Since the first use of the term ‘digital marketing’ in the 1990’s, the world of digital marketing has become an undeniable necessity to the success of businesses today. With the continuous advancement of technology, the increasing popularity of the media, the ever-changing algorithm, and the uncertainty of the “next big thing,” digital marketers around the world are constantly looking for ways to stay consistent with what is relevant.

Because of all the adapting digital marketers have to do, we wanted to provide some guidance as you take on 2022. Here are the four digital marketing trends we believe you need to watch out for this year. 

Algorithm Shifts – Video Marketing is IN! 

Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, said Instagram is “no longer just a photo sharing app.” Then, went on to explain how Instagram would be shifting the algorithm to prioritize more video content in order to effectively compete in their market. Facebook has been increasingly prioritizing video as well. With 100 millions hours of video content watched by approximately 500 million viewers on Facebook, it’s safe to say that this prioritization isn’t going away anytime soon.

Some of our favorite video Statistics:

• People spend 2.5 hours a day watching videos online (a 67% increase from 2018). (Wyzowl)
• 90% of marketing organizations use video. (Salesforce)
• The average engagement rate for short-form video content is 53.9% (HubSpot)

Influencer Marketing + User Generated Content

The concept of “social proof” has changed from your friends’ reviews on social media to now trusting the word of the people you find and follow on Instagram. We believe that in 2022, influencer marketing is going to be an important part of your marketing strategy. Over the last three years, we’ve been able to explore this opportunity with our own clients, and we’re happy to report that, in our experience, it has proven successful. By connecting them with influencers, we’ve seen an increase in engagement, credibility, and brand awareness for our clients. 

However, don’t just take our word for it. Below are some of our favorite influencer marketing statistics:

• The influencer marketing industry is projected to be worth $15 billion in 2022. A 87.5% increase from 2019. (Forbes)
• Micro-influencers made up 91% of the market share in 2021. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
• 80% of consumers have purchased something after having seen it as a recommendation from an influencer. (Oberlo)

Value > SEO

When it comes to providing value and SEO, we’re hoping you’ll work smarter not harder. Here’s the thing, the value you provide your customers will ALWAYS matter more than your SEO strategy. 

“Quality content means not falling for the most common SEO mistakes, such as keyword stuffing, scraping content, or writing thin content that has little or no value to users. Google’s overall priority is user experience, so if your content doesn’t deliver on this, it won’t rank well.” ~ Blue Corona Measurable Marketing Solutions

If you can optimize your webpage, blog post, social captions, messaging, etc. by utilizing SEO without sacrificing the value of your content, then we 100 percent believe you should do that. However, Google recognizes and rewards quality content that proves to help users discover the information they were looking for. So, this year, instead of trying to “trick the algorithm” (which is undoubtedly getting harder by the second), focus on providing valuable information according to your customers and their needs. 

Text Message is the new Email Marketing

Here’s the most important thing you need to know… you are not the owner of your social media or your social audiences. Many business owners got a jolt of this reality when Facebook crashed in October of 2021. It shed a light on the fact that social media marketing is NOT the most sustainable marketing strategy (and it definitely shouldn’t be your only marketing strategy). There are more direct and personal ways to market to your customers without turning to social media – like text messages or email marketing. 

Email marketing has been around since roughly 1978 when the first email marketing blast was sent to approximately 400 users generating $13 million in sales… give or take a few thousand dollars. However, in recent years, we have seen how impactful text message marketing can be to younger generations. With easy-to-receive rewards program updates, one-click survey links, and convenient reminder texts, we’re predicting that a major increase in text message marketing will occur between 2022-2023. Not to mention the fact that attention spans have decreased by almost 69% making attention spans today shorter than a goldfish at 8.25 seconds (Wyzowl). 

Here are some of our favorite text message marketing statistics. 

• 75% of millennials prefer SMS communications for deliveries, promotions, and surveys. (EZTexting)
• SMS open rates are as high as 98%. (SlickText)
• Roughly 50% of emails are marked spam compared to only 10% of text message marketing messages. (CallHub)

Our Final Thoughts

One thing is for sure… There’s no “right way” to do things anymore. However, now that you are aware of some of the up and coming (or already trending) marketing trends of 2022, you can create a stellar marketing strategy to set your business up for success!