1. Influencer marketing will evolve from trend to a common marketing tactic.
When
we asked global marketing professionals which trends they planned to
invest in for 2022, 34% said influencer marketing, putting it at the top
of the list -- above other trends like mobile web design and short-form
video marketing. While 57% of marketing professionals that currently leverage
influencer marketing say it's effective, 46% of them plan to increase
their investments in 2022. Additionally,11% say it's the top
ROI-generating trend they've tested.
When
marketers collaborate with influencers and industry thought leaders in
their industry, they can expand brand awareness and gain fans from the
influencer's own audience. Micro-influencers
are social media promoters with a smaller following (typically,
thousands to tens of thousands of followers). Although they have fewer
followers, their posts often pack more punch due to their higher level
of engagement.
These
influencers have found a niche in their industry, too — which is why
they've started to play a bigger role in converting leads, connecting
with audiences, and boosting brand awareness.
2. Video marketers will keep content short.
More
than 31% of global marketers currently invest in short-form video
content, 46% of them consider the strategy effective when it comes to
performance and engagement. While long-form videos can offer depth and large amounts of information about a product, brand, or services to audiences, both B2C and B2B marketers have learned that getting to the point with short-form videos can actually be much more effective.
Not
only does it take less bandwidth to create a short-form video, but this
type of format aligns well with the fast-paced attention spans of
online audiences in a variety of demographics. Still
not convinced that short-form videos can be effective in your marketing
strategy? Check out this great example of a TikTok video from Canva
that informs viewers of just how easy it is to make professional-looking
graphics with the website.
3. Mobile optimization will be even more important.
It's no surprise that consumers are spending more and more time on mobile devices. In fact, more than half of annual online website traffic comes from mobile devices, including tablets. And, as millennials and Gen Z audiences continue to grow buying
power, mobile-optimized digital experiences will be even more vital to
consider as a business owner who markets to these fast-paced, highly
connected generations.
And,
mobile experiences aren't just important on brand websites, they're
also important in other key marketing strategies. For example, 56% of
marketers who work with email are focused on delivering mobile email
experiences to subscribers.
4. Permanent social media posts could overtake ephemeral content.
While
ephemeral content -- which often stays published for 24-hours before
disappearing (unless it's saved or archived) -- isn't going away any
time soon, brands have seen that permanent social media content -- such
as standard posts, videos, and live events that show up on a platform's
feed and can be viewed again days later -- might be more effective
within their marketing campaigns.
Our survey results show that 44% of global marketers plan to increase
their investment in permanent social media content, while 8% say it
generates the most ROI compared to other marketing strategies they
leverage. Meanwhile, 25% of respondents called ephemeral content the
"least effective" trend they invested in.
5. Companies will prioritize social responsibility.
Although
31% of marketers say social responsibility is ineffective when it comes
to campaign engagement or performance, 45% still plan to invest in it
throughout the next year. The interest in buying products from socially responsible brands really took during the many global events of 2020 and 2021.
As the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on the world, it highlighted
the pains employees had to endure in the workplace and in politics.
Employees became more vocal about their frustrations, inequality, and
workplace treatment. Additionally, early research from organizations like McKinsey
predicted that customers would more heavily support brands that
demonstrated their care for all customers, employees, and shared
causes.
6. Experiential marketing could make a comeback.
Experiential marketing campaigns enable audiences to step into an immersive experience that is often in a physical place or via an AR/VR platform. The experience included orb-shaped "rooms," which were each complete with decor and fragrances unique to a certain candy flavor. Although
immersive experiences like these were fun, effective, and highly
shareable on social media, they ran into barriers in 2020 and 2021 as
businesses, public venues, and entire countries were forced to shut down
public operations in the global pandemic.
And,
because producing a branded AR/VR experience is a high-budget bet that
can also rely on audiences to have tools like AR/VR headsets or the
latest smartphone technology to access the content -- fewer small brands
have invested in digital experiential marketing.
That's why it's not shocking that only 29% of those we polled were
investing in experiential marketing in 2021, while just only 14%
invested in AR/VR.
7. More businesses will use SEO to concur search traffic.
As marketers, we must ensure that our websites and content are as
discoverable as possible -- especially on Google -- which can provide
both long-term and short-term traffic returns. And, while SEO is not
new, it's strategies are becoming even more ingrained within modern day
marketing strategies. While SEO was the sixth marketing trend those surveyed were leveraging, with 28% of marketers saying they currently used it.
As
the interest and need for SEO strategies grow, so do all search
optimization opportunities. As Google algorithms have evolved, SEO has
become about much more than churning out basic posts that answer simple
search queries. Now, brands are investing in SEO experts who can help
them with everything from search insights reports, to multimedia
optimization.
8. Virtual events will continue, but some brands will invest less.
In 2022, we expect to see more hybrid marketing strategies that still allow audiences to embrace virtual events and conferences,
as well as physical opportunities. When polling global marketing
professionals, the data we received lined up with this prediction.
In
2021, 51% of marketers were investing in virtual events. However, 17%
of these marketers plan to decrease their investments in 2022. Despite losing some shrinking virtual event budgets, marketers won't
be leaving the virtual event space any time soon. In fact, a whopping
80% of marketers plan to invest the same budget or more into virtual
events in 2022.
9. More consumers will hear branded audio content.
In the summer of 2021, marketers were perplexed by Clubhouse -- an invitation-only audio chatroom app that quickly gained millions of users without publishing any visual content. According
to our research, 53% of professionals whose companies leverage content
marketing find "podcasts or other types of audio content" effective when
it comes to engagement and brand awareness. However, only 1% of
marketers that leverage audio content say it yields ROI.
When
it came to investments in audio chatrooms, like Clubhouse or Twitter
Spaces, we saw a similar theme. Although only 16% of marketers say
they've invested in this trend, 34% of those marketers find it
effective. Although
audio platforms might not have great monetizing features or conversion
paths, this data hints that they still provide the engagement and brand
awareness companies need to see from them for a continued investment.
10. Inbound marketing will remain a best practice for growing brands.
While
inbound marketing has been around for years, 27% of marketers say they
will leverage it for the first time in 2022. while 11% of marketers say
it will be their biggest investment in the next year. Throughout
the last two years, the world's dealt with unprecedented change, and
outbound marketing tactics have become even less effective in reaching
prospects and leads. John Hazard,
the founder and content strategist at digital marketing agency
Lighthouse Creative Group, sees this as a place of opportunity to
generate interest despite their typical formulaic production. “Screen
fatigue is a big issue for brands."
Inbound marketing
can be a valuable asset to create brand awareness and build trust
digitally through refocusing strategy to drive customers to seek out
your content. The process of inbound marketing requires you to produce quality, valuable content tailored towards your target audience and buyer personas and their needs.