Digital Marketing gets more complex and sophisticated with each coming year. Aside from the fundaments like branding, PPC, UX, and SEO, marketers now have to contend with new channels and technologies.
What worked the past few years might not work in 2022. Businesses and marketers need to be adaptable and willing to change with the times because there are plenty of working parts to successful digital marketing campaigns or strategies.
Otherwise, they’ll be left behind. And when you get left behind in the digital age, it’s hard to come back. Your audience will have moved on, your competition will have pulled ahead, and you’ll struggle to play catch-up.
That’s why it’s vital to stay ahead of the curve and be aware of the latest digital marketing trends. So, without further ado, here are the Digital Marketing trends that will be big this year.
The growth of influencer marketing.
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In 2021, influencer marketing reached $13.8 billion, and it will only grow from there. This number is staggering, and it just goes to show how important influencer Digital Marketing has become in such a short period.
Why is influencer marketing so popular? There are a few reasons. First, people trust word-of-mouth recommendations more than any other form of advertising. In fact, at least 92% of people trust recommendations or suggestions from friends and family, according to Nielsen.
Influencer marketing takes this a step further by leveraging the trust that people have in celebrities, bloggers, and other social media personalities. Rather than trusting an advertisement, people are more likely to trust the opinion of someone they know and respect.
Second, social media has given everyone a voice, which means that anyone can be an influencer. With social media, anyone can share their opinion with the world, and this has led to a rise in micro-influencers.
Micro-influencers are people who have a small but highly engaged following on social media. They often have a niche topic that they are experts in, and their followers trust their opinion on products and services.
Third, the cost of influencer digital marketing is becoming more affordable. As more brands start to invest in influencer marketing, the cost of working with influencers is dropping. It means that more businesses can afford to work with influencers, and they no longer have to spend a fortune on traditional advertising methods.
Marketers should seek out opportunities to work with influencers relevant to their industries. For example, a Digital Marketing Agency In Los Angeles could work with digital marketing or technology bloggers. Or, a clothing company could work with fashion bloggers.
The bottom line is that influencer marketing is here to stay, and businesses should start incorporating it into their marketing plans.
Every part of digital marketing is algorithm-driven.
Everything is algorithm-driven, from email, search engine optimization, social advertisements, display ads to social media newsfeeds. The algorithms optimize the same thing, the user experience.
Digital marketing is an ever-changing field with many complexities. However, at its core, it relies on algorithms to create a user experience that is valuable and trustworthy. If you can’t provide that experience, you’ll be replaced by someone who can.
So, how can you go about creating an algorithm-driven marketing strategy? There are a few key things to keep in mind:
- Understand your algorithms. You need to understand how the algorithms work in order to manipulate them for your own purposes. Google, Facebook, and other platforms all have detailed help pages that can teach you about their inner workings.
- Use data to your advantage. The algorithms are always changing, and the only way to keep up is by using data. Look at what’s working and what’s not, and make changes accordingly.
- Create a valuable user experience. It’s the key to success in digital marketing. No matter how great your algorithms are, if the user experience is bad, you won’t get very far.
Metaverse is gaining popularity.
Metaverse refers to augmented and virtual experiences. It’s not just about gaming experiences but a persistent environment where people socialize, play, and work.
There’s a reason why metaverse is gaining popularity lately. It’s because the metaverse has the potential to offer a more immersive and engaging experience than traditional web browsing or gaming.
Marketers will be able to test a new set of performance metrics like attention, immersion, and virality to determine the effectiveness of their campaigns. These insights can re-map what you know about how users interact with your product or service.
It’s also worth noting that metaverse offers new opportunities for businesses to interact with customers in a more engaging way. For example, retailers can create virtual stores that allow customers to browse and purchase products in a more immersive setting.
Let’s take Facebook, for example. The company is betting big on the metaverse and even changed its name to Meta. Mark Zuckerberg aims to integrate virtual and augmented reality into social media. And this will allow users to have more immersive experiences on the platform.
With all of this in mind, marketers should start looking for opportunities for their brands in the metaverse. It’s still a new medium, so there’s a lot of room for experimentation. And as the technology continues to develop, the metaverse will only become more immersive and engaging.
Local SEO is becoming increasingly important.
All businesses have a local reach, whether they realize it or not. Even businesses that only sell their products online reach out to local customers in some way or another. For example, if you’re a business located in the United States, your site might rank higher in SERPS for people within the US than in other countries.
Also, when searchers enter localized keywords related to your business, you want your name to appear. For instance, you offer digital marketing services in Los Angeles, CA. So when your audience looks for a “local digital marketing company,” “top digital marketing agencies in LA,” or “full-service digital marketing near me,” you want your company to show up in those results.
