There is no doubt that digital marketing is changing the way that businesses large and small reach their customers and over the past decade, the digital environment has been fast-changing and continues to evolve, presenting new opportunities for businesses.
As we head into 2022 and beyond, the opportunities for businesses are once again shifting. The metaverse is set to become an integral part of the digital marketing landscape, especially for large multinationals who will look to leverage the opportunities provided by this virtual world of augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D, and holographic avatars and video.
Whilst the metaverse will certainly be a consideration for many businesses, it certainly won’t be for everyone. There are some sectors reverse cell phone number lookup that won’t necessarily be able to leverage the potential of the metaverse and the trends identified below have more of a broad appeal to businesses across a wide range of industries and with different budgets – it is likely that early adopters of metaverse opportunities will be those with substantial marketing budgets and this will be a barrier for many businesses initially.
Here are some of the more mainstream trends to look out for in digital marketing in 2022:
Video marketing
Whilst the use of video marketing is nothing new, platforms like TikTok are making it easier for brands to reach thousands of people on a daily basis through the content they are publishing there.
The huge success of TokTok has also led to other platforms including Instagram developing their own video features and Reels have become a popular feature for brands on both Instagram and Facebook.
LinkedIn and Pinterest are also investing in their video features and video will continue to be an integral part of successful digital marketing strategies for businesses large and small.
The cost of video can be seen as prohibitive, however, the improvements in the quality of cameras on mobile phones, coupled with superior editing apps means that businesses and individuals are able to create much more polished video content without requiring huge budgets.
Videos are a great way for businesses to tell their story in a visual way that helps to build not only awareness but also brand loyalty, helping to build a connection with your audience and drive sales.
Targeting
Social media users are becoming fatigued with the sheer volume of content from brands that they follow, in addition to the advertising from brands that want them to follow them. Over the past two years, where people have been spending more time than ever before on their personal devices, some users have taken the drastic step of deactivating their accounts to get away from the constant bombarding from brands.
That’s why it is crucial for brands in 2022 to consider their audiences’ needs and ensure they are using the range of targeting options available to them to ensure they are not contributing to the digital fatigue and turning off their customers and prospective customers.
Make sure you mix up the content you are publishing and sharing across your digital platforms and avoid posting too many sales-focused posts. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience and imagine them scrolling their feeds and working their way through dozens of sales posts – people quickly switch off to that type of messaging and scroll right past. Think about creating content that will grab their attention and use targeting so that people don’t necessarily see everything you publish.
Conversational Marketing
One of the biggest shifts we have seen in the digital marketing space over the past five years is the expectation from customers that brands will be available 24/7 to respond to direct messages in real-time.
Whilst conversational marketing has been around for some time, in 2022 and beyond, businesses need to make themselves even more available to their customers and if they are not available personally, they need to think about the use of Chatbots to help customers to complete basic transactions outside of business hours.
Whilst it is simply not possible for many businesses to be available 24/7, there is an expectation that you will respond in a timely manner and whilst this is a big job to manage, it provides a great opportunity for you to interact with your customers and build relationships by providing a fulfilling experience.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is another popular trend to keep an eye on in 2022 and beyond. According to Big Commerce Australia, “Affiliate marketing is the process by which an affiliate earns a commission for marketing another person’s or company’s products. The affiliate simply searches for a product they enjoy, then promotes that product and earns a piece of the profit from each sale they make. The sales are tracked via affiliate links from one website to another.”
Big brands are already leveraging the power of affiliate marketing. Leading sports betting and online casino site Betway is one of those brands, “We use business acumen and interpersonal skills to identify and create new partnerships and maintain existing ones. Data and insights guide us in managing deals, increasing ROI, monitoring performance and identifying opportunities for growth. If you are personable, have strong negotiating skills and are numbers and results-focused then this is the area for you.”
You can read more about affiliate marketing in a recent post.
Digital marketing is a constantly evolving environment and it is always exciting to see the new trends that emerge as well as those trends that are predicted that never quite come to fruition. The whole world is currently talking about the metaverse and it is going to be fascinating to see how brands embrace the opportunities presented by the metaverse and how this is then adopted by customers. Watch this space.
