Top 10 Digital Marketing Trends in 2022

Each year, we witness new and unexpected digital trends that lay the foundations for the future of marketing. And even in a year as tumultuous as 2021, we’ve not been disappointed. If anything, the digital marketing trends in 2022 are set to be some of the most groundbreaking to date. 

Google announced it would phase out third-party cookies by 2023, leaving advertisers and digital marketers under two years to navigate new channels to reach their target consumers. And, most recently, Facebook changed its name to Meta in a nod to the company’s ambition to embrace the metaverse, a 3D virtual world.

There's lot of changes in digital era that impact the way we communicate with our audience. We listed the top 10 digital marketing trends in the ahead year.

1. AI in Digital marketing

As the name suggests, artificial intelligence refers to computers thinking for themselves. They are equipped with the knowledge to analyze the study, think, respond, and execute tasks in our place.

• AI can take in new information and develop it to accommodate the changes accordingly thus, providing much better results.

• AI is much more accurate by comparison as it uses tools like algorithms and calculators thereby, decreasing the probability of human error. 

• The advanced learning tools allow it to adapt and adjust according to the desires of consumers.

• AI can also study past choices and make recommendations based on it thus, giving a better user experience. 

• There are chatbots available, which are like a virtual assistant that can help any time of day.

2. Augmented reality

Unlike virtual reality, where everything we see is created by applications on a computer, something we’re all familiar with nowadays, Augmented reality offers a blend of real and virtual to its consumers thus, giving an unpatrolled experience.

• Consumers feel connected and bound to your products with the help of AR as the real factor involved gives them a personalized experience on which they can base their buying decisions.

• AR is also considered to be a very innovative and creative technology in the market that will give your product an edge over a competitor’s products.

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3. Video Marketing 

Videos are always considered to be a more interactive and creative platform that attracts a large number of consumers. For example platforms like Netflix, YouTube, prime, etc are in high demand and will continue to grow in the future. So, including video content to your marketing efforts will help your marketing efforts. 

86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool. This was 85% in 2020, 87% in 2019, 81% in 2018, 63% in 2017 and 61% in 2016.

Video marketing definitely plays a vital role in 2022

• Content is mobile, dynamic and thus available on all kinds of platforms. 

• Video also increases the overall competency of your content thus, increasing the chances of it getting featured in the zero position on search engines

4 .Voice search optimization 

According to research by Review42 on voice search, they found that 55% of teenagers use voice search every day. This massive adoption by the entire generation shows how popular voice search is going to get in the future

There are a couple of reasons why Voice Search, a feature we all received with our smartphones around 2014, is taking off in a big way this year. Firstly, the increasing adoption of smart speakers. 20% of the households have bought a smart speaker such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home. The adoption of devices that are fully voice search controlled is a big indicator of how people have started to get accustomed to this new behaviour.

Secondly, Google claims that they have achieved 95% accuracy with their Voice Search. With higher precision of search, the ease of use factor for voice search has jumped up. Now with better accuracy to match what you ask for, and the ease of using your voice to get results makes the process personalized and attractive.

Thirdly and most importantly, it is projected that by 2022, 50% of all online shopping will be conducted through voice results. This is a whopping $40 billion opportunity for digital marketers to exploit. With so many growth factors indicating the rise of voice search, making your website ready for voice search will be very essential for the future.

5. Chatbots

One implementation of conversational marketing is chatbots. Chatbots leverage AI technology to provide automated human-like messages to web visitors in real-time 

Surveys show that:

• The greatest benefits of chatbots for companies are 24-hour service (64%), instant responses to inquiries (55%), and answers to simple questions (55%).
• Uberall has found that 80% of consumers have positive experiences with chatbots.
• Juniper Research predicts that eCommerce transactions via chatbots will reach $112 billion by 2023.
• By 2024, Insider Intelligence predicts that consumer retail spends via chatbots worldwide will reach $142 billion — up from just $2.8 billion in 2019.

Many customers prefer interacting with chatbots because they are responsive 24/7, give answers promptly, and accurately recall their entire buying history. These virtual assistants offer outstanding customer service by meeting customers’ expectations and automating repetitive tasks, freeing your resources for more important work.

