These are the top 6 digital marketing trends to watch in 2022
Digital marketing changes as fast as the Internet itself, which means it changes pretty dang fast. With the introduction of Web 3.0 and a lingering COVID-19 pandemic, brands should be prepared for some big industry shifts in 2022. Marketers need to be strategic and flexible in order to take advantage of the new opportunities the changing digital landscape will offer. Are you in the process of building out your digital marketing strategy for the year ahead? Stay ahead of the curve with Idea Kraft’s top six digital marketing trends to watch in 2022.
Trend #1: Mobile first approach
In 2022, designing for smaller screens should be an equal priority with desktop. Mobile now makes up 54% of internet traffic globally, and 61% of organic search queries come from a mobile device. If your landing page takes longer than 3 seconds to load or isn’t mobile-friendly, chances are those users will bounce. On top of that, Google now prioritizes mobile-friendly sites in search results. Don’t forget to consider all digital touch points when applying a mobile first approach. 75% of smartphone users check email on their devices and more than half of all email opens now come from mobile devices, making responsive email design more critical than ever.
Trend #2: Digital communities
Across social media, niche subcultures— from DIYers and home cooks to plant aficionados and astrologers— are creating spaces to connect and discuss their shared interests, no matter how obscure. In 2022, the smartest brands will tap into existing online communities that are active and engaged around topics relevant to them. According to Hootsuite’s CMO, “Thriving communities on social media present a big opportunity, especially for smaller brands. You no longer have to create a niche community from the ground up—you can find a community that you fit into and if you show up for them, they’ll do the same for you.” By actively participating in these communities, you can reach new audiences, build brand awareness and gain insight into your customer base.
Trend #3: Responsive search ads
When it comes to identifying high-performing ad copy for your paid search ads, you have two options. You can copywrite expanded text ads to A/B test, or you can feed Google Ads copy and let responsive search ads do the heavy lifting for you. RSAs are a flexible ad format that combines your creativity with the power of machine learning to improve ad performance. Write up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions when creating a responsive search ad, and Google Ads will test the 30K+ different copy combinations to learn which perform best. They improve campaign performance over time by adapting your ad’s content to more closely match potential customer’s search terms. Plus, testing all those combinations means competing in more bid auctions, giving marketers click uplifts of 5-15%. Starting June 30, 2022, Google Ads will only support responsive search ads, which means now is the time to adapt your paid media strategy and processes to ensure a seamless transition come June.
Trend #4: Social commerce
Before the pandemic, social commerce was a flashy, experimental opportunity that didn’t offer much of a competitive advantage. That all changed in March 2020 when consumers went into lockdown. Suddenly, 84% of consumers were shopping on the internet and e-commerce sales surged by 18%. And in what McKinsey dubbed “the quickening“, e-commerce grew more in the first 90 days of the pandemic than it had in the previous decade. Nearly two years into the pandemic, this shift in consumer buying behavior shows no signs of slowing down. According to Hootsuite and We Are Social’s Digital 2021 report, the global social commerce industry is currently worth more than half a trillion US dollars, a number that experts anticipate will continue to grow.
Trend #5: Video Content
If the future of digital marketing is video, the future is already here. Marketing data strongly suggests that consumer content preferences are trending toward video at every stage of the buyer’s journey. According to Hubspot, 84% of consumers have purchased a product or service after watching a branded video, and 87% of B2B marketers agree that video marketing provides them with positive ROI. And with Cisco predicting that video will make up 82% of all consumer internet traffic in 2022, it’s a trend today’s marketers can’t afford to ignore.
Trend #6: First-party data
With the loss of third-party cookies and ever-growing demands for data privacy protections, brands will need to pivot to first-party data to stay competitive in 2022’s marketplace. Not sure where to start? Leverage your social channels to gather first-party data and learn what your customers want. Be sure to invest in mobile-friendly landing pages that will capture quality lead info.
The takeaway
Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or small nonprofit, marketing success in 2022 will require adaptability and innovation. If you’re struggling to keep your digital marketing strategy current, we can help. That’s what we’re here for, after all!
Want more? Check out all of our 2022 trend reports.
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