2022 marketing trends: our watchlist and what this means for your growing business

2022 is finally here and there’s no denying that this is going to be a BIG year for marketing – with some massive changes already underway to the digital marketing landscape as we know it. But, what are the new digital marketing strategies you need to be aware of to stay ahead of the crowd? We’ve asked our team to share their top 2022 marketing trends, and most importantly, what this means for your business’s marketing strategy.

The rise of the I-gorithm

If you follow our blogs, you’ll already be aware of how the I-gorithm is set to change the marketing industry this year. We’re already seeing it being rolled out by Twitter and Instagram – and Facebook is set to follow suit. Essentially, the I-gorithm curates a more tailored experience for users that places power back in their hands. It’s a model based on trust and one that replaces the traditional algorithm. For marketers (reliant on highly targeted data) the shift to the I-gorithm is a scary prospect, but it’s not all bad. Giving more control back to the user, will enable businesses to deliver more targeted campaigns by placing content in the feeds of consumers who are most likely to buy. This alternative digital marketing strategy will allow brands to cut through the noise more effectively and target audiences based on their preferences, rather than behaviours.

Video will no longer be a ‘nice to have’ but a ‘must-have’

Video has been a marketing trend on everyone’s list for at least the past five years, but this year, we’re expecting to see all B2C (and not to forget, B2B) brands making this an essential ingredient of their new 2022 digital marketing strategy like never before. With TikTok set to surpass 1.5 billion users this year (well overtaking Instagram which remains on a billion actives) coupled with predictions that 82% of global consumer web traffic in 2022 will be from videos, brands will be doing themselves a massive disservice by not getting onboard with short-form video content.

Brands engaging influencers on new platforms

The great thing for brands is that you don’t need to hire a TikTok specialist to hit the ground running. There’s plenty of established influencers out there who will be talking to your exact target audience that your business can work with to create some killer video content. We expect to see more B2B brands continuing to embrace influencers too with Adobe, SAP, GE and PWC all having harnessed this trend. We’ve also seen the success of this strategy first hand – working with our clients to create their own LinkedIn influencers.

The revival of contextual targeting

Google’s recent announcement that it will delay the death of the third-party cookie until 2023 may have given marketers a sigh of relief – but this isn’t to say it’s going away. In an inevitable cookie-less world, many of us will have to look to new digital marketing strategies to target our audiences, but contextual targeting could be your answer. For a while it was in the shadows because its performance was lower than behavioural targeting, but with the end to cookies (the very foundations of digital marketing before), marketers are moving back to contextual targeting – whether this be category, keyword, or semantic contextual targeting.

For businesses, this will mean you may know less about the people engaging with your platform/website, and instead, need to hyperfocus your content and posts to reach exactly the right people. Similarly, building a marketing strategy around first-party data which requests, not covertly captures, audience information will be key. Smart brands will shift spend away from cookies as soon as possible and embrace these alternative targeting methods that protect consumer privacy! We’re especially loving this article by Forbes on the topic.

So there we have it. Our 2022 marketing trends watchlist. One thing is for sure – the more your business prepares for these inevitable industry changes, the better positioned you’ll be to ride the wave, while neglecting these fundamental marketing shifts could cost you a significant amount of money and growth. If you’re looking for an outsourced marketing team to help reach your 2022 marketing goals, find out more about YS marketing services here and get in touch today. We’d love to chat.