most will get the chance to display their ad
Step 5: The prospective customer will see the ad and click on it
Step 6: The advertiser converts them into sales and profits
#3. Chatbots
Chatbots are
prompt and responsive, and hence they are effective in personalizing the user
experience. They are more like virtual assistants recorded with repetitive
tasks to offer consumer service virtually.
Using
chatbots is considered as a cost-effective and efficient way of communication.
The best part is, you do not need to hire a dedicated team for customer
service.
The recent surveys say that Chatbots are going to serve 85% of customers in 2021
Following are some of the benefits that chatbots offer,
- 24-hour service
- Predefined but prompt answers
- Accurate buying history
- Instant responses
- Cost-effective
- Time-saving
#4. Video
Marketing
After
Google, YouTube is considered as the second largest search engine today, and of
course, the reasons are obvious. Videos are easily shareable and generate more
engagement.
Some of the benefits include:
- Promoting brands
- Expanding audience
- Larger audience reach
- Quick and personalized approach
You can also
share your brand story to the world through video marketing. Video audience is
getting bigger day by day with the increase in the number of smartphones.
#5.
Personalized Email Marketing
Email marketing has been doing wonders for years, and it has yet again saved its place in the Digital Marketing future Trends. The main reason why Email Marketing has been successful is, it creates a personal connection with the individual.
It has been
an effective marketing technique as you can keep in touch with your users
regularly with your newsletters and emails increasing new opportunities from
time to time. You can keep bringing them more into your business by updating
them with your latest products that would be useful for them.
Here are some of the reasons that save Email Marketing a precious place in Digital Marketing,
- Easy to use
- Personalized
- One-on-one interaction
- Long-term
- Network expansion
- Effective and powerful
#6.
Influencer Marketing
An
influencer is someone whose words or actions have an impact on a group of
people. They promote products or services of a brand that is trying to increase
its user base. Influencers are considered to be trustworthy public figures,
especially in their niche and usually have a huge loyal followers base.
One of the
major reasons to choose influencer marketing is, it can help you capture the
global audience. Here are the major reasons that make brands to keep Influencer
Marketing in their top digital marketing essentials.
•
Authenticity – Usually, influencer chooses products or services related to
their niche. And they make an impact by sharing reviews based on their personal
experiences that look more natural and real than commercial ads.
• Trust –
Trust is the basic factor for an end-user to buy a product. When it comes to
Influencer Marketing, the trust is already built between the influencer and
his/her audience. So, it is easier for brands to sell services or products to
that specific audience.
•
Credibility – Influencers are inspirational figures in their niche. Their
followers usually have a personal connection with the influencer. Hence, it is
easier for influencers to generate relevant and relatable content that can
boost engagement naturally.
• Backlinks
– Generating quality backlinks and bringing more traffic to your website or
social media is way easier through Influencer Marketing, compared to other
methods.
This approach of Digital Marketing has been giving proven results around the world that most of the brands have already adopted their approach to it for boosting brand reputation. If you have not been in yet, 2022 is the right time.
#7. Voice
Search
People
already started using voice search on their laptops, smartphones, smart
speakers, and other devices. Users can search for any topic without having to
type. The main reason for users to opt for voice search is they can use it even
when they are busy with their daily chores like driving, cooking, taking a
shower, and so on.
Voice Search
has been a great revolution lately and bringing in new opportunities for any
businesses.
Some of the reasons that make Voice Search one of the top Digital Marketing future trends are,
- Easy to use
- Handy
- More relevant search results
- Personal connection with the user
- Interactive feeling
You can
reach to your potential customers by optimizing marketing into voice search.
Make sure that they would be able to find your business details easily through
voice search so that it can further help you boost your brand awareness and
future sales.
#8. Social
Media Stories
Snapchat
brought this concept of stories with the ‘My Story’ option a few years back.
Later Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp adapted it. Later, YouTube too came up
with a similar concept, ‘Reels.’
FOMO (Fear
of Missing Out) is the primary reason for people to look into your stories as
they disappear after a period. So make sure you bring in your business into
Social Media Stories this year.
People also
look for exciting events, local businesses and specific hashtags in stories.
Here are some of the benefits that Social Media Stories offer,
- Boost familiarity
- Digestible content
- Customer engagement
- Fear of Missing Out
- Exposes users to the company’s culture
- Encourage instant purchase
#9. Content
Marketing
This is one
of the inbound marketing techniques that has been used successfully for years.
