What trends dominated the internet over the past year and are only gonna get hotter this year? Come along as we count down five huge 2022 digital marketing trends to keep your eye on. We’re starting with number five and ending with the biggest one of them all. Can you guess what #1 is?
5. Less SEO, more value
Over the last couple of years, there was a lot of focus placed on the importance of SEO and web page optimization. Everybody was talking about SEO this, SEO that. Oh, and make sure you’re optimizing your website or you won’t get any attention or sales! We’re here to tell you that if you can optimize your website, sales pages and blog posts for search engine traffic without sacrificing the value of your content and messaging, then that is the best. But the real kicker is that SEO is not, and will never be more important than the value you deliver. So if the content and messaging you’re delivering is valuable in and of itself, that is the number one most important thing, and SEO and optimization are secondary.
This is even more true now than ever before, because those pesky algorithms we know and love to hate are getting smarter and they change all the time. Which means, it’s getting really hard to trick or hack the algorithm and search engines in your favor. So instead of racking your brain on what keyword density will land you on the first page of Google, or playing a game with the algorithm, focus instead on what really matters – your customers and the value they walk away with. Google is prioritizing quality authority content above all else, so this is truly the most important SEO tip of them all, and it is a marketing trend that will never go out of style.
4. Influencer marketing and user-generated content
Influencer and content marketing have been growing steadily for years. So again, this isn’t new, but it’s a trend that’s continuing to grow on an astronomical scale. According to the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), after the pandemic hit, the advertising industry saw about a 20% decline, whereas influencer and content marketing enjoyed a 46% increase! Influencer marketing was only worth approximately $1.7 billion in 2017, but in 2021, it racked in approximately $10.24 billion. That rate of growth is insane and it is the proof you need that this stuff works.
But why does it work so much better than traditional advertising? Well, for the simple fact that people trust people way more than they trust advertisements and big companies. It’s the good old fashioned word of mouth concept, tailored for the 21st century. So seeing an influencer or just any other human being using a real product and saying good things about it is one of the best ways to showcase social proof for any brand today. So this year, take full advantage of influencer marketing and user-generated content anywhere and everywhere you can.
And don’t sweat it, your influencers don’t need to have a following of a 100K in order to be effective. Remember that virtually any video testimonial you can get from a real life customer works just as well! So consider asking some of your best customers for video reviews or testimonials. Another option is to invite your past customers to promote your product or service as an affiliate. That way they feel incentivized to talk about and openly promote your products and services because they’ll get a little commission. The catch here is to remember that your affiliates and influencers need to be legit sources and people who have actually tried your product and loved it! People who are genuinely excited about your product will deliver the best results every single time.
3. LinkedIn is growing
You probably already know this, but LinkedIn has never really been one of the big guys when it comes to social media platforms. Mostly because it’s geared towards a very specific market, professionals looking to connect with other professionals. But recently, LinkedIn has been seeing massive growth in it’s active users and platform engagement. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at these stats. LinkedIn saw a 55% increase in conversations among connections in 2020. Content creation on LinkedIn increased 60% in 2020. And LinkedIn live streams increased by 437% in 2020. So with the rise of online freelancers combined with the new features LinkedIn has launched, this platform should absolutely be part of your marketing strategy in 2022.
2. Online events and live video
Making the list again this year is video. Online events like webinars, masterclasses, and lives, are one of the most popular ways for people to connect with the brands and businesses they follow, no matter where in the world they are. Video and online events have been on the rise for years and 2022 will be no exception. This may be a trend that will be hard for some of you to get behind, I mean, do we really have to put our faces on video to get ahead in digital marketing? Well, the data says, yes. You definitely should be showing your face in front of your audience if you wanna stay alive and thrive this year!
Video will continue to be the most engaging form of online content. In 2020, 96% of consumers increased their online video consumption. Nine out of 10 viewers, that’s 90% of viewers, said they wanted to see more videos from brands and businesses. And it’s estimated that in 2022,
the average person will spend 100 minutes per day watching video! So copy might be queen and content might be king, but no matter which form of online marketing you’re conducting, video reigns supreme.
1. Email, email, email
Remember that massive global server crash that happened back in October 2021 that took down Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp for an entire day? Businesses, brands, and marketers everywhere were completely disconnected from their online audiences and followings. That server crash was a major eye-opener that many digital marketers needed. And that is: you do not own your social audiences, which means that when a server crashes or the platform shuts down, you lose all of those leads, followers and customers. But that woke us up to the reality that email marketing will always be the one of best ways to market your brand, increase your revenue and cash in on more conversions. It works better than paid advertising, social media and organic traffic from SEO. Don’t believe us? Here are some stats to prove it!
It is estimated that there are 4 billion active email users right now, and that number is projected to go up. Email marketing consistently delivers the highest ROI of all marketing channels, earning on average $42 for every dollar spent. And if you don’t wanna do the math on that, that’s an ROI of 4200%! And according to MarketingSherpa, email is still the most preferred marketing channel that consumers want businesses to communicate with them through. Yes, even for Millennials and Gen Zers! Not only is email your consumer’s favorite way to communicate with you, it should be your favorite too. Simply because the email list is yours, it belongs to you, and it is an asset you have in your business.
So the number one marketing trend that you need to be paying attention to in 2022 and beyond is email marketing. You should be emailing your list on a regular and consistent basis. It’s worth learning exactly how to write emails that sell, and learn about the marketing psychology that gets people to open, click, and read your emails so that you can write an engaging, memorable, and high converting email marketing campaign.
Were you able to guess this year’s #1 digital marketing trend? We bet it wasn’t what you’re thinking!
