An excellent digital marketer keeps updated with the latest digital marketing trends and incorporates new changes in their digital marketing strategy. Along with PPC, SEO, Social Media Marketing, and other essential types of digital marketing, marketers have to juggle emerging social channels and ever-evolving regulations like content, personalization, etc.
We have thoroughly researched digital marketing trends and technologies for past years and what is to come in the following years. Furthermore, we have discussed the top 10 trends which a digital marketing agency has to consider while devising strategies for their clients to boost awareness, extend reach, and maximize revenue:
Top Digital Marketing Trends for 2022
All of the below-mentioned Digital Marketing Trends are important. But we have further classified these trends according to their need and the level of attention they require:
2022 Digital Marketing Trends to Adopt ASAP
1. Gender Neutrality
In 2021, we saw many small and big brands adopting this gender-neutral marketing technique. Big brands like Riley Studio and Big Bud Press were seen releasing gender-neutral clothing collections last year. This inclusivity trend is expected to increase in the coming year.
The managing director of Midas Creative, a famous web design company, says, “Marketing dynamics are changing. It will be more gender-neutral and less focused on traditional ideas of what sex an individual is what they should be seeing wearing”.
2. DEI & Sustainability
Brand values have become immensely important for consumers in recent years. Also, this trend too will continue to grow its importance in 2022.
DEI refers to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. A brand should incorporate these into core brand values. These days, a customer just does not see the price and quality of the product or service they are acquiring from the brand. They are more concerned with the brands’ core values, corporate social responsibilities, and affiliations with NGOs and social welfare organizations.
Sustainability, climate change, and DEI are very fancy topics to talk about. If you are already doing these activities, then it is time to own them proudly. Moreover, adding these issues to your digital marketing strategies can boost your brand equity and increase customer loyalty.
3. Accessibility
Accessibility refers to creating ease for people with disabilities. Mass media has a massive role in shaping people’s attitudes, and leading brands with their campaigns have the potential to address deep-seated biases towards people with disabilities.
We have seen big brands raising their voices for disabled people in the last couple of years. Accordingly, we have listed down some of the most famous campaigns by big brands:
- Microsoft/ ‘We All Win’: When Microsoft realized that some children with specific disabilities found it hard to play video games with conventional controllers, they came up with an innovative Xbox Adaptive Controller. They took the help of organizations like AbleGamers Charity and the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.
- Guide Beauty/ Accessible Makeup: In 2020, we saw the launch of Guide Beauty. They released a line of makeup for people with shaky hands. Moreover, the collection was launched with four products—each of them with a built-in pop-out Guide ring that stabilized the hand and allows for easy grip.
- Lego/ Braille Bricks: Lego launched new building blocks with the name Braille Bricks for blind and visually impaired children. The brand designed these toys to help children learn the Braille system of reading and writing. The characters of the alphabet are represented by raised dots.
Brands should consider these points to add accessibility products to their product line. The trends tell us that it will increase even more in 2022. Thus, if you are already dealing with this type of product and your digital marketing agency is not making the most out of it, you need to consult the best digital marketing agency in the USA.
Top Digital Marketing Trends Expected to Continue
These two trends might not sound new to you, and you might already be employing them in your organization. You need to continue using them in your digital marketing funnel.
4. Supply-Chain Buffering
Supply chain buffering tells about the level of inventory you have to maintain to avoid the situation of stocking out. Also, you have to integrate your stock with conventional or digital marketing campaigns. Often, marketers focus solely on selling the products without considering the level of stock available in the warehouse. Sometimes, it creates a bad image of the brand in the minds of customers in the form of late delivery or canceled orders.
Furthermore, you can not pile up the stock too much. It will increase your carrying cost. Also, it can increase the chances of your product getting expired. Both can result in huge losses. So, you have to keep a hawked eye on the supply chain to keep running your business smoothly.
5. Zero & First-Party Data
Let’s first understand what zero and first-party data are. First-party data refers to the information collected directly from your consumers. Furthermore, you may collect this information from website and app analytics, social media profiles, surveys, etc. While Zero-party data refers to the information, your consumer intentionally shares with you. The best way to ask for this data is to give your customers some value in return. Thus, it could be achieved through a survey, free resources such as pdf, or an eBook.
Zero-party data is essential for marketers. Data is the life-blood for marketing experts—they design genius conventional and digital marketing strategies based on this data.
Top Digital Marketing Trends to Have a Try-on
6. Simple Content
The internet is flooded with content these days. A reader has a lot of options to get information. So your content should be as simple as possible. Keeping your content simple will make Google algorithms rank your content in SERP. Google wants ease for its customers; it always shows easy-to-read content to the user.
To keep your website SEO-friendly, you have to put simple but high-quality content across your digital marketing channels. The content has to be concise and straightforward.
You may also like: How to Write High-Quality Content in 2022
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7. Live Stream Commerce
Small and big brands widely use this practice. Brands market and sell their product through live streams on digital platforms in live stream commerce. Often in collaboration with influencers.
You can sell your products directly through social media without utilizing your website or even a physical store. The best tools that you can use for social commerce are TikTok and Instagram Reels. Also, this trend is not limited to big brands. Whether you are a small or big brand, you can use social commerce to skyrocket your sales. You can also hire services from a digital marketing company to perform these social commerce services.
Top Digital Marketing Trends to Watch Out
8. The Metaverse
The metaverse is about the virtual world of augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D holographic avatars, and video—and not only one-off experiences like with gaming. Still, a persistent environment where people work, play, and socialize.
Marketing specialists have vast potential in this technology. From the consumer’s perspective, there may be a few years to care about the Metaverse, but brands can still benefit from Metaverse as a first-mover advantage.
9. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs)
Beyond figuring out where brands fit in the metaverse, they’ll also have to experiment more with blockchain technology to prepare for Web 3.0—the next evolution of the web, which will be more decentralized, added Zach Passarella, marketing director of nutraceutical brand Supplement Manufacturing Partners.
Brands should just not think about how they fit in the Metaverse. They should also experiment with blockchain technology to prepare for Web 3.0. It is the next evolution of the web.
One emerging aspect of blockchain is Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). Non-fungible means it can not be exchanged for something having the same value because it does not have any specific value. For instance, a $100 U.S bill is fungible, i.e., you can exchange it for five 20$ bills. But you can not exchange the ring that your grandmother gifted you on your first birthday. That ring is non-fungible! You can not trade it for anything of the same value.
NFTs are the digital version of that ring of yours. They are uniquely created digital assets. For example, animation, GIF, graphic design, audio/video files, or memes exist on a blockchain.
10. Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency is another part of blockchain technologies. It is a trend toward decentralized finance. While still only utilized by a niche U.S. audience, accepting cryptocurrency now could help brands attract new customers—but only if the demographic is the right fit.
While we talk about payments, cryptocurrencies are driving considerable changes in relation to the biggest processors like Visa, PayPal, and MasterCard.
Ending Notes
In the article above, we have discussed the top digital marketing trends that brands will follow in 2022. Brands should follow these points and adjust their marketing strategies to flourish in the industry.