It is still considered to be effective in the Digital Marketing industry mainly
because it attracts potential customers by providing them value with useful
content.
Have a look
at or reasons for brands to choose Content Marketing into their marketing
strategies,
- Customer engagement
- Value addition
- More lead generation
- Organic reach
- Builds authority and credibility
- Cost-effective
- More powerful
As per the
recent surveys, Content Marketing costs 62% less compared to other outbound
Digital Marketing concepts and generates three times more leads.
#10.
Interactive Content
As a Digital Marketer, you need to keep looking for the best possible ways to spice up your content and appeal to your target users. Consumers are more likely to respond to inbound marketing more. Hence, opting in for Interactive Content to reach your targets and increase sales should be one of your primary marketing goals in 2022.
Interactive
content helps you acquire more visitors through their active participation.
Here are some of the examples for Interactive Content,
- Surveys
- Polls
- Quizzes
- 360 Degree Videos
- Maps
- Infographics
So, instead
of creating a blog on Grammatical Mistakes, you can directly create a quiz that
can test the grammar skills of your users and provide them with scores.
Interactive
content grabs the user’s attention instantly. It works for any business mainly
because it keeps the visitors engaged and entertained.
#11.
Conversational Marketing
Consumers always look for quick turnaround and instant solutions. This is why Conversational Marketing is going to be in the Digital Marketing future Trends
The main aim
of Conversational Marketing is to use customer data and feedback to drive
conversions, increase engagement, and grow loyalty. If you have the right
information about your customers, it is way easier for your business to
increase its operations.
It helps you
build a conversation with your end-users further helping you to revamp some of
the areas where it requires improvement.
Main benefits of Conversational Marketing include,
- Personalized approach
- Resolving your customers’ problems
- Friendly touch to your brand
- Better relationship with your customers
- More conversions
- Better lead generation
Some of the Conversational Marketing approaches include
- Chatbots
- Live Support
- Contact Forms
- Surveys
- Customer Loyalty Programs
#12.
Personalization
Personalization
has been the latest form in the industry, and it is going to rule Digital
Marketing in the coming future. Personalization is about personalized content,
products, emails, and so on.
You need to
keep analyzing your customers’ previous purchase history and find out the
potential recommendation, from the list of your other products, that fits best
with the contextual search.
Here are some of the benefits that Personalization offers,
- Converting a greater number of visitors into customers
- Offering more relevant products to your customers
- Customer satisfaction
Personalization
is expected to be a game-changer for any business this year. So, make sure you
include it into your Digital Marketing strategies as and when required.
#13. Social
Media Marketing
The first
thing any individual gets onto every day is Social Media. It has become a basic
part of everyone’s daily life. So, if you want to reach your potential
customer, you cannot ignore Social Media Marketing.
Consider it
as an essential way for your branding. Some of the benefits of Social Media
Marketing include,
• Brand
Awareness – With billions of people using social media today, imagine the
number of quality audiences you can reach and convert from here.
• Increased
engagement – Your followers are your potential leads. You can keep them engaged
with your content as long as you are clear about your customer persona.
• Increased
traffic – Whatever Social Media platform you are in, it creates you an
opportunity to lead traffic to your website. It further helps you create your
SEO accordingly, and bring in more traffic through search engines, increasing
your leads and conversion.
• Loyal
customer base – Social Media is the right place to increase interaction with
your end-user.
Additionally,
you can also get a chance to demonstrate your customer support and better
customer experience.
#14.
Vlogging
Vlogging, an acronym to Video Blogging, is going to help you drive more visibility and increase your engagement levels with your consumers. It has been building popularity among Digital Marketers and influencers. It is going to be one of the sought-after Digital Marketing 2022 Trends.
Users find
video content more engaging and compelling. Hence, search engines push video
content into top results.
Vlogging
doesn’t need to be limited to YouTube; you can also benefit from it in
different ways.
- Embed the videos into blogs
- Upload into your Facebook
- Transcribe and get a text format of a video
- Seize the audio from it and make a Podcast
By uploading
a video on your website, you are likely to increase 100% more organic traffic
compared to text content.
#15.
