Another year is coming to a close, and boy has it been a wild ride for businesses and entrepreneurs alike!
New tools and strategies come and go, the marketing world is used to change and adapt, but how do we know which of them will carry into the next year?
This article goes over the trends that are more likely to win in 2022.
1. Remote Work is Here to Stay
The pandemic helped push existing ways of working into the spotlight, and while remote work has been around for years, we see a higher demand for the concept.
During this time, the workforce realized they could be as productive, if not more so, working from home. So for marketing teams, it’s not crazy to expect an increase of remote workers in the future, as long as they don’t lose focus on performance.
As a result, businesses are taking the lead, choosing to work from home to current and potential employees.
2. Outsourcing Remote Teams/Talent
We’re at the moment in history where the world seems smaller, and people from any random city are connected with a coworker at the antipodes. Yet, at the same time, most things in a company can be outsourced, from their legal team to their marketing.
No longer are companies restricted by their geographical location to find the top talent for their needs. It opens the door to more opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
3. Virtual Events and Conferences
Can't make it to that yearly marketing conference across the globe? No problem! You can purchase tickets to your favorite events and join in virtually.
Forbes article The Eight Biggest Business Trends in 2022 mentions, “Hybrid events offer a combination of in-person and virtual components that can make them more sustainable and inclusive.” It’s beneficial beneficial not only for the attendees but also for also for the host.
Organizing events takes a lot of staffing and planning. Offering part of the event online can alleviate some of those pressures and the budget.
4. Utilizing Multiple Channels for Marketing
An old saying goes: don’t put all your eggs in the same basket. The same can be applied to marketing nowadays. Diversifying channels becomes paramount when trying to reach different audiences with one message.
This appears to be a strong trend, and requires teams to knowo exactly who their User Personas are, where they spend their time, and how to get to them.
5. More Creative and Strategic Social Ad Placement
The use of social media to advertise products and services has been around for some time plus, the number of social platforms that provide paid advertising continues to grow.
The thing is: as strategies get more creative on their social media designs, pushes other businesses to step up their game as well. So in In 2022 we will see greater use of digital design concepts and graphics to grab the attention of buyers.
6. Content that Speaks/SEO PPC
Content creation is becoming a staple in marketing strategy. While content creation is not a new concept, the approach to content has shifted.
People don't want to read a sales pitch; they are looking for informative content that is meaningful and thought-provoking.
Storytelling has become the more desirable way to reach audiences.
Engaging content paired with PPC and SEO has proven to help strengthen a company's overall marketing strategy by aiding in brand awareness.
7. Social Commerce - A New Way to Shop
Ecommerce has seen a boom thanks to the pandemic. It meant companies had to find new and more effective ways to reach their audience.
For example, companies such as Instagram and Google offer shop pages to browse products and services and even make purchases.
Users are now scrolling for content as much as for commerce, which has pushed social media to become one of the most important search channels for brands. In addition, with the hit of the pandemic, many small businesses turned to social media before choosing e-commerce, and the results have proven to be great for them.
In 2022, small businesses will work to extend the experience customers have with their brands across social storefronts and real-life, while global enterprises go big, testing the limits of the online shopping experience.
Social Trends for 2022, Hootsuite.
8. Capturing Target Market & Niching Down
Technology has opened up many ways to reach people from all over the globe, leading to greater competition among businesses. As businesses are tightening their digital strategies, competition is growing fierce as well.
Finding your unique brand voice and those who resonate with you is what we only see trending forward into 2022.
9. Greater Focus on Customer Retention
Speaking of greater competition, you will want to keep a hold of that target market you are looking to capture! It is understood that brand loyalty is a significant part its's growth and success.
Customer Retention has always been necessary. But now, more than keeping them happy, this trend points to delight the client, to make them an ambassador of the brand.
10. Incorporating A.I.
Artificial Intelligence is used to understand significantly industries and customer behavior. It's a powerful tool increasingly being used in marketing strategies today.
In marketing, the main use of this tool is to predict the user’s next move, and the increase of its use in the industry is notorious: in 2018, only 29% of marketers used AI in their strategies, while 84% of them did in 2020.
For next year, we can expect to fimany of AI in SEO, PPC, and Social Media.
Let's See What Sticks Around!
We have seen many of these trends growing over the past few years; however, the pandemic only accelerated where we see marketing and other industries heading.
A fact that can’t be ignored is that technology is affecting most of our marketing strategies and reach. It is as a testament to how central it is to our society and how it will continue to shape our future year after year.
As part of the marketing industry, we can see these trends moving forward and gaining territory. We’ll have to wait and see how they all develop.
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