A new year is here again and that means it’s time to share our forecast for the top digital marketing trends of 2022! As you plan your year of digital efforts, keep the following five trends in mind to stay ahead of the curve and generate great results from your campaigns.
Written by Tori Varyu
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Advertising and Privacy
In 2021, the famous iOS update on Facebook Ads allowed Apple users to opt out of app tracking and largely changed the way Facebook advertisers could target and convert potential customers on the platform. In this same vein, user privacy will continue to be a big topic of discussion in the digital marketing world moving forward.
Some are calling for federal data privacy legislation, while major platforms like Facebook and Google have started to dedicate time and resources to help advertisers target users without relying on personal data. Digital privacy is much too big an issue to predict how it will grow and change over the next year, let alone the next decade. However, it will continue to be something that advertisers will need to watch closely and plan to pivot around as it inevitably changes.
Video Continues to Rule
If your digital marketing efforts haven’t included video elements, or have only included minimal efforts, it’s time to get on board. Video will continue to grow in 2022 and beyond, with platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels booming, and mainstays like YouTube growing and expanding into different areas. While Facebook continues its reign as the top social media platform of 2021, TikTok was the fastest growing. It’s time to embrace video creation, dedicate time and resources to jump on new platforms, and continue your efforts on the more traditional ones.
Additionally, Facebook and Instagram Ads have continued to lean more heavily toward video, allowing advertisers to build narratives, show off products and services, and introduce their brand all at once. In an increasingly competitive digital media landscape, video helps marketers stand out from the competition.
Influencers Will Still Be…Influential
Like it or not, influencers are here to stay in 2022! With more niche and micro-influencers than ever, it should be easier to find someone who aligns with your brand and can speak directly to your audience.
Additionally, as part of your influencer marketing efforts moving forward, you should opt for video posts and content where possible. Depending on the platform you’re using, like TikTok or Reels, this may be a necessity, but even if you’re planning to use influencer content for Facebook or Instagram, as we mentioned above, video is the way to go.
Longer Form Content Sets You Apart
In the era of short videos, short captions, and shorter attention spans, don’t get fooled into thinking that long-form content is irrelevant! Longer content is still valuable, as long as it is something that can provide value to your audiences. It is also a chance to build loyalty and show potential clients who you are as a brand.
How-to guides, FAQs, blogs, case studies, and more will allow you to demonstrate your credibility as an organization, provide target audiences with the information and answers they are looking for, and ultimately encourage leads to convert into actual customers.
The Future is VR and Meta
Augmented and virtual reality are coming to life across the globe, and Meta (formerly Facebook) is one of the big names leading the charge. Their new Metaverse recently debuted and will likely continue to grow in the next year and beyond (if you are unfamiliar, check out this short clip from the WSJ.)
While it is still very much in its beginning stages, digital marketers with bigger budgets and wider scopes might begin thinking about how their brands could interact with the Metaverse and reach audiences in a truly cutting-edge way.
Overall, the digital landscape is changing fast, but of course the foundations remain the same. Continue to execute what works for your brand and try leveraging some of these new trends as you plan out the year. Best of luck and happy 2022!