Emerging Digital Marketing Trends to Watch in 2022

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As you plan for a successful new year, keep an eye on content marketing trends. Despite two years of restrictions and lockdowns, it’s more important than ever to keep an eye on emerging trends to capitalize on them in 2022.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted consumer behavior and information needs, driving new marketing trends and opportunities. Consumers will continue to demand quality, relevant, and trustworthy content, refocusing attention on consumer intent. Understanding not only what people search for but also why is critical to intelligent, data-driven content planning.

Marketers will have to navigate changing consumer privacy laws in 2022. As we move into a more privatised digital world, businesses must focus on multi-channel reporting, assisted conversions, and attribution windows.

Digital marketing is constantly evolving. The bar has been raised, and average content no longer suffices. To be successful in the new year, businesses and brands must plan ahead and be ready to capitalize on new opportunities for marketing innovation.

Consumers decide how they want to be reached and what data they will give away

Data is king in content marketing, and it should be used to build a strong, results-driven content strategy targeted at buyer personas. The challenge for marketers in 2022 will be reaching their audiences as consumers change their preferences for communication and data sharing.

Marketers have long tracked user behavior across platforms like Facebook and Google. Marketers faced significant challenges in 2021 as governments worldwide moved to provide ‘safer’ and more private online user experiences.

Also, marketers had to deal with the ‘app tracking transparency’ feature introduced in iOS 14.5 which required apps to obtain users’ consent before tracking their activity across apps and websites.

In 2022, platforms’ adaptation to tracking changes will be scrutinized. A more privatised digital world requires businesses to focus on multi-channel reporting, assisted conversions and attribution windows.

Data-driven content creation helps marketers understand consumer preferences, industry trends, and how to best communicate messaging. Data allows businesses to make smart decisions, resulting in more successful campaigns.

Consumer search habits and expectations are evolving

Consider how the world might be post-pandemic. Many consumer habits have changed, perhaps permanently. Consumer behavior is evolving, as are consumer needs. Businesses must adapt strategies quickly to changing consumer trends, highlighting the need for a qualified team that can quickly identify emerging opportunities.

Google Search provides powerful consumer trend insights. Local search intent continues to gain traction, according to data. Our research shows that long tail searches are used by people who are looking to buy, while short tail searches are used for research and information.

Consumer expectations change as well. Native content generates more engagement, and consumers want to connect with the brands they buy from.

Producing content has never been easier, but creating meaningful content that drives engagement is still difficult. Having a solid strategy to support creative ideas that includes A/B testing regularly will help brands stand out in the crowded digital space.

Marketing by email is back in vogue

The impending changes to consumer privacy in 2021 have highlighted the need for businesses to rethink their strategies. Evergreen funnels are no longer effective, and ad-specific campaigns are not reaching the same audiences.

Email and social media marketing are two of the most effective ways to grow an audience and build a brand. Collecting first party data through email marketing is key to mitigating changes in the social media advertising space. Marketers can get the best cost per lead by combining email marketing and digital advertising.

Best practices in email marketing are non-negotiable. Personalisation is key – contacting the right people at the right time will increase conversions. Businesses can automate SMS and email marketing in 2022. Dynamic live email may become a major feature in the future.

The iOS changes make tracking open rates impossible, but these are vanity metrics anyway. Conversions and clicks are the main metrics marketers should track to assess campaign success.

Your website is your most important business tool

During the pandemic, consumers shifted to online channels, making websites the most important tool for business success. Businesses that were reluctant to go digital had no choice but to reach their target market. Consumers have more buying power than ever and can shop from anywhere. From the consumer’s perspective, buying is the same everywhere.

The mobile vs. desktop debate is one of the most current. While mobile usage is still high, a significant shift back to desktop usage highlights the need to optimize websites for both. The pandemic has shifted consumer demographics. To cater to all audiences, websites must be simple to navigate and cater to younger users as well as older consumers.

To ensure a website’s coding structure is clean, developers and SEO experts must collaborate. This will help a website’s Google ranking as well as retain visitors. Also, websites require constant updating, so website maintenance is essential. Consider this: a three-hour website server outage costs your company a lot of money.

TikTok offers a huge audience reach

Businesses using TikTok will be able to engage with audiences who are on the cutting edge of trends.

What started as a place for teens to post videos of themselves dancing has grown into a serious competitor for Facebook ad spend. TikTok has recently introduced features similar to Facebook’s like product catalogues, dynamic ads, custom audiences, and Spark Ads (which act like boosted posts).

It now has 7.6 million monthly users, with 18-24 year olds making up over 40% of their audience in Australia. Then comes 25-34 year olds (26%), and 13-17 year olds (15%). TikTok users are more receptive to brand messaging, calls to action, and ad breakthrough. TikTok is the app where users spend the most time (daily and per session) compared to Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat.

Brands can benefit greatly from collaborating with content creators. Interactivity is encouraged by TikTok content creators’ preference for authenticity over aspiration. Social advertising dialogue is no longer one–way.

TikTok is a serious contender for businesses looking to reach new audiences in 2022.

To succeed in today’s fast-paced marketing world, your digital agency must innovate

Digital marketing is rapidly evolving. In an ever-changing virtual landscape, marketers and businesses have embraced digital transformation more than ever.

Businesses must stay ahead of the curve in order to succeed and remain relevant. Choosing a digital agency with a team of experts with core specialties will help you build innovative and competitive marketing strategies in 2022.

When you work with Zib Digital, you get more than just one marketing expert. Our SEO experts, Google Ads experts, social media experts, digital designers, and developers will help your company. Plus, our digital marketing experts ensure that the strategy in place will help your company grow.

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