Shoppable Posts
It has already been more than two years since Shoppable Posts were introduced on Social Media. However, it started finding engagement only from the past few months. So, 2022 is expected to witness a great explosion of Shoppable Posts, mainly because it is a unique integration with e-commerce and other third-party apps.
With the
increase in Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook users, you are going to see a
great improvement in impulsive buying through Shoppable Posts. The e-commerce
industry will see the results with increased traffic and measurable numbers.
The main benefits offered by Shoppable Posts include,
- Interactive
- Customized
- Personalized
- Less bounce rates
- No sales funnel burden
- Seamless online shopping experience
#16.
User-Generated Content
UGC, User
Generated Content, is one of the potential resources for marketers to analyze
their customers’ behavior and reach out to a more relevant audience. It helps
you encourage your customers to share unique pieces of content by offering them
a reward like a discount, coupon codes, even a partnering chance for a good
cause, and so on.
UGC has been
showing great results by helping brands increase their engagement quicker and
also in driving more conversion rates.
Some of the primary benefits of User-Generated Content include,
- People trust themselves more than companies
- It is more reliable than any other ad format
- Blog comments, reviews, and testimonials build trust among other potential buyers
#17.
Podcasts
Podcasts are
one of the latest additions that have just started rocking the Digital
Marketing field. Podcasting existing users share feedback that it feels more
realistic and authentic. It is quick and accessible even when you are busy
doing your daily chores, like working out at the gym, driving, and so on.
Here are some of the reasons you should start podcasting this year,
- Listeners do not have to deviate themselves from their chore activities
- Studies show that there has been a great increase in the number of people who prefer listening than watching.
- Users pay more attention to the product information in Podcasts
- More credibility and trust
- Hosts get a chance to endorse their product straight to the potential buyers.
So, invest in a good microphone, headphones, a smartphone, and a digital recorder to start your Podcast journey to increase your reach to your potential buyers in 2022.
#18. Tik Tok
As you
already know, Tik Tok is all about short-form videos that allow the users with
a lot of dialogue, music or direct video recording options. Though the main
intention of Tik Tok is entertainment, lately people have been sharing a great
engagement in serious discussions too such as Dating and Relationships,
Personality Development, Home Making, Books and Training, and more.
Here are some of the stats that prove that the demand for Tik Tok is going to be more in 2022,
- It is a great hit in the past couple of years
- Most percentages of its users belong to the age group between 16 and 24 years
- 25% of its users are from India
- People have downloaded it for 80 million times in the USA
- 40% of its users are from outside China
Either you
can start direct branding creatively on Tik Tok, or find micro-influencers from
your niche on Tik Tok and hire them for your branding.
#19.
Vernacular Branding
Days are
gone where the Internet was limited to just urban areas of the world. Now, it
has become a basic part of every household. Hence, many brands have already
started their journey into Vernacular Branding to reach regionally.
Language-driven
services seem to have created a great impact in 2019, that even big brands like
Flipkart and Amazon too are planning to get soon into it to reach out to their
regional buyers.
Some of the
reasons why you should not ignore Vernacular Branding in your marketing schedule
are, People love their language as much as they love their mother. That’s why
they call it mother tongue. It builds trust as people get personally connected
to the brand.
Here is a
simple 3-step Vernacular Branding strategy that you can follow to establish
your branding regionally,
Step 1: Define your audience first. Pay closer attention to their demographics, such as age and location. Conduct a survey on their daily habits and interests.
Step 2: Research phrases and words that are more relevant to the language you have chosen. Again different people have different choices of lingo. Take time and investigate it.
Step 3: Brainstorm vernacular-inspired messages for your ads. Incorporate the words or phrases naturally into your vernacular ad copies.
#20. Live
Streaming
As already
discussed, video can play a great impact when it comes to branding. It is more
relevant to live interactive videos. In fact, interactive video content is
considered to be one of the most effective Digital Marketing trends this year.
Live
streaming is already creating wonders on the web, especially on Social Media
channels. Live video gets three times more engagement compared to other content
formats.
A live video
can, in fact, create more impact on impulsive buying. You get a chance to talk
to your potential lead directly through live and help him get answers for all
his queries. This is the right chance to motivate and convert him into a buyer.
