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Digital Marketing Trends for 2022. Is this the future of marketing?
November through to January is one of the most exciting times for digital marketers. It’s the time where budgets are drawn up and the new marketing strategy is solidified.
As a small business owner, you don’t have a team of marketers working on your behalf to formulate a winning digital marketing strategy to ensure your marketing efforts are a success. Because of this, it can be intimidating to plan your marketing strategies for the upcoming year.
But that’s okay because we’ve spent our time, looking at all the data that matters to identify the key digital marketing trends that you need to follow in 2022.
We’ve identified the best digital marketing trends that are working right now to generate leads and grow your business today, and through 2022.
What Are the Digital Marketing Trends for 2022?
It’s no surprise that digital marketing is an absolute must for small businesses nowadays and there’s no shortage of strategies you can choose to focus on. However, this year marketing channels like content marketing, social media marketing, paid social media advertising were utilised by more businesses than ever before.
In 2021, content marketing was one of the leading forms of marketing used by businesses. Brands with a blog generated over 67% more leads than ones without a blog, and the revenue for content marketing will exceed £250 billion in 2022.
Social media marketing has also skyrocketed, with 54% of social media users using these platforms to research products. Since the average user spends just under 3 hours a day consuming social media, it’s clear to see why marketers have prioritised these marketing tools over others in 2021.
Digital marketing is especially useful for small business owners because it’s cost-effective, has an extensive reach and is instrumental for building brand awareness and trust.
But we know it can be overwhelming to develop your digital marketing strategy as a small business owner – especially if you don’t have much experience with digital marketing.
So with this in mind, we’ve put together a list of key trends you need to know about in 2022 to create a successful digital marketing strategy that keeps your business profiting all year.
Here are the key digital marketing trends you need to follow in 2022:
Digital Marketing Trends for 2022 No. 1 – Influencer Marketing:
In 2021, influence marketing is worth over £10 billion. We live in a time where consumers trust sales influencers recommendations over traditional celebrities, with 49% of consumers using influencer recommendations to influence purchasing decisions this year. For teens and younger demographics, this number is even higher – with over 70% of teenagers relying on influencer recommendations for purchases.
Social commerce is more powerful than ever before thanks to the power of influencers. Social commerce allows you to use influencers and micro-influencers to sell products directly to new customers on social media networks.
Influencer marketing is a significant trend in digital marketing strategy that will continue to boom in 2022. The rise of micro and nano-influencers means that small businesses can capitalise on this exciting marketing, and there is a high return on investment on influencer marketing expenditure. For each £1 invested, businesses can make up to £6.50 ROI on influencer marketing.
Digital Marketing Trends for 2022 No. 2 – Conversational Marketing is “IN”:
Conversational marketing refers to the use of chatbots and live chats for marketing purposes. Able to provide users with instant access to customer support, conversational marketing makes your business accessible to customers 24/7.
A powerful marketing automation tool, leading brands utilise conversational marketing tools to aid with data collection, qualify leads and provide premier customer experience services.
A good example of a company that benefited from conversational marketing is ThoughtSpot which, after its implementation, saw 10X more sales conversations, 70% more marketing qualified leads, and 64% more meetings booked
The best part about conversational marketing is it’s fully automated. It literally works for you while your sleep and can be set up fairly easily.
Facebook, WordPress & Wix all offer chatbot artificial intelligence tools that small businesses can use today.
Digital Marketing Trends for 2022 No. 3 – The Power of Short-Form Video:
Short-form video is skyrocketing in popularity. The growth of social media channels such as TikTok and Instagram reels has caused short-form videos to become a booming digital marketing trend. It’s important to incorporate short-form video into your digital marketing strategy.
Short, snappy and to-the-point, short-form video marketing allows you to share key marketing messages in 15 seconds. These marketing messages are memorable, engaging and resonate with consumers.
Expenditure on short-form video is predicted to rise in 2022, and many leading marketers are investing more into it this new year.
Check out our free monthly marketing magazine today – click here. You won’t regret it.
Digital Marketing Trends for 2022 No. 4 – Brand Challenges & User-Generated Content:
The rise in short-form video marketing is giving rise to other digital marketing trends such as brand challenges and user-generated content. Both of these offer prime marketing automation opportunities and allow you to produce interactive content with existing customers.
Interactive content is key to boosting engagement with your digital marketing efforts. Many marketers incorporate brand challenges into their marketing strategy in order to boost the amount of user-generated content created by existing customers.
User-generated content is content that is created by consumers and is key for building brand trust and awareness. Consumers are more likely to trust the content that is created by other consumers, and it requires minimal marketing efforts on your behalf.
Don’t forget client reviews are a powerful part of your story.
Digital Marketing Trends for 2022 No. 5 – Blogs and Website Content Are Still In:
Today, blogs on websites are still a popular form of content and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. AI tools like Answer the Public can help you find what your consumers are searching for and create a content strategy around it.
As of 2021, over 70% of businesses are investing in content marketing. Content marketing can help your business rank higher on search results.
Digital Marketing Trends For 2022 No. 6 – Your Email Copy Needs to be Good:
Email marketing is a great way to build your brand and has an average return on investment of £36 for every £1 spent.
But your email marketing results are only as good as the copy you write. Create engaging email copy to make your email offers more enticing and encourage people to purchase.
When you have a list of clients, you can create sales on demand. Make sure you constantly engage your audience with content that is relevant to them.
Wrapping Up Digital Marketing Trends for 2022
Digital marketing is already a huge part of marketing and will continue to grow in importance. And it’s more important than ever for small businesses to capitalise on it now.
Implementing any of the digital marketing trends we mentioned above will help you reach your audience more effectively and increase your return on investment.
Check out our free monthly marketing magazine today – click here. You won’t regret it.