That’s because search engines consider a site’s location when indexing and ranking it. So if you’re looking to target customers in a specific area, you need to optimize your site for local search.
There are a few ways to do this. The most common is by including keywords and phrases specific to your area. You can also create pages on your site specifically for local customers, like a “Contact Us” page that lists your physical address and hours of operation.
Claiming and optimizing your Google My Business listing is another great way to help your site rank higher for local searches. In addition, having this listing helps your business show up or appear for “near me” searches.
Also, it allows customers to know more about your business. They’ll see all your business information like your website, phone number, and address. Plus, you can add photos and posts to help show off your business.
Localized SEO is becoming increasingly important as more and more people use local search to find businesses. If you’re not optimizing your site for local search, you’re missing out on many potential customers.
Social media marketing commerce will continue.
Saks and Walmart experimented and tested social commerce in 2021, among other retailers. They used platforms like Instagram and Tiktok. Social commerce will continue this year as more brands want to cut down the distance from discovery to conversion.
It gives marketers another touchpoint to reach potential customers. The good news is that social commerce isn’t limited to big-ticket brands. Even small businesses can get in on the action.
Let’s take a look at a skincare brand called Plant Mother. According to their CEO Jena Joyce, after launching an Instagram shop in November 2021, the company saw a 1280% in referral traffic and a 100% increase in revenue.
Take note that Plant Mother is still a new brand that can’t outcompete the big name brands. However, with Instagram shopping, they can offer a convenient and personalized shopping experience to their customers, gaining more loyal followers in the process.
The company’s CEO added that Instagram shopping proved to be a better and more profitable alternative to paid advertisements.
Aside from that, live stream commerce is also expected to grow in popularity this year. Platforms like Facebook Live and Instagram Live allow users to buy products as they watch the stream. This commerce is perfect for those who want an immediate purchase without having to leave the app or website they’re on.
If you’re not already using social commerce, now is the time to start. It’s a great way to highlight your small business marketing services, reach more customers, and increase revenue. With the right strategy, you can see some fantastic results.
LinkedIn continues to be a rising star.
LinkedIn is growing in the Digital Marketing space. The platform shows massive gains in monthly engagements and active users each quarter. Also, they’re continuously launching new features that keep users engaged.
Marketers should never ignore this powerful tool and go all-in on LinkedIn to reach their target market.
Tips for businesses on LinkedIn:
- Make sure your profile is complete and up-to-date. It’s your first impression to potential customers, so make it count!
- Use keywords in your profile that are relevant to your business. It will help potential customers find you when they search for businesses like yours.
- Create valuable content for your LinkedIn page. It could be blog posts, infographics, or even videos.
- Make sure to join relevant groups and participate in discussions. It’s a great way to build relationships with potential customers.
- Engage with your followers. Reply to comments and messages, and share their content if it’s relevant to your business.
Mobile-first websites are essential.
More and more people are using their mobile devices for internet browsing. So what does this mean for business? Well, if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re going to lose out on many potential customers and profit.
But this doesn’t mean computer desktop usage is dead or that you should ignore how your website displays on a desktop. Instead, you should design your website with a mobile-first mindset.
Mobile-first websites are critical because they provide an optimal experience for users on smaller screens. It includes easy navigation, quick loading times, and simplified layouts. When you design your website with these things in mind, it will look great on all devices, but it will also be easier for users to find what they’re looking for.
It’s a growing trend, and businesses that don’t adapt will be left behind. So make sure your website is ready for the mobile age!
Marketers will adopt marketing automation.
Marketing automation helps you save time and money while delivering better results. With marketing automation, you can create, manage, and deploy campaigns with the push of a button. Plus, you’ll get real-time analytics to track your progress and make adjustments as needed.
Many data-driven marketing campaigns today are executed through digital Marketing automation tools. Email marketing, web personalization, and dynamic content are great examples of automated campaigns that can help you achieve your desired results.
In order to make the most of marketing automation, you need to understand how it works and how it can be used to improve your marketing efforts. Luckily, there are plenty of resources available to help you get started. Once you understand the basics, you can start creating your Digital Marketing automation campaigns and see better results.
Conclusion
For your business to stay ahead of the curve, it’s essential to know what digital marketing trends are on the horizon. So far, we’ve looked at some of the most important Digital Marketing trends for 2022 that you need to be aware of. But there are still many other exciting changes on the horizon. So stay updated with the news, and you’ll be sure to stay ahead of the competition.
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