Live sessions work more amazingly for influencers. Again, the trust factor works great. 2022 is going to be remarkable for live sessions around the web,
Some of the major reasons that make live sessions effective are,
- It’s free
- Shorter time
- Real-time engagement
- Quick solutions to the users
- Their queries are answered promptly
- Greater impression rate
- Broader reach
#21. Smart
Bidding
Google has
been moving quickly over the years. Google Campaigning has been giving a tough
time to many. That’s why Google has been trying to make things easier for its
users. Smart Bidding is one among them.
It is an
automated bidding strategy introduced, which include Target ROAS, Target CPA,
Enhanced CPC (ECPC), and Maximize Conversions.
According to
Google, Smart Bidding helps you optimize your bid to improve conversions and
conversion value.
By opting to Smart Bidding, you will find results that are
- Smarter
- Quicker
- Effective
It works
round-the-clock to make sure that campaigns serve bids uniquely to every user
depending on his location, language, browser, device, and so on, and maximize
the budget.
Experts predict that 2022 may overtake manual bidding altogether. So, you should get a solid grip on Smart Bidding as soon as possible.
#22. Micro
Moment
A Micro
Moment is an intent-rich moment when a person approaches a device with an
intent to do, know, buy or go.
People
usually make decisions instantly on where to go, what to buy, what to eat, and
so on. This whole tactic is going to make an advantage for the marketers to
show relevant ads at the right time and right place to reach the right
audience.
You need to be quick, useful and right there to take the maximum advantage of Micro Moments in 2022.
Simple 3-step path to use Micro-Moments effectively is,
Awareness: Create awareness about your brand among your potential buyers.
Consideration: Offering them all the possible reasons and answers to their needs for them to consider your product or service.
Decision: Trigger them with a call to action to make a decision to purchase your product or service.
You need to
be well aware of your potential “must-buy” moments to be ready with your
micro-moment strategy.
#23.
Augmented Reality
Augmented
reality is going to make a lot of difference this year. It is another new trend
in Digital Marketing.
Though
people have been working on Virtual Reality since 2016, its real usage started
only in the year 2019. Users are expected to increase in the AR to overlay their
desired information, such as games, videos, text, images, and so on, to the
real-world objects.
The user
needs to have a smartphone, headset and virtual goggles to view the AR. In
simple terms, AR creates a 3D version of a static 2D object.
Some of the benefits of Augment Reality include,
- Higher customer engagement
- Increased brand awareness
- New digital world experience
#24. Visual
Search
Search
engine and social media platforms are updating their algorithms to support
visual search. Artificial Intelligence is going to play a vital role in image
recognition techniques. As the integration process is getting easier and more
relevant, Visual Search is going to increase rapidly in the coming months.
Make sure to
have your research done to set your products and services ready for visual
search this year. Pinterest and Google have come up with visual search tools
called lenses to allow their users to purchase a product by using images that
look similar.
Google lens
help you recognize landmarks, objects and more using your camera app, which is
currently available on Pixel Phones. Soon to be available on all the
smartphones.
For this, you need to take a photo and search using it. Examples:
- Book: You will get reviews, price and other details
- Business Card: You will be able to save the phone number and other contact details
- Building or Landmark: You will find the location and other relevant information
#25.
Long-Form Content
Long-Form
content is not yet dead. Ignore it if someone claims so. How many ever images
or other visuals you add to content, quantity is still essential. Content
marketing is not limited to just its shares on social media, it is also about
organic search.
If you can
create quality long-term content, there is no better match to it. Long form has
always been a key factor for content marketers.
Some of the benefits of long-form content include:
- Decreased Bounce Rate
- Longer time people spend on your pages
- Good number of social media shares and backlinks
- Higher Google rank
- Lifetime traffic to your website or blog
Some people spend more than six hours creating a single piece of content. They believe it’s worth it. They want to offer all the possible information to the reader who came into their page. In fact, such content brings you more subscribers too.
Final Words
So here is a list of 25 Digital Marketing trends in 2022 that you can’t ignore. They are going to hit the industry solidly. You will soon realize how important it is for you to implement them in your strategies according to your marketing requirements.
You should prepare yourself ahead and work hard to embrace the latest technologies, strategies, and tool in order to find your edge over your rivals.
Are you looking to get certified in Digital Marketing? Check out the online and offline courses offered by us at Digital Scholar, !
Which of these Digital Marketing trends in 2022 do you think will top the rest? And why?