One of the defining features of marketing is that it is ever-evolving. Consumer preferences are constantly changing. Trends come and go. And marketing professionals have to adapt.
This has happened abruptly especially during the past year when many businesses had to concentrate their efforts on establishing a digital presence.
This rapid digitalization is not about to stop, which means marketers need to keep their hands on the pulse of marketing trends to succeed. In this article, we are taking a look at six marketing trends to include in your strategy in 2022.
1. Artificial Intelligence
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) develops, it becomes a part of an increasing field. Marketing is not an exception. During the last couple of years, there was a rapid rise in the use of AI tools One popular tool is chatbots. Many brands use them to provide round-the-clock support services to ensure a superior customer experience.
Though the most popular one, chatbots are not the only way your business can use AI to improve its marketing efforts. Because of the rise of social media and the rapid digitalization of brands, marketers now have access to huge volumes of data. Because of this sheer volume, it can sometimes be hard to analyze them and understand which insights are important. Many AI-driven platforms now specialize in doing a deep analysis of available data to help brands make data-driven marketing decisions.
Other areas where AI and marketing collide are the following: website analytics, content writing (through various writing assistant tools), copyrighting, and sentiment analysis on social media.
This growing number of AI-powered tools and their constant improvement indicates that in 2022, and more so in the coming years, AI will play an increasingly big role in marketing. Make sure to incorporate them into your marketing strategy for the next year to equip your brand.
2. Email Marketing
As digital marketing strategies evolve, the question of whether email marketing still works often comes to light. The answer is yes: after more than 40 years, it still remains one of the most effective digital marketing strategies brands can leverage for user acquisition. In fact, it is reported that for each $1 spent emails generate $42, which is a 4200% ROI.
The key reasons for this performance are that emails are highly personalized and they can reach the customers right in their inbox. But the key reason is that people actually want to hear from brands they subscribe to.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that email marketing is not static. As in other parts of the digital world, it is subject to trends. Here are some of the email marketing trends we’ll see in 2022:
- Customer segmentation
- Mobile-friendly emails
- Personalized email frequency
- Interactive email content
- Multipart MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)
Email marketing is one of the best ways brands can reach their customers in 2022, and it’s also one of the most affordable ones.
3. Video Marketing
Another hot marketing trend that is not going away anytime soon is video marketing. Most businesses understand the importance of video to some extent, and at some point have invested in one or two videos for their website.
However, most people miss the fact that video marketing is poised to become even more relevant in the next few years. As online video consumption constantly rises (YouTube is now the second-largest social platform!), brands can no longer treat videos as a second thought. You need to have a solid video marketing strategy to run your channels.
From social media video stories to product explainer videos on your website, videos have a number of benefits you can’t ignore. Some of those benefits are higher SERP rankings, improved engagement with brands on social media, and longer sessions on your website. Videos also work wonders, as 84% of customers report being convinced to buy a product after watching a video.
Businesses start to realize how critical video marketing can be, and 61% of marketers plan to increase their video spending in 2021. As videos are becoming one of the most preferred types of content on the Internet, this number will only grow, making it one of the key marketing strategies of 2022.
4. Voice Search
Here are the statistics: currently, voice search accounts for $2 billion, and is expected to grow to $40 Billion by 2022.
With the accessibility of smartphones and virtual assistants, more and more people use voice search to ask questions, and research and purchase products. Considering this, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that voice search marketing is one of the most important marketing strategies today.
Voice search has already started to change the marketing world as we know it. For example, because of the differences between how people talk and how they type, voice search has started to impact SEO, making many brands start optimizing their content for voice.
Take your time to learn more about voice search and how you can include it in your marketing strategies for the upcoming years, as this trend is only expected to grow.
5. Social In-App Shopping
In its very basic form, social commerce is the process of selling your products on social media. This form of marketing has seen a rise since the Instagram and Facebook stores, and currently, brands can directly sell products also on Pinterest.
Social commerce allows customers to research and find a product they need, learn about its specifications, and make a purchase through a simple checkout process right in the social media app. This significantly decreases the friction and number of steps customers need to go through, making purchases more likely.
Some of the key benefits of social commerce are not only the simplicity and availability but also that it turns shopping into a social experience. Customers who engage with your social platforms are part of your online community, and this feeling of belonging and deep connection with the brand grows engagement and sales. You don’t have to spend large resources on paid ads as the group that is most interested in your product is already there.
Social media commerce is already a $36 billion business in the US, expecting to reach $47 billion in 2022 and $80 billion by 2025, making it a strategy your brand shouldn’t neglect.
6. Mobile Marketing
Mobile marketing is a powerful digital marketing strategy that’s been on the rise during the last few years. As the name suggests, this type of marketing aims to reach the audience right on their mobile devices. From SMS marketing to Bluetooth advertising, mobile marketing offers a variety of strategies brands can implement depending on their needs.
As brands see more conversions through mobile marketing, and mobile-driven purchases constitute 45% of the US e-commerce market, the role of mobile marketing will increasingly grow, gradually becoming a crucial marketing strategy brands can leverage.
Conclusion
Here are the top 6 marketing strategies your business should be paying attention to in 2022. While this is by far not the complete list of hot marketing trends, these strategies are key and shouldn’t be ignored by any brand that tries to establish itself on digital.
Make sure to study them in-depth and think of innovative and interesting ways to incorporate them into your marketing strategy in the upcoming years. Good luck!
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Written by DesignCrowd on Thursday, August 19, 2021
DesignCrowd is an online marketplace providing logo, website, print and graphic design services by providing access to freelance graphic designers and design studios around the world.