In fact, be a pioneer with marketing trends in the year to come – the opportunities are seemingly endless…

The marketing landscape has never been more dynamic, providing extraordinary opportunities to engage with your audience, create leads, ignite your social media following, increase conversions, and establish loyal customers.

Human resilience will prevail as it did during COVID-19 and looking forward, marketing teams must be agile, pivot successfully in a crisis, look at responsible citizens rethinking their buying habits, provide solutions, cater to diverse markets enveloped in a deluge of over-stimulation, and most importantly, establish long-lasting brand loyalty by building connections and relationships.

It’s important to remember your competitor is just one mouse click away. – Douglas Warner III, Former CEO J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

 

A gift for you – your marketing plan

 

Keep your customers: Absolutely essential is the ability to retain your clientele after you have signed and sealed the deal. Brands are built on word-of-mouth and loyalty – how sad if they don’t come back?

Visuals are key: Make sure you have awesome visuals to keep your customers entranced and your offering unforgettable. Do away with pixelated, blurry images – you won’t get a second glance.

Artificial intelligence: Let the humans connect, collaborate and care while the chatbots and robots collect and analyse data, amongst other mundane chores.

Podcasts: A wonderful way to share your story and engage, podcasts are a different platform than simply reading.

Search engine optimisation (SEO): Content that is original and persuasive will rank higher than repetitive content and ultimately you want to be on the first page in top spot. No one is going to turn to page 3, 4, 5, 6.

Personalisation just for you: How wonderful to receive content that’s personalised and tailored just for you. Facebook, Netflix, Amazon and Spotify are brands that are very smart with engaging the individual and know your shopping habits, browsing feed and music you like to razzle to – incredibly helpful.

Marketing strategy and content: Make sure you have a detailed and strategic marketing content plan. Get recognition with your specific niche that caters to your target market, stands out from your rivals, and really highlights yourself as an expert.

Be unique, unlike everyone else: Use data-driven content marketing techniques to make sure you have the right target market and map their journey.

The ultimate mashup with hybrid events: Virtual events, in-person events and a mixture of both are here to stay. Hybrid events must use the latest technologies ensuring an immersive experience for all, particularly those at home on the sofa.

The art of storytelling: Weave your audience into your story so they become a part of your narrative. This is beautifully represented with the Airbnb Belong Anywhere Campaign.

Belonging has always been a fundamental driver of humankind. So to represent that feeling, we’ve created a symbol for us as a community. It’s an iconic mark for our windows, our doors, and our shared values. It’s a symbol that, like us, can belong wherever it happens to be. – Airbnb

Marketing technology: There is an explosion of technology with augmented reality and social media platforms attracting customers with eCommerce. We are seeing the start of this with Facebook and Instagram shops.

Green marketing: With sustainability in mind, eco-marketing or environmental marketing encourages a massive drive towards sustainable manufacturing methods.

User-generated content: A massively powerful way to build a brand is through your own customers who give your brand a voice. Friends and family don’t lie to each other – remember that.

Bye marketing funnel, hello flywheel: Keep your customers happy with the marketing flywheel. This includes original content and blogs that entice customers to come back for more.

Marketing is really just about sharing your passion. – Michael Hyatt, NY Times Best Selling Author

 

Digital Marketing is going to skyrocket

 

Virtual events: Customers have been lured into the online world of webinars, product launches, workshops, meetings and events.

Cookies will now only be eaten: Cookie tracking will be replaced with another alternative according to Google – watch this space.

Move over humans: Artificial intelligence is here to stay and enhance the customer experience with chatbots, virtual selling assistants, and even robots.

Micro-influencer will do just that – influence: Finding someone who has a small but loyal following that is ideal for your brand, will hit the sweet spot.

The king and queen will always reign: Content will always attract potential customers, however, no longer talk to or sell to them. Rather ensure a deep-rooted relationship by absorbing them into your narrative with guidance and the correct information.

If content is king, then conversion is queen. – John Munsell

 

Social media marketing is always on the pulse

 

Content that is live: With the opportunity to drive a massive return on investment (ROI), live content allows brands to engage with their target market, providing authenticity and truth.

TikTok rapidly takes over: Featuring a massively diverse array of content that ticks a box for every type of customer, TikTok must be on your radar.

Quality over quantity: Brands will use just three to five social media platforms to expand their reach and connect with the right consumers.

Influencer marketing will become the norm: Micro-influencers will become the voice of brands, providing the truth to their loyal supporters.

Short and sharp: People don’t have time to read a lot, but they will watch a little longer. Video content will tempt the customer and lure them with a call to action.

Long live longevity: No longer the ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ approach, social media posts and stories will last for days and not vanish into the ether after a few hours. However, it can work for some brands with titillating content – if you miss it, you miss out.

Social media is not a media. The key is to listen, engage and build relationships. – David Alston

2022 is here; so take note of the trends and start implementing them now. You don’t want to be left behind! Don’t forget to appeal to your audience’s self-interest, become interested, remember that details matter, educate your audience, get people talking, give them quality, make the customer the hero of your story, have a unique selling proposition, and remember your culture is your brand.

Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. – Jeff Bezos, Founder & CEO, Amazon

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