At the beginning of every new year, in every business sector, there is inevitable speculation about the key trends that will emerge during the year. This is no different in digital marketing. And many different trends are indeed being suggested online.

 

But we have narrowed things down to five key trends that we think will make a significant impact on digital marketing during 2022:

 

• Sustainability.
• Social responsibility.
• Diversity and inclusion.
• User experience.
• Privacy.

 

Interestingly, most of the above trends are related to vision and values rather than digital marketing tools and techniques. Why not have a read, and consider incorporating them into your digital marketing strategy if you are not already doing so. 

 

Sustainability

Brand values matter to people, now more than ever. Consumers will judge a company not just on what it does, but on what it believes. They are perfectly willing to switch brands if they find another brand that more closely reflects their values.

 

And one of the key values becoming increasingly important is sustainability.

 

For many people, sustainability is more of a priority now than before the Covid-19 pandemic. And there are growing expectations amongst consumers that brands will lead the way forward on this. So anything your brand can do to help consumers in this mission has got to be a good thing. 

 

Whether it’s reducing your packaging or your waste, using more recycling and upcycling, offering refills, or any other measures, you need to live and breathe sustainability, and make sure you tell the world what you are doing.

 

Social responsibility

Another brand value that is increasingly important to consumers is social responsibility. Consumers are interested in buying products from socially responsible brands. Even more so since the Covid-19 pandemic shed light on various ethical issues related to employment.

 

Your brand should have social responsibility imprinted on its very core, rather like a stick of rock. There needs to be a sense of social responsibility about everything that you do. 

 

You may also want your social responsibility to be more outward-facing. One example could be to provide regular financial and practical support to a charitable organisation. You could then feature details about this in your social media feeds.

 

Diversity and inclusion

Diversity and inclusion is an important issue for so many people that your brand ignores it at your peril. Every aspect of your brand and your campaigns needs to cater for the many different identities that are relevant to people in your market. You also need to be aware that just as people continually change and evolve, so too must your efforts in this area. To stand still is to get left behind.

 

Look for ways of reflecting a range of backgrounds within your marketing messaging. This ensures that a wider range of consumers are represented, and avoids alienating diverse sections of the population. One example is that many brands are beginning to veer away from traditional gender roles in their marketing campaigns, and also releasing more gender-neutral products. 

 

 

User experience

UX continues to be incredibly important, and your marketing should focus on creating positive user experiences at every stage of the customer journey.

 

One fundamental key factor here is to ensure that your site is fully optimised for mobile. Over half of website traffic now originates in mobile devices, including tablets. And with the growing purchase power of millennials and Gen Z consumers, this traffic – and related e-commerce – is bound to increase further. So to ensure the best possible UX, a fully mobile-optimised site is essential.

 

But there’s more! In our recent article Why you should make your ads 3D in 2022, we explored the potential of using AR and VR in your marketing campaigns. Such experiential marketing enables your audiences to enjoy an improved and immersive experience, especially with increased access being possible from smartphones as well as AR/VR headsets.

 

Looking further ahead, the advent of the metaverse will provide more virtual space in which people can not only work but also socialise and be entertained. Although some years away in terms of its full potential, it makes sense to start gearing up your marketing now to be ready for the metaverse later. Our recent article – How will Facebook’s rebrand impact your digital marketing agency? – covers this topic in more detail. Well worth a read.

 

Privacy

2022 is a critical year regarding data privacy, because there is only one year to go until Google starts phasing out third-party cookies. Whilst data is needed by marketers to provide consumers with relevant messaging, ads and information, many consumers are taking increasing measures to protect their privacy online.

 

 

So in 2022 it is essential that marketers have consumer-oriented data protection strategies that gather the necessary first-party data for effective marketing, whilst enabling consumers to feel in control and able to manage the data that they share.

 

In this article we have covered five key trends to incorporate into your digital marketing strategy in 2022:

 

• Sustainability.
• Social responsibility.
• Diversity and inclusion.
• User experience.
• Privacy.

 

We hope that we have provided food for thought, and some ideas as to how to move things forward. 

 

Check back here again soon for more tips and hints about digital marketing.