2022 is already set to be one for the history books as businesses continue to exceed customer expectations with digital advances.
We’ve compiled a list of the upcoming trends you should be using in your marketing strategies for noteworthy results.
1. No more cookies
Privacy has been a hot topic in 2021, so Google has announced that in early 2022 it will be ditching the cookie. This will be a shakeup for digital advertising. By ending cookie tracking it means businesses will no longer be able to collect third party data about prospective customers, and in turn, this gives consumers more choice about what information they want to give out.
To combat this, we expect to see a rise of businesses turning to gated content and CRM platforms like HubSpot to gather data, facilitate advertising and assist in long term sales strategies.
2. Targeted email marketing
We are living in a world of endless distractions, and our attention span has only gotten shorter. We only truly engage with content that resonates with our interests making it increasingly harder for brands to get in front of their target audience. Email marketing is a reliable way to reach your audience where there are fewer distractions.
Segmented email marketing strategies have a lot of benefits, including:
3. Storytelling
Real stories activate the part of the brain that memorises information. By telling the stories of how your business survived the lockdowns or why you have changed your sales model, your brand will resonate on a higher emotional level and forge greater connections.
Some of the most successful brands in 2021 have utilised their stories and redistributed the content in different formats across their networks for higher engagement.
4. Getting into Position 0
Zero click searches are where people have found the information they are looking for without ever visiting your site.
These can be in the form of:
Position 0 is becoming increasingly valuable and a highly desirable SEO result. Controversially the user never visits your site, but your brand is seen as the source of the information.
5. “Near me” searches
Near me is a phrase we have all typed into a search engine at least once and is helping local businesses be found by their community. Localised SEO establishes your geographical location and provides helpful content to potential customers. At a glance, people will see your open hours, your address, your phone number and reviews left by other customers. Retail businesses can also list their products and prices if they would like to help customers make a faster decision.
6. Visual Searches
Have you ever wanted to know where that jacket came from or what the plant on your desk is? Well, Google Lens and iPhone cameras now allow you to search through your camera app. Just by focusing on a product, it can show you the most relevant search results. This means there is now even more emphasis on having simple information or product images on your site that will lead to direct sales.
7. Encouraging Online Reviews
Word of mouth has always been important, but people have become more reliant on online reviews to assist in their decision-making with the pandemic. Businesses with newer and more positive reviews have attracted the most prospective customers over the last two years and will continue to do so well into 2022.
8. Hybrid Events
Through lockdown, we have held many online events. As we exit lockdown, some of us are excited and ready to attend in-person events whilst others are more comfortable staying online. By providing people with options to attend in person or via Zoom, businesses are seeing a continued rise in engagement with their customers.
9. Omnichannel Engagement
Customers expect a seamless experience and continued customer service. According to Hubspot, customer experience is the number 1 driver of business growth. Customers now expect brand presence across multiple channels with easy access to customer service portals. Brands that are able to provide this broad customer service experience for their current and prospective customers continue to gain greater insights for better customer retention.
10. Audio Content Advertising
With everyone enjoying the long road trips and those hour-long walks, audio content and audio-based advertising is on the rise. By including audio content such as podcasts into your marketing strategy, you can diversify your audience reach across multiple platforms. Both HubSpot and Hootsuite predict audio content will increase by roughly 40% over the next year.
Want more?
You’ll discover plenty of simply smarter marketing strategies to grow your business with Pixeld. Get in touch with our team if you’d like to take your marketing to the next level in 2022.
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