The entire world of marketing is increasingly gaining momentum digitally. The success or failure of marketing measures is no longer solely determined by the chosen strategy. It is also important whether this is in keeping with the times . One way to achieve this is to follow current trends. We present highlights of what is currently (and possibly in the future) resonating well.
Three key directions for trends in digital marketing
Three directions can be identified in which trends have a significant impact: in online marketing, in content marketing and in SEO, the optimization for search engines.
Not all trends may suit everyone. However, it seems essential to pursue a digital marketing strategy that fits the image of your company on the one hand, but also allows new, creative impulses on the other.
Trend direction 1: Marketing is becoming (online) more personal
- Let’s start with a trend that is no longer a trend, but the headline confirms it: influencer marketing is just clearing the hurdle of becoming an established marketing tactic. This is due to the wide acceptance. In a study, almost 60 percent of marketers who use influencer marketing confirmed its effectiveness. Half of these marketers are budgeting more for 2022, while 10 percent say it’s the form of marketing with the highest ROI. The new thing about it:
not only the top influencers are in demand. Many companies rely on so-called micro-influencers , whose number of followers ranges from a few thousand to several tens of thousands. They make up for the lower reach with greater influence and proximity to the community. - Another trend is the growing emphasis on corporate social responsibility . The decisive factor here is less the importance on the part of those responsible for marketing. Rather, the call from consumers for it is getting louder and louder. Especially during the last three years, the general situation of employees has come into focus. The users were already sensitized by the developments in data protection. Consumers are now demanding transparency about the ethics and social behavior of companies.
- Of course, a lot is happening in social media as well. And most of it in parallel. This results in many complex connections at once. So many that we publish our own articles on them.
Trend direction 2: Content marketing is becoming even more decisive and comprehensive
It has been proven that 1 in 2 buyers look at an average of 3 to 5 content posts from a company before making a decision or contacting sales. Likewise , every second potential customer expects companies to offer suitable content that catches their attention:
- Video marketing has long been considered the number 1 effective form of content and every fourth marketer confirms the greatest marketing success here (27%). The trend is increasingly towards so-called short-form videos, since short videos serve all learning channels and do not overwhelm the attention. These posts are a maximum of 2 minutes and 30 seconds long . But other tried and tested formats will also retain their importance or will continue to expand it.
- Above all, the company blog. This content has established itself over the years and continues to show increasing importance. 56 percent of marketers attest to the effectiveness of their blogs. And here, too, 10 percent say that the highest ROI is generated by their company blog.
- Content marketing is being supplemented more and more by advanced technical possibilities . In addition to podcasts , which are now (and will continue to be) widely embraced, virtual experiences are on the rise. Virtual reality and augmented reality elements are becoming increasingly popular. They allow immersion in brand worlds or show consumers the effect and appearance of products in their immediate environment.
- In addition, marketers are also increasingly using professionally created infographics to better present all the facts behind products and services and to attract leads in the process.
Trend direction 3: SEO goes deeper
A key goal of marketing has always been improved perception . This is only possible digitally if you follow the requirements of search engines:
- Keyword optimization is considered a key priority . The use of Search Insight Reports is increasingly being promoted here . This means analyses, about search processes and user behavior, which are used for content design. As an alternative to this comparatively high effort, most smaller marketing teams use what is known as content optimization using search-driven keywords . Formulations that correspond to the search queries of the user.
- Optimizing content for mobile devices is becoming even more important. More than half of the annual online traffic now comes from cell phones or tablets. Two thirds of all experienced marketers describe the investment in such an optimization as effectively necessary. And also because Generation Z will develop more and more purchasing power with their mobile, digital networking. In the meantime, therefore, not only websites but also e-mail campaigns are being optimized for mobile devices in marketing.
- Another SEO trend is content history optimization for businesses. Because keeping content fresh and up-to-date is rewarded by search engines. And just given a new purpose, old posts offer new opportunities: as a webinar, podcast topic or new blog post. In this way, content can efficiently retain its significance for search engines. By the way, marketers also pay attention to the SEO of photos and videos. And not least because language searches (or voice search) in search engines have long since left the trend stage.
Conclusion
The 2022 digital marketing trends can serve as valuable indicators of the direction the world of marketing is heading. Certainly not every trend is relevant for every company.
Nevertheless, it makes sense to deal with these trends and check to what extent they fit into your own marketing strategy.
It is clear that the expectations and desires of each target group are constantly changing. It is all the more important that your online marketing strategy adapts to the target group. Online marketing trends can also help to identify weaknesses or gaps in marketing. For example, you don’t offer any videos yet? Start experimenting with early videos. Haven’t gotten to grips with voice searches yet? Think about how you can optimize your website accordingly.