Digital Marketing Trends for 2022

The past year has been an exciting one for digital marketing, yet 2022 is set to be even more momentous.

With the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic still being felt across all industries, marketers have to come up with increasingly innovative and cost-effective ways to get their brand noticed online.

Within the below blog, we will be looking at the top digital media marketing trends from 2021 and asking ourselves, “are they still relevant for the year ahead”. We will also explore the new digital marketing trends for 2022 and share our top tips for maximising your digital marketing methods in the new year and beyond.

Whether you are looking for inspiration for 2022 or you simply like to keep your finger on the pulse when it comes to digital marketing trends, if you want to grow your business and boost your online reach in the year ahead, the below is a must-read.

What Were The Top Digital Marketing Trends In 2021?

The world of digital marketing is a fast-paced ones, so if you want to remain relevant, you need to be constantly looking for ways to increase web traffic.

Fortunately for marketers, 2021 was an innovative year for digital marketing, and lots of new technologies emerged to enable businesses to engage with their target audience online and overcome the restrictions of the pandemic.

Some of the most notable digital media marketing trends in 2021 that made us sit up and take notice were:

1.    High-quality content

In 2021, content was king, with brands falling over themselves to create engaging and relevant content for their target audience.

In 2022, this digital marketing trend will be as important as ever before, with businesses needing to focus less on churning out high volume, low-quality content and more on creating consistent content that aligns with their brand values and brand voice.

We also expect to see a lot more businesses enlisting the help of professional content writing services to get ahead of the competition and provide a more bespoke customer experience.

2.    Connected digital experiences

Consumers have never been more demanding, with online users wanting the information they need quickly and efficiently. Whether they are talking to a sales agent on the phone, sending a message via Facebook Messenger, or interacting with a chatbot, they expect a seamless and connected experience between all points of content.

In 2022, we will see businesses that have perhaps neglected this trend, such as construction and manufacturing, start to deliver a more streamlined customer experience.

3.    Growth in first-party data

As the world prepares for a cookieless future, SEO and PPC experts alike have been looking into ways to target audiences without the use of cookies. The rise in interest in first-party data became apparent, and marketers turned their attention to discovering what they could offer consumers of value in return for their data.

In 2022, we expect to see marketers continue to build new strategies for targeting searchers, including the use of contextual advertising and lead-generating campaigns.

What are the new trends in digital marketing for 2022?

As 2021 comes to an end, your thoughts are probably already turning to the year ahead and how your business can utilise the latest digital marketing technology and techniques to grow your online presence and boost revenue.

So that you don’t have to scour the web for all the top 10 trends in digital marketing, we have found the most relevant ones for you. You can thank us later!

1.    Conversational Marketing

As consumers become increasingly savvy about the intentions of brands, you need to make sure you are not merely promoting your products or services but actively building a relationship between your business and its customers.

One highly effective way to do this is through the use of conversational marketing, otherwise known as storytelling. By conveying your brand journey and showing consumers how you have previously solved a common problem, you will be able to connect with them more emotionally, resulting in enhanced brand loyalty.

2.    Localised SEO

As restrictions have been lifted and consumers are embracing the high street again, if you are a local business, you need to be focusing a lot of your efforts on localised SEO.

As well as ensuring your Google My Business listing is up to date and that it includes interactive features such as videos and reviews, you should also look at localising the content on your website, on your social media feeds, and in any blog content that you create.

3.    Voice & Visual Search

Although voice search is nothing new, it will continue to gain traction in 2022 as searchers turn to quicker, more convenient ways to find out information.

As well as the continuing rise in voice search, we also expect to see more people using visual search. This is where users upload an image to get information about the item.

For example, if they are uploading a picture of a pair of Nike trainers, the search will return information about the product and where to buy it, as well as information on similar products.

Technology such as Google Lens, a visual search engine created by Google, will facilitate this trend, enabling them to recognise objects and landmarks through a camera app.

See below what you can do when you take a photo of the following items:

• Home goods and clothing: Find similar products and where to buy them.
• Barcodes: Find information about products and where to buy them.
• Books: Get a summary of the book and read online reviews.
• Event flyer or billboard: Add the event to your online calendar.
• Business card: Save the phone number, address and email to a contact.

To leverage this trend, businesses should add high-quality images and tag them with descriptive, SEO-friendly words.

4.    Mobile-First Websites

While most brands have focused on creating responsive websites that allow users to view their site on both a desktop computer and other devices such as mobile phones and tablets, you can expect to see a lot more businesses creating websites using mobile-first design in 2022.

Although by no means does this mean that desktop usage is dead, it does show that brands are becoming more concerned with offering a first-rate mobile experience.

From streamlined navigation menus to less text-heavy content, expect to see brands tailoring their digital marketing efforts to mobile users throughout 2022 and beyond.

5.    User-Generated Content (UGC)

As mentioned when discussing 2021 digital marketing trends, high-quality content remains alive and kicking. However, as we head into the new year, expect to see a direct shift to more UGC content as brands look to new strategies to personalise the user experience and drive brand loyalty.

Simply by leveraging the influence of your loyal followers or brand ambassadors as they are also known, you can build meaningful and long-lasting relationships with new audiences.

Plus, UGC can also be used to enhance your SEO efforts, so it’s a win-win all around.

Other digital marketing trends to look out for in 2022 include:

• More personalisation
• AI-powered optimisation
• Programmatic advertising
• Rise in the use of chatbots

Our Digital Marketing Top Tips for 2022

Are you ready to dominate the online marketplace in 2022? If yes, we can help you to create a results-driven, bespoke digital marketing campaign that promises to deliver.

Check out our five top digital marketing tips for the year ahead and start planning a more prosperous period for your online business.

• Create more video content. Although the importance of video marketing has been spoken about for years, many brands are still not taking advantage of this visually-appealing digital marketing technique.

In 2022, turn your efforts to live streaming and explainer videos for maximum engagement.

• Optimise for voice search. Create short, sharp, and valuable content that responds to voice searches. Use conversational keywords, try and answer searchers’ questions and build FAQ pages.
• Organise hybrid events. Combining in-person events with a strong digital component such as AR or live streams, hybrid events are great lead generators and brand awareness builders.
• Use machine learning optimisation. Predominantly used in paid search, machine learning can simplify the managing of Google ads for small businesses.
• Embrace other social media platforms. Tik Tok, Snapchat, and Reels have all become more popular since the pandemic, so brands need to utilise these platforms to generate awareness.
• Invest in influencer marketing. Focus on building long-term relationships with influencers and turn your efforts to micro-influencers who are better aligned with your brand.

Do you need help planning your digital marketing strategy for 2022? Here at Click Intelligence, we create bespoke, data-driven digital marketing campaigns that guarantee results.

Whether you are looking for content writing services, expert SEO advice, or need advice on how to build a successful PPC campaign, we can help you drive your business forward in 2022 and beyond.

Get in touch with one of our friendly and straight-talking team here today and start planning for a successful and lucrative year ahead that should look very different from the one we’ve just had.