Are you thinking about how to spice up your marketing plan for 2022? Are you worried about changing trends in the industry? Here at Inner Spark Creative, we have compiled a list of the biggest marketing, advertising, and public relations trend predictions for 2022. We are ready to help you bring a new and improved marketing plan to life!
Influencers continue to grow
An influencer is a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media. Influencers have been on the rise since 2009 with popular YouTubers. This phenomenon grew when Instagram was created in 2010 and has truly become popular within the last 5 years.
Using influencers to promote a product has become more of a common tactic than a trend. Influencers help increase a brand’s awareness to their target audience through the influencer’s audience. Influencers are masters at the platform they use and the topic or field they are promoting products for.
Micro-influencers have fewer followers but higher engagement from their followers. More than 56% of marketers who work with influencers work with micro-influencers. The followers are more likely to trust micro-influencers opposed to mega-influencers or celebrities that don't engage with the brand they are promoting. Marketers need to remember that influence is not driven by follower count, but the quality of the followers.
Advertising challenged by privacy
Digital ads are very reliant on information stored based on a user’s history on another site. Many users are becoming skeptical of where their data is being sent and if it's being held securely. In 2022, brands should focus on giving customers more control of their data. It is a company’s responsibility to make sure the customer’s data is safe and secure.
In 2021, Apple launched a new update that gives users the option to choose what applications track their third-party data, which is often used for targeted ads by companies. Google will be following this trend of giving users more privacy by blocking any third-party cookies on chrome (this won’t be active till 2023).
Since brands are trying to show users that they are giving their users more privacy, businesses need to be proactive and come up with alternative strategies if they use this information for tracking. It is suggested that brands are transparent with their users about their data security and privacy when policies are changed.
SEO more integrated
SEO stands for search engine optimization. Improving your SEO is a great way to improve organic traffic to your website. It is becoming important to not only use common search terms but images and videos as well.
According to HubSpot, 53% of marketers said they have a strategy for video and image SEO. Of that percentage, 49% of them said it is their most effective SEO tool. Voice search is still emerging with the use of Google Home, Alexa, and Apple HomePods. This leads marketers to frame their SEO tools to not just appear from a phrase in a search, but also in question format.
Another useful tool that will continue to grow is link building. This is where you link terms on a website to a source article on a different website. Having your website linked to other popular websites can help increase traffic.
Social Media Marketing Trends
With COVID coming back and many companies moving their employees back online, digital and social media marketing is more important than ever. People are also spending more time on their phones and personal laptops than in years prior.
This trend is only going to grow, meaning live content will be growing as well. This can be on Facebook live, Instagram live, as well as audio lives such as Discord on Twitter Spaces. Individuals want to relate to brand content and be part of the conversations by asking questions during live feeds or being able to join the live feed. Live videos and chats help the users of your brand feel more included in the conversation.
Another social media trend we see is TikTok continuing to grow. TikTok allows users and brands to make their own unique content following trends and adding their own twist aligning with their brand. TikTok is also adding more advertisement features. This is important to marketers, especially for brands trying to target a younger audience.
Most marketers will be focused on 3 to 5 social media platforms. Each platform can have its own voice aligning with the platform. For example, a brand using Twitter can make more jokes than a brand on Facebook due to the difference in audience. The main platforms right now are Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. These are important platforms to focus on if your business does not have the ability to use every popular platform.
Video Marketing
TikTok has changed the game for social media. Instagram has reels and youtube added shorts due to the rise of video marketing. Short-form content has been the most effective in recent years. Short videos keep viewers engaged, whether it's a dance, challenge, or a survey, they want to feel involved with the company.
Another way brands have been engaging on TikTok is by commenting on posts relating to them. Some brands like Duo Lingo, Tinder, and many MLB teams have been recognized for doing this and have been making offers to fans via TikTok. While keeping up with the trends, it is important to interact with your audience in an appropriate way.
How Inner Spark Can Help
Whether you are trying to stay up with the trends or want traditional marketing techniques, we can help at Inner Spark. We offer services such as marketing strategy, digital marketing, traditional media, public relations, brand marketing, and other services such as websites, SEO, social media, and more! We want to help you grow your business. Our team is ready to help you come up with a unique plan for your business. Contact us today for more information about us and our services!