Top 5 Marketing Trends of 2022
As the new year beckons, businesses across the globe predict up and coming marketing trends. Last year’s pandemic emergence caused a wave of marketing change, some of which will continue into 2022. We take a look at the some of biggest emerging trends, from the rise of short videos to the death of the third-party cookie. Here’s our Top 5 Marketing Trends of 2022.
1. The Evolution of Content
‘Content is King’ has been a popular phrase for digital marketers for the last decade. During our research into 2022 trends, we discovered several businesses proclaiming something along the lines of ‘Content King is Dead!’ This is wrong; it is merely evolving. In two ways, to be precise.
Firstly, Simplicity is becoming a much more valued way to present content. Rather than long written text, the power of simplicity is being embraced to convey brand messaging. If you look at ‘content’ as a market, it’s highly saturated. Consumers now have access to a wealth of information. What they want now is more unique content with a clear message. Be creative with it, for example, if your writing a ‘top 10’ blog post a bit like this one, don’t write a long text about it on social media. Create an eye-catching post that conveys the core points of your blog into one post or a carousel post. Then link your blog to the post for consumers that actually want to read it, this way you’re more likely to engage with customers.
Secondly, become a storyteller, educator and thought leader. This is why the phrase ‘content is king’ is still relevant in the marketing world. Long content like blogs and articles which provide educational content have gained stature. Give your audience relevant educational content that adds value to them. It demonstrates that you are an expert in your industry and have niche knowledge beneficial to them. Rather than pushing out your products in customers faces with big bold annoying advertising, upsell your expertise. This will help build a strong brand image, gaining consumer trust which will sell your products for you. This can include being a storyteller. Tell your consumers about customer experiences with your brand, how they had a problem and how you fixed it. Written in an engaging story format. This is a better way to express the advantages of having your product.
So, ‘content is still king’, you just need to know how to produce it.
2. CSR becomes more important
In 2022, businesses will address the demand of a more socially conscious society. Consumers want brands to be transparent about the ways they work. Is it sustainable? Are you investing in green technology? What are you doing to support the local community? What are you doing to support your employees? What’s your stand on wellness? What’s your diversity initiatives?
Answering these questions by posting about them on social media will gain the trust and respect of consumers. Although it’s not a cost-effective process, we’re certainly seeing a huge increase in ESG investment. Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG), are a popular set of standards/metrics that are used to analyse a company’s operations. Measuring ethical impact and sustainability practices. Investors look at factors such as a businesses carbon footprint, water usage, community development efforts, and board diversity. It’s precited that ESG funds will triple by 2025, increasing their share of the European fund sector from 15% to 57%.
For more information on sustainability in business, read our blog on sustainable development in business: 2022.
3. Short videos take centre stage
Over the past year, we’ve seen the rise of TikTok. Becoming one of the most popular social media apps around the globe. In 2020, it overtook Facebook as the most downloaded app globally. Which makes us reminisce on Vine, truly ahead of its time. Now, every social platform is incorporating something similar such as Youtube Shorts and Instagram Reels. It is predicted that in 2022, video will make up 82% of all internet traffic. Coming in many forms and ranging in length, here’s a list of the types of short videos we’ll see more of in 2022.
Types of short-form videos:
Product Teasers – With minimal cost, brands can build anticipation around a product launch with teasers. Keeping them short at 6-60 seconds.
Funny Videos – Social media users are more likely to share content with friends and family if it’s funny. It’s highly shareable and will spread brand awareness. Although, being funny isn’t for everyone. So, if you’re going to do it, make sure it works. Otherwise, it can negatively affect your brand.
Educational / Informative – Informative content will be coming in the form of short videos in 2022. They’re easier to engage with than reading (younger audiences are more likely to engage with informative content in a video form), add value to your audience and are highly shareable.
Behind the scenes – A great way to develop authenticity and transparency. This is one of the 2021 marketing trends that is continuing into 2022. Consumers will feel you’re connecting with them on a more personal level, showing them inside footage e.g. How a product is made.
User-Generated Content – Studies have shown UGC influences consumer purchasing decisions more than a brand does. People value opinions and referrals, posting UGC is a great way to gain the trust of customers.
Brand Challenges – An effective way of engaging customers is creating a brand challenge. This can result in plenty of UGC, which spreads brand awareness. It’s also one of the best chances you’ll get at going viral. These were a strong trend in 2021, and they’re here to stay.
Influencer Ad’s – This is nothing new, but it shows no signs of slowing down. What’s happening now is influencers are being used to promote products in the form of short-form videos.
