Digital Marketing Trends To Look Out For in 2022
2021 is wrapping up quite similarly as 2020 did – from an era of masks and social distancing to one of vaccines and boosters, the world is once again in a state of disarray. Through all the chaos, digital marketing is one thing that has stayed the course. In fact, it’s more appropriate to say it was one of the lone driving forces to push the world forward. Almost a year ago, we discussed three social media trends to look out for in 2021, and those trends project to still be relevant in 2022, so we suggest checking that out. For some additional (and more general) digital marketing trends to be on the lookout for this upcoming year, keep reading!
More Visual Content
Visual media dominates modern culture. Everyone and their mother consumes it in one way or another, whether it’s movies, TV, video games, YouTube videos, live streams, TikToks, etc. Everyone visually stimulates themselves to pass the time, so more business owners are going to try to create content and campaigns that will allure customers and leave them begging to watch/learn more. It may be daunting for you to create and share visuals for the first time, but the tools for content creation and sharing have never been more accessible! Utilize user-friendly software like Canva to create marketing graphics, splice some promotional material together through video editing, or host a live stream on one of the many platforms that offer it. Also be on the lookout for major advances in interactive visual content, like campaigns featuring augmented reality and 3D images. Social media pages are the best places to share this type of content, but you can also put it into your email campaigns and on your website. Visual media has been capturing people’s minds for years now, and there’s no end in sight!
Unprecedented Competition
As lucrative as the digital marketing sphere can be, it is also highly competitive, as you probably already know. However, competition is likely going to be tighter than ever. According to eMarketer, total global digital ad spending increased by a whopping 19.9% from 2020, and marketers outspent themselves by $120 billion from 2019. More and more people are turning to digital marketing at a previously unforeseen rate, leaving very little wiggle room for someone just starting out or currently struggling. What can you do to stay afloat? In October’s blog post, we talked about finding your niche in order to establish your brand as a business. You’re not the only business owner trying to make a name for yourself on the internet, which is why you need to find what makes you unique and publicize it. But as far as digital marketing trends go, you should prepare yourself for a tough battle to stay afloat in this ever-growing landscape.
Continued Distrust Of Data Privacy
Over the past few years, Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok, among other platforms, have lost the trust of a good portion of their respective user bases thanks to their tracking of users’ personal data. Personal data is a series of identifiers that make you you, ranging from vague descriptors to your specific location. Targeted ad campaigns have been a well-established type of digital marketing for some time now, but people are growing increasingly dissatisfied with how their personal data is being used to generate personalized ads. How bad is this distrust now? The Washington Post says 72% of Facebook users have little to no trust in how Facebook handles their personal data. How’s that for some perspective? In addition to heightened competition among advertisers, as discussed previously, business owners also have to worry about keeping their targeted prospective customers pleased and not turn them off from the platforms they’re being advertised to on. This may not be a digital marketing trend people want to subscribe to, but the best business owners adapt to the always-changing market and always act in their clients’ best interests.
2022 is going to be an illustrious year for digital marketing, as the market keeps growing at an unrivaled rate, but it will simultaneously be a challenging year for those trying to get their foot in the door. However, challenges like these are what digital marketing agencies are made for. Companies like Thump Local can help your business find its footing in this dynamic sphere we call digital marketing. If you want to learn more about digital marketing trends we foresee and the best strategies to see those trends through, get in touch with our team of experts today. Happy New Year!