6. Short DIY Videos

TikTok has shifted the landscape of social media away from status updates and curated photo grids in favor of short video posts. It didn’t take long for other platforms to jump on the bandwagon, with Instagram launching its Reels feature and Youtube leaning into ‘shorts.’

Short videos emphasize the fast-paced way in which we consume content and highlights the need for simple and succinct messages or engaging content that asks us to participate—whether it’s learning a new dance, joining a challenge, or participating in surveys and polls.

The great thing about these short videos is that everyone has the ability to put together a quick video that isn’t super polished through their phone. Not only that, but these short engaging video content are candid, behind-the-scenes, DIY, real stories and have a more unpolished look are what younger consumers want.

7. SEO for image search

Thanks to Google Lens—Google’s groundbreaking image-recognition AI algorithm—search engine marketing is moving out of the domain of words and into the domain of pictures and videos.

Google Reverse-Image Search was just the beginning. Users can now enter images into Google to obtain a variety of contexts.

They could snap a picture of a plant and enter the image as a search to find out whether the plant is poisonous. Or they could upload a friend’s Instagram image and geo-target that glorious “fear-of-missing-out”-inducing snap to its exact location.

Image-searching represents another stream of traffic for digital marketers to hack into and insert their client brands into.

8. Push Notifications 

The launch of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) and stricter privacy laws have dented the potency of email marketing. Moreover, younger audiences favor other methods of communication and prefer to deal with fewer touchpoints when engaging brands.

As part of the bid to engage users on multiple channels, browser push notifications are something you will see more and more brands adopting in 2022 — and they are getting more sophisticated and personalized. In fact, using personalized push notifications increases conversions

• 7% open rate for segmented push messaging compared to a 3% open rate for generic, broadcast messages (a 2x improvement)
• 54% of users convert from a segmented push notification, compared to only 15% for broadcast messages (a 3x improvement)

9. Featured Snippets in Google Search

SEO will continue to be an important aspect of digital marketing as we move into 2021, but we’re now seeing one of the most major shifts in the SEO industry in the last decade.

With the growth of mobile and voice search, people are changing the way they use search engines like Google. Being number one in the search engine result pages or SERPS is no longer necessarily the primary goal your business should be aiming for.

You’ve probably noticed your own search and browsing behavior has changed in the last few years due to Google changes and the fact that you’re looking for the fastest information when you’re on the move.

Featured snippets and other “on SERP” information means that you don’t need to click through to a website to get the information you’re looking for anymore – it’s right there on the Google search results page.

This on-SERP information may appear in various places, but the most sought after position is right at the top of the page, before the organic listings. This position has been dubbed “position zero”. As it’s often the only information that a searcher will view, it’s highly coveted. Over 60% of search results returned by Google are now featured snippets.

Brands are still trying to figure out how to achieve the erstwhile “position zero” as it requires different SEO techniques than those employed for a normal listing in the SERPs. If you can be the first in your industry to get there, you’ll have a huge advantage over your competitors. So expect to see more SEO companies offering this service over the next year, and pay attention to the latest best practices for optimizing your content.

10. Creators Collaboration 

The creator economy has been growing for a while now, but it’s positively booming right now and will only get bigger moving into 2022. 

Young, forward-thinking people are looking for ways to make a good living doing something that also feeds their souls, and independent creatorship is a perfect fit. 

Creators are also experts at making personal, organic connections with consumers.

That means it’s increasingly crucial for brands to reach out to independent creators and form mutually beneficial partnerships. 

Modern consumers find the influencers they follow on social media highly relatable. 

They’re also fiercely loyal and are highly likely to sit up and take notice of a favorite influencer’s suggestions. Partnering with the right ones gives you priceless access to new, highly convertible audiences.

In addition to including influencers and creators in your ongoing marketing strategy for 2022, you’ll want to keep track of how creator culture will likely evolve next year. 

Keep the following factors in mind when considering your 2022 collaboration plans.

• Expect top creators to become increasingly influential in the media world as consumers continue to shift their focus from traditional options (like television) to online media.

• More creators will continue to supplement blossoming social media presences with monetization options of their own. Think Substack newsletters, personal blogs, and web apps.

• More creators are throwing their hats into the ring by launching brands of their own and brainstorming products relevant to their audiences.