It’s no question how important digital marketing has become in recent years. Especially since now, more and more people spend most of their time online and on their mobile devices. Because the pandemic forced many people to stay at home, global smartphone sales saw a sizable increase of 11% last year. It will grow even more this year.
For any digital marketer, these facts will be music to their ears. An increase in smartphone sales directly translates to more people online, further growing the online population. It makes running online digital marketing campaigns all the more worthwhile. More people coming online means more engagement and views, two of the most valuable metrics in digital marketing that matter to marketers the most. They’re the same metrics that every one of them is fighting to get a share of every year.
If you’re a digital marketer yourself, you know very well how much of an advantage it is to know the latest trends in digital marketing. You can use and adopt the newest tools that give you a massive advantage against the competition. Taking any of them that you can get is one of the best ways to get ahead, especially since the digital marketing industry is highly competitive. That said, here are the latest digital marketing trends in 2022 that you need to know:
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is rapidly taking over the world and the world of digital marketing too. We may not realize it, but AI is already a big part of our lives. Those movies and shows recommendations on your Netflix account? The food recommendations that you get on food delivery apps? These are all products of AI. It learns more about you by analyzing your habits, patterns, and things that you’re most likely to engage with, and it presents it to you to keep you more engaged. That scenario ties down heavily with digital marketing.
Marketers can use AI to gather information and learn about different trends and strategies that can lead them to the most effective ways to generate sales. They can also use it to find a company’s target prospects with a higher match rating, which is incredibly useful in generating B2B leads and converting sales.
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that allows you to enhance the experience of the physical world with digital objects in 3D. While it may not generate as much buzz or garner attention as much as virtual reality, AR is easier to work with from a marketing point of view. It’s much more accessible than VR. With AR, all you need is a smartphone or mobile device to get started, while VR requires more sophisticated hardware that not everyone can afford.
AR allows marketers to create more engaging and new digital experiences unique to a brand or company. An excellent example of this is how IKEA utilized it. Through AR, they made a feature that allowed customers to view IKEA products in their homes without having them physically yet. It eliminated a step in the buying process that led customers to check out faster. The strategy ultimately helped them generate sales much quicker. With that said, it’s only a matter of time before we see a significant rise in the number of brands that find a use for AR.
Short-Form Media Content
Studies have shown that the average attention span of people has grown shorter in recent years. Ads that last a minute or longer are not as effective anymore. With the attention spans of humans hovering around 8-10 seconds on average, it’s no surprise that platforms such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels are seeing a surge in popularity. They have quickly become the type of media that people consume the most. And that will ring true for years to come.
Marketers should now focus on making content that has a high impact in the first few seconds of the ad. It helps catch the viewer’s attention enough to make them stay and watch the rest of an advertisement. Those elements make short-form media content so effective. They’re attention-grabbing and have a high impact from the very beginning. These are both ingredients to creating viral content that will generate a lot of buzz around a brand or a company, which will do wonders for their visibility and recognition.
Digital marketing trends are constantly evolving and changing as each day goes by. And every year, we’re bound to see new tools, technologies, and trends emerge in this space. Keeping up with them helps digital marketers stay relevant and create meaningful and engaging marketing campaigns that are current and impactful.