With 2021 coming to a close, now is the perfect time to start planning your 2022 marketing strategy (if you haven’t already). To determine the best course of action for your business in the new year, it is important to have a strong understanding of upcoming digital marketing trends. We outline what these are below.
Virtual and hybrid experiences on the rise
COVID-19 and lockdowns meant that many businesses expanded their digital footprint in an effort to help stay connected with their customers. Now, with the return to normality, a lot of businesses are looking to merge their digital and in-person interactions. This has in turn led to an increase in both virtual and hybrid experiences.
Virtual experiences are those where a user can access an experience from the comfort of their own home, such as a virtual tour or events. Whereas hybrid experiences focus on interactions like training, seminars or marketing demonstrations your customer can not only attend in person, but can also join digitally. Why are these so important? The ability to attend experiences online allows businesses to tap into a much larger market of potential customers who can now engage with your company from the comfort of their own home.
Content remains a top priority
The impact of COVID has sped up the digital integration of many businesses which has led to a drastic increase in the amount of content online. In fact in 2021, 43% of marketers saw content marketing budget increases, and 66% expect to see it rise again in 2022. With a greater focus on content marketing, it is crucial to understand not only how to effectively write relevant and engaging content, but also how to utilise new content types.
Video content for example (especially short form video content) has become increasingly popular on social media, with platforms like TikTok and YouTube now promoting shorter videos. This type of content provides the perfect opportunity to create connections with customers and can be a highly powerful option to grow brand engagement. Customer focused content is also still on the rise. Data driven, even AI based content is implemented as a means of providing fast paced, hard hitting content that can be released in rapid response to new changes. With so many options available, we’d recommend starting to explore new content avenues to avoid being left behind.
Continued growth of AI in marketing
AI is able to ingest large amounts of data on a variety of subjects such as customer behaviours/patterns or marketing performance numbers. This data is then examined, with quick and objective suggestions and provided to the business. In fact some AI has developed to even be able to predict trends in markets before they occur, allowing businesses to rapidly respond to changes in the market and preemptively reach out to potential customers. AI is no longer just for big companies, many small to medium businesses can implement AI to help improve everyday aspects of the business. Explore how AI can improve your company’s efficiency in 2022.
Build first party customer data
With cookies being phased out, alternative methods to track customers are on the rise. As highlighted by Deloitte, the best way for businesses to prepare for this change is to build up their first party customer data. Customer loyalty programs are a great example of this, where a customer provides their details in exchange for exclusive offers and discounts. These programs provide the perfect opportunity to track customer behaviour while helping to move them along the purchase cycle. By building first party data, businesses can help to ensure they are protected from the new data changes coming our way next year.
2021 has been another whirlwind year for digital. With lockdowns and constant changes to restrictions, businesses have had to adapt how they operate and interact with customers.
With 2022 around the corner and some sense of normality returning it’s important to be prepared; talk to the digital marketing gurus, Redline Digital today.