Wow, a lot happened in the last 10 months. And it’s fair to say that the New Year will see its own set of changes in the digital landscape. The question now is how will it impact your advertising efforts?
If you’re like one of the many businesses out there putting the finishing touches on your 2022 marketing strategy, it’s hard to know exactly what to plan for—given the many challenges we’ve encountered since 2020.
But have no fear! If we’ve learned anything during these last few years, it’s that staying versatile is the key to your success.
7 Digital Marketing Trends for 2022
To help you prepare and kickstart 2022 with the best campaigns out there, we’ve compiled our top 7 marketing trends and predictions that you’ll want to keep on your radar.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
Users Want More Privacy
Okay, you’ve probably heard of Apple’s iOS 15 update. This launched mid September of this year and had email marketers on the edge of their seats—bracing for impact. Though this update included several new features, the big takeaway was Mail Privacy Protection (MPP), which will limit third parties from tracking each user’s personal data.
For marketers, this makes things a bit complicated, as many rely on tracking IP addresses, open rates, and other user info to get a better understanding of the type of content your users like, as well as their behaviors.
Though the iOS 15 update will only impact Apple Mail users, it’s safe to say that other Tech Giants like Google (Gmail) and Microsoft (Outlook) will follow suit.
What this means is that email marketing teams will need to utilize stronger metrics from other channels, including
- CTRs
- Website traffic (i.e., entrances to know where your users are coming from)
- Online purchases
- Other goal conversions
After all, your marketing channels should be working together to help drive sales and convert users into customers. This is a great way to ensure your email is working to support your other campaigns.
“The IOS update is going to cause marked changes in how success is measured in email marketing. Previous focus on subject line optimization is going to shift to more engaged behaviors, such as clicks and conversions. Ideally, this change will facilitate interesting and engaging conversations between brands and their customers, but less data is always going to be a challenge for email marketers looking to build data-driven strategies for campaigns and automations. Ultimately, customers want privacy—with that in mind—this update can be used as an opportunity to build trust and loyalty with informative and entertaining emails that users want to receive.”
- Sara Adams, Email Marketing Manager at Brandography
Leaving Third Party Cookies Behind
This brings us to the next big trend—more businesses will move from third party cookies to first party cookies. Back in 2020, Google announced its plans to “phase out” third party cookies. And though Safari and FireFox already beat them to it, it’s expected that Google’s aim to remove third party cookies from its Chrome browser by 2022 will have the biggest impact!
Big-box retailers, like Target, have already started using their own cookies, and it’s safe to assume that other brands will have no choice but to follow this trend. Though first party cookies do provide information on how users engage with your site, “you can’t see data related to your visitor’s behavior on other websites that aren’t affiliated with your domain,” (HubSpot).
Have questions about how to pivot your marketing strategy to align with Google’s phase out? We can help! Contact us to learn more.
Content Is Still King
This one isn’t all that new. But for us content marketers, it’s nice to know that quality, long-form content has a special place in Google’s heart.
For 2022, we recommend you revisit your website to see where your content might be lacking or outdated.
Do you have older blogs from 2015? Are they giving you the type of SEO juice you need or just taking up space? We’ve created numerous articles on how to improve the quality of your content to educate readers, position you as a thought leader, and help you improve keyword rankings for your business!
“Not only is content still king, it’s a lucrative and competitive market. Don’t think that you can just throw up a new page or blog post without a strategy and expect to see results. From social media to blogs to streaming services, it’s all about creating lasting connections with content.”
– Britt Laeger, Director of Marketing Operations at Brandography
The truth is this trend isn’t going anywhere. However, the sophistication and quality of content will get higher, which means you’ll need to invest your time and energy into content marketing.
Need a content strategy? Contact us for help!
TikTok Is a Game Changer
When TikTok first came onto the digital scene, most of us had our doubts. “This is just another fad,” they said. “It won’t last for more than a year.” Well, well, well…it looks like TikTok might be having the last laugh.
Don’t believe us? How about the fact that other well-established platforms like Instagram are borrowing ideas from this new kid on the block. Wait, what?
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, and Instagram Reels may be proof of this. If you’ve been on the fence about opening a business TikTok account or paying for TikTok ads, you might want to consider its increasing popularity and global reach.
And though we do have our doubts about TikTok’s new 5-minute video test launch, this platform may prove to be ahead of its time after all. We’ll just have to wait and see!
Walmart vs. Amazon: Who Wore It Best?
Okay, this is where it gets even more interesting. Amazon has always taken the lead in market share, but Walmart is coming up from behind. This two-decade war between these top eCommerce retailers hasn’t yet shown a clear winner, but we are seeing a giant migration of sellers moving from Amazon to Walmart.
This doesn’t mean businesses are completely abandoning Amazon, however. In fact, most brands are utilizing both marketplaces to sell their products.
As both eCommerce giants fight to stay in the lead, it will be interesting to watch how this will play out in 2022.
Instagram Shopping
As one of the leading “social” eCommerce outlets, Instagram continues to blow up, post pandemic. In fact, 70% of shoppers admit to looking to this platform to discover new products.
Although Facebook still takes the lead with impressive features like Facebook Shops to add to its arsenal of shopping tools, Instagram presents retailers with an additional sales platform that easily links from your online store to your business account. It may help even trigger impulse purchases and reach a wider audience of potential customers:
In fact, 90% of Instagram users follow a business account, making the expansion of Instagram Shopping more effective than ever for merchants to tag products in their posts, open an online storefront, and simplify the entire buyer journey, from discovery to checkout,” (Shopify).
If you’re managing an eCommerce site already, you might want to invest some time in creating an Instagram store. The process isn’t as difficult as you think, and we have a whole team of experts who would be glad to give you a hand!
Accessibility
Improving your website’s accessibility has always been an ongoing effort. But lately, we’re learning that more businesses in the service and medical industries are receiving letters from lawyers threatening to take action against their websites that fail to meet accessibility requirements.
Knowing how to cover yourself will be essential in 2022. If you’re worried about the accessibility of your site, our team can help you find the tools to get your site up to standards and keep it compliant, so you can get back to serving your customers!
Ready for 2022?
Worried about how these trends will affect your marketing and advertising campaigns? Contact our team to learn how we can help!
We’ll provide a comprehensive discovery of your current strategy and help you build and launch effective campaigns that keeps you ahead of competitors and connected to more users across the globe!
To schedule a consultation and talk to our team of experts, reach out to us today!
