As modern marketing evolves, the digital aspect is here to stay. The trends, however, are continuously changing. Through SEO, PPC, social media and content creation, we here at Sprint Digital look ahead at what’s to come in the world of digital marketing and the latest trends that are predicted to extend reach, boost awareness and increase revenue.
Here are just a few of the digital marketing trends set to dominate in 2022.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Since the start of COVID-19, we have witnessed the rise of ethical and responsible companies, ensuring their charitable or responsible efforts are visible online. Why, you might ask? Put simply, social responsibilities, ethics and transparency matter to the modern consumer.
Now more than ever, companies focus on who they are as brand, team and what they believe in – communicating their brand values and aligning themselves with the consumer. Many social media or marketing executives have pivoted their social media strategies to focus more on inclusive initiatives or offerings while demonstrating the missions they support. It has been proven from other companies and successful campaigns that showing a sense of social responsibility is thoughtful, effective – and meaningful to their audience.
A prime example of the above would be from the small business FitPink Fitness International. This athleisure wear company started back in 2017 online based in Donegal, Ireland and since has opened two retail stores in Belfast and Dublin. Founder, Jenni Timony wanted the brand to reflect her own core values and beliefs: ‘long lasting leggings, to have a long lasting impact.’
The packaging is made from compostable materials, and the tissue paper is acid free. Also, as of this year, all garments will be shipped by sea to reduce their carbon footprint. The brand is also proud to partner with the NGO Plan International to support one of their girl-focused campaigns. With every pair of FitPink leggings purchased the company contribute to the organisation, who work to improve the lives of young women and girls around the world.
DIGITAL STORYTELLING
Digital storytelling involves streaming your company values, history, and the stories behind your services throughout all possible digital channels. Different from advertising, this sort of promotion is perceived as more human, emotive, genuine, and trustworthy.
When starting a new digital marketing campaign, make sure your story can be told across all platforms, whether it be social posts, paid advisements, landing pages, newsletters or videos. A well-mapped out campaign gives it a higher chance of success and lends power to your message. Whether it’s in a written format or shared visually, a story that captures hearts and minds is memorable and has a better chance of succeeding i.e., converting.
MICRO-INFLUENCERS
When considering influencer marketing, many companies often decide on whether the influencer is right for their brand based purely on their follower count.
However, it is important to note that true influence should really be based on high engagement rates i.e, clicks, purchases and subscribers. This is where the rise of micro-influencers comes to play for 2022. The term micro- influencers means social media promoters who have a smaller following (e.g. less than 100k) but a high level of engagement through their posts. Engagement plays a bigger role in lead conversions, boosting brand awareness and generating trust with their audience.
Audiences are less likely to perceive these types of promoters as influencers, but rather as ‘everyday people’ like themselves – it’s almost like peer influence, a hugely influential method of persuasion.
This is where trust is built. The audience values the products and brands that are being recommended by the micro-influencer and is more likely to consider converting, in comparison to posts from bigger influencers who post an array of brand deals all at once and can come across as less personal.
SHORT VIDEO CONTENT IS HERE TO STAY
According to HubSpot Academy in 2022, 89% of global marketers plan to continue investing in short video content or increase their investment. Yes, long form videos provide a vast amount of information about your company and products that consumers can avail of, but recent studies show that getting straight to the point can be much more effective.
For example, over the past two years we have witnessed the meteoric rise of the social media platform TikTok, which showcases short-form video snippers. Instagram’s latest feature, Reels, is a direct respons to TikTok and is increasing in popularity with Instagram’s audience. These short video formats are in tune with the fast-paced attention spans of online audiences in a variety of demographics.
This doesn’t mean starting from scratch and scrapping the long form content you have, though. You can re-purpose this into bite-sized videos or graphics, linking to the landing page or article should the audience want more.
SEO INTEREST TO INCREASE
A marketer’s main task is to ensure their content and websites are discoverable everywhere as much as possible, especially on Google. Being seen on Google provides both long- and short-term traffic returns.
SEO is a field that has been around for quite some time, but like most digital marketing trends and strategies, SEO is becoming more intertwined with other strategies such as social media, PPC and blogs. As the interest and need for SEO strategies in 2022 grow, so do all search optimisation 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 optimisation.
