(Updated 12/14/2022)

Digital marketing has taken on even more importance over the past year or so as we adjust to doing more online and virtually both in our personal and professional lives. So as a business, how do you take advantage of the myriad of opportunities available to reach your target audience? We admit digital marketing is fast paced, complex and can be overwhelming.  So to help your digital marketing strategy be competitive in 2022, here are some of the trends we are seeing.

Short video content will be more popular and effective

Tik Tok may have popularized short video content but the fact is with today’s fast-paced attention spans, this form of video content fits in well with other social platforms like Instagram (Reels) and YouTube (Shorts). These social platforms excel at creating engagement, building brand awareness, and advertising to drive revenue.  Delivering your message quickly and effectively is a definite plus of short videos. Taking into consideration the time and effort (i.e cost) it takes to produce full length videos compared to short form and you can see why short form videos are gaining in popularity.

Evergreen social media posts may supplant ephemeral posts

Over the past several years there has been a trend towards social media posts that only last 24 hours (i.e ephemeral posts) and then disappear. While this type of post can drive a sense of urgency  and engagement, they are not effective at building longer term brand awareness and loyalty. So it’s not surprising that we are seeing a trend towards a mix of both evergreen and ephemeral content based upon the goals and ROI of the digital marketing strategy.

Influencer marketing will become more mainstream

The power of influencer marketing is the engagement it creates by building brand awareness and trust through the endorsements of well known celebrities, sports personalities, actors, etc. But now we are seeing the emergence of micro influencers who have a smaller audience but one that is more highly engaged. While their audiences may only be in the thousands, these micro influencers occupy a more defined niche and therefore have the ability to create higher engagement and trust, which ultimately leads to more purchases, clicks, and subscribers.

Mobile optimization will be even more important

Did you know that more than half of annual online website traffic is from mobile devices? It’s typically where most online searches begin and in 2021, 79% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile devices.  

With the convenience and growth of mobile payment options this market is only going to increase in popularity. And let’s not forget other forms of mobile marketing such as email—even these experiences have to deliver a mobile-optimized digital experience.

SEO will be more widely adopted to leverage search traffic

SEO has been around for a long time and has evolved from the early methods of  keyword stuffing, excessive tagging, and (often spammy) backlinks to quality, user-focused content, mobile-first indexing, and personalization. SEO is a long term strategy and we see businesses investing in SEO experts who can help them with everything from search insights reports, to multimedia optimization. 

Podcasts will increase in popularity and effectiveness

While podcasts have been around for nearly two decades, they are seeing a kind of renaissance. According to a prediction by Insider Intelligence, in 2021, the number of monthly US podcast listeners will increase by 10.1% year-over-year (YoY) to 117.8 million. This kind of reach makes podcasts a very effective tool to create engagement and brand awareness. What podcasts might not deliver is a measurable ROI but this does not mean businesses will be investing less in getting their brand and message out via podcasting.

More businesses will experiment with native ads

Native advertising is the use of paid ads that match the look and feel of the platform they appear on which is typically a social media feed or web page. They don’t disturb the flow of content the viewer is consuming and as such promote your brand to a new audience who might otherwise never learn about you.

Inbound marketing continues to be a mainstay of digital marketing

Some marketing strategies stand the test of time and inbound marketing is one of them. When used correctly it builds long term brand awareness and trust. At its core, inbound marketing can be broken down into three phases; attraction, engagement, and retention. Inbound marketing involves creating valuable content and experiences that resonate with your target audience at each step of the way. From blogs and videos that answer questions your potential customers have (attraction), to email marketing and lead nurturing (engagement), to surveys, chatbots, and social media listening (retention), the end result is for customers to become brand advocates and promoters.

Start creating your 2022 digital marketing plan with these trends and you’ll be sprinting over your competition rather than playing catch up. If you are unsure where to start, let us know—we’re here to help!