Digital Marketing Trends To Be On The Lookout For In 2022

There’s no denying how powerful digital marketing is when it comes to propelling businesses to the top. 

You are literally an app or a strategy away from meeting your goals and accomplishing everything you’ve set out for. In fact, 62% of consumers won’t even consider businesses with no online presence. 

That being said, it’s crucial to always be on top of the latest digital marketing trends that’s got people talking in the digital world.

A lot of things can happen in 12 months and as 2022 fast approaches, it’s the perfect time to have a look at the latest digital marketing trends the coming year has to offer.

7 Digital Marketing Trends Expected in 2022 

Voice Search

Most of us are already familiar with Alexa, Cortana, and Siri, all of which have become household names. 

Voice-activated digital assistants have without a doubt changed the way we live and 2022 promises us more of it, this time focusing on the use of keywords.

Increasing visibility and discoverability will always be on top of any business’ priorities and knowing how to play your cards right when using voice searches can definitely become an advantage.

That being said, try doing voice searches exactly how you query a real person. Instead of typing “burger joint Manila,” ask Siri “where is the nearest burger joint?” instead.

It’s not enough to simply type your search query. If you do it the right way, you’re bound to get better results.

Visual Search 

Sometimes you have to wonder if technology is really helping us or trying to make us lazier, especially with the recent digital marketing trends that are being introduced.

We all know how useful voice-activated digital assistants are when doing voice searches but what if you can perform a search without typing any characters? Is that even possible?

Well, yes, it is, and it’s made possible through visual search. This works by simply uploading a photo on Google. Google will then provide you all the information you need about that item.

What’s fascinating about this feature is that the information you’ll receive varies depending on the image you upload.

If you upload a picture of an animal, for example, you’ll get every piece of information about it including the species it belongs to. Upload a picture of a landmark and you’ll get historical data in return. If you upload an image of a product, the search will come back with similar products along with information on where you can buy them.

Imagine what this digital marketing trend can do for businesses that sell products online.

Interactive Content

Apart from visibility, engagement is also something every business strives to improve on. The more engaged your content is, the bigger the chances of increased sales.

This is why every marketing strategy involves plans to increase engagement and as 2022 comes knocking, you can expect digital marketing to provide users with more opportunities to become more engaged.

Interactive content is expected to trend come 2022 especially for businesses looking to attract more visitors. By providing value to prospective customers, you can expect people to come back for more or even recommend you to friends and family.

If you’re in the real estate business, for example, adding a mortgage calculator to your website is a very smart decision. If you’re in the food business, you can add polls or surveys to know which dish people are looking forward to in your menu.

You can also add quizzes, online assessments, and contests to keep people engaged and thus, get more familiar with your brand.

Shoppable Posts

For many of us, buying stuff online should be simple and straightforward. Whether you’re busy or just someone with a short attention span, buying online shouldn’t be a complicated process.

We don’t want to go through several steps until we reach the checkout section and this is something a shoppable post can do, something you should expect to see a lot more of come 2022.

This makes perfect sense. 

Why would you want to go through hurdle after hurdle when you can see an item, fall in love with it, and buy it without having to jump away from the same post?

Instagram now allows you to tag products so you can make this happen. This feature is especially useful for e-commerce businesses and the good news is there are now more platforms that offer the same convenience.

Apart from Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest have also incorporated similar features making it easier for people to shop and enjoy social media at the same time.

Google Verified Listings

Local businesses are also in for a treat come 2022. While most of the digital marketing trends will benefit businesses with an online presence, local businesses now have a better chance at getting even more competitive with Google My Business Listings.

How exactly does this help?

A geographically defined business listed in Google My Business allows your business to show up for “near me” searches, improving visibility and discoverability in the process.

Apart from showing your location, Google My Business also lets your customers know more about your business by providing specific information such as your operating hours, your exact address, and the reviews you received from other users.

Just make sure to get your business verified so you can enjoy the benefits of this service.

Online Reviews

One of the biggest benefits digital marketing has given us is the luxury of getting to read reviews before buying a product or eating at a certain restaurant. It not only helps us make easier decisions, but it also saves us time and money.

Given how powerful it is, it’s safe to say that online reviews can make or break a business’ ability to attract new customers. The more positive reviews from verified sources you have, the better your chances of building trust and standing out from the competition.

Reviews from Google Business is without a doubt one of the most trusted sources when it comes to reviews. 

They’re also the most visible, making them an essential part of any digital marketing strategy.

Facebook is another reliable source when it comes to online reviews. You can even use them to build a testimonials page on your website for potential customers to see.

Mobile-First Websites  

It’s fair to say that most (if not all) of us cannot live without our phones. We use them to browse the internet, get our food delivered, and shop online, among others.

Given this perceived dominance of mobile devices over desktop computers, it only makes sense for business owners to make their websites mobile-friendly above anything else.

What does this mean?

It means the website’s design should be mapped out on the smallest of screens to ensure that you are delivering the best mobile experience to your prospective users. Its features should be designed in the most versatile way so it caters not only to mobile users but to desktop users as well.

Your website should have streamlined navigation menus, less text-heavy content, and be touchscreen-friendly all over.

You have to keep in mind that people today have very short attention spans so your website should be responsive enough not to bore them with slow loading times and less than stellar content.

This is very important because loading time and content quality have a big impact on visitor experience and search engine rankings. These, in turn, can lead to higher conversions and improved sales.

A mobile-first design is also less expensive compared to building an app or a website and it also allows you to integrate camera use and voice detection, making it more interactive which can help improve engagement.

Mobile-first design is definitely a trend you should be looking out for if you want your business to remain competitive and attract more customers.

Social Media Stories

With Twitter also incorporating a “stories” feature much like Instagram and Facebook do, it’s safe to say that other social media platforms are not far behind.

Social media stories are a fantastic way of showcasing products, events, and behind-the-scenes experiences. You have to keep in mind that people love the “reality-based” style of presenting content and social media stories are perfect for this approach.

With social media stories, you have the opportunity to come across as someone authentic because of the personal approach which a lot of people enjoy more today compared to the perfectly planned and heavily choreographed setup.

If you want to stay in the thick of the competition, your business should be posting stories on each of today’s popular social media platforms.

Conclusion 

Digital marketing is an integral part of any business and the best way to cope, if not get ahead of the extremely tough competition is to stay on top of the latest digital marketing trends. 

Every trend presents its own unique opportunities businesses can take advantage of which is why it’s worth not just taking note but actually exploring each of them so you can assess which one presents the best advantage.

The list provided should give you and your business more than enough leverage to stand out and separate yourself from the pack but it all goes down to how you can effectively incorporate each of them into your present situation.

If you’re ready to take your marketing journey to the next level, FreeUp is here to help. Hire a digital marketing consultant to make sure your strategy is up to date with the latest trends.