The marketing landscape is ever-evolving thanks to the advances in technology and emerging practices that drive more profit and better productivity. Unfortunately, keeping up with those changes isn’t always easy. Still, to succeed in the fast-paced marketing world, you must stay ahead of them. – Marketing Trends You Need
So, whether you are looking to grow the number of Instagram followers or come up with new ways to convert prospects into paying customers, we share the top nine trends you need to adopt in 2022—some are new, some are evolved, and some are making a comeback.
Table of Contents
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is poised to become a common marketing tactic. By collaborating with influencers in the industry, you can enhance brand awareness, gain more social media followers, and build your brand’s fan base.
The good news is that you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a celebrity influencer; instead, you can go with a micro-influencer. Micro-influencers have fewer followers but a high engagement rate. They are often niche-focused, which means they can successfully connect with audiences and convert leads.
Short-Form Video
Short-form video content is one of the top marketing trends you should adopt. The format is great for getting straight to the point and shows excellent metrics in terms of performance and engagement. It also aligns with the audience’s short attention span, so it’s no wonder why platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, and Snapchat have experienced explosive growth.
Online Events
Virtual events have become a major trend following the COVID-19 outbreak. Even though marketers will spend less budget on online events moving on, the trend is here to stay. Online events are a great tactic to boost brand awareness.
Moreover, these events allow you to gather insightful data on the audience attending and use it to build consumer profiles and sell directly to them. This can eliminate the need to rely on third-party information while enabling you to create a stronger, more meaningful relationship with your audience.
Alternative Targeting Solutions
With the death of the cookie set for 2023, digital advertising is poised to experience significant changes. Marketers are already testing alternative targeting solutions such as identity solutions.
These use personal data to track users. When a user visits a website, their data is sent to an ID provider and the user is then matched to a new or existing ID. Other alternatives include Publisher Provided Identifiers (PPIDs), contextual advertising, and Google’s Privacy Sandbox.
Personalization
Marketing campaigns and ads that evoke emotion are more likely to succeed as customers would always choose a product from a company that shares a relationship with them. Marketers will spend more time understanding what channels their audience uses and be there. Additionally, they will focus on personalizing their message to the respective audience group and talk to them in a way that’s most appealing to them.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality can supplement and enhance customer experiences online and at events. Unfortunately, due to the high prices associated with the equipment, this trend has been slower to adopt. However, as VR glasses and AR apps become more accessible, marketers are poised to add this technology to their strategy.
Experiential Marketing
Experiential marketing focuses on generating a brand-based user experience rather than a product-based one. Depending on the company and industry, it can take many forms, but some of the most typical examples include corporate events, webinars, and competitions. Experiential marketing success lies in its ability to enable customers to engage with the brand and experience its personality, and not just its products.
Value-Driven Content
Value-driven content will become the norm for building up your brand and cultivating a relationship with your audience. Value-driven content is rooted in empathy-based leadership which involves understanding the audience and their point of view on a deeper level. Customers want marketers to talk authentically and show empathy. They want sustainability, social responsibility, inclusivity, and diversity to be addressed. 
Native Advertising
Native advertising is when your content is featured on a third-party website. Unlike traditional marketing, which is designed to stand out, native marketing blends in and helps you reach a new audience who might never learn about you otherwise.
These look similar to the average user’s posting style, so they are less intrusive and more likely for users to consume them. In fact, consumers view native ads about 50% more than banner ads. The key is to sound and look natural and avoid coming off as overly sales-y.
Conclusion
The trends we’ve shared will keep you up to speed with the evolving marketing landscape. However, the marketing world is always open to change, so you should keep an eye out to ensure you don’t fall behind.
