It’s that time of year again folks.  Asking around whether or not it’s too early to crack open the Baileys, debates over whether the muchly-anticipated John Lewis Christmas ad produced more tears this year than last, and, of course, the time for marketers around the world to look towards the future and what 2022 has in store for us.

Today, the attention of consumers is being pulled in more directions than ever before and as a result, brands are having to do something truly unique to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

While this may sound rather daunting – fear not – as in this blog, we have put together our predicted top marketing trends for 2022. And so, without further ado, let’s crack on and get right on into it. 

 

Trend #1: Influencer marketing is no longer just a trend

In recent years, this marketing tactic has come through time and time again as a trend sure to pay attention to. In 2022, the world of leveraging influencers for your digital marketing campaigns can no longer be considered a trend, rather a tactic that should be cemented into your overarching strategy. 

In fact, in a recent HubSpot survey with marketing professionals, 34 percent reported that influencer marketing was at the top of their lists of trends they plan to invest in in 2022. And of the 57 percent of marketing professionals who currently leverage influencer marketing and report its effectiveness, 46 percent plan to further increase investments in the new year. 

This is unsurprising considering the impressive results influencer marketing is delivering to brands. Across various industries, influencers are helping to spread awareness and bring in sales far more effective than any other strategy. Influencers and thought leaders are masters of their niche, whether it’s fashion, farming or fintech, with an audience already engaged in their content and ready to be influenced by the information they share.

And it’s not just all about working with influencers with a mass follower count. Micro-influencers have been shown to be just as effective, if not more, with posts that play a bigger role in converting leads and increasing engagement due to a deeper connection to those in the industry.

 

Trend #2: Short video will continue to dominate

With the boom of TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts this year, this next trend should come as no surprise. While longer-form video still very much has an integral place in brand marketing with its ability to offer much more depth and detail, short-form “snackable” vertical video is fast becoming the preferred way for users to consume content. 

According to a study by Vidyard, 56 percent of videos created by brands today are two minutes or less, and what’s more,  audiences are responding to this.  A reported 53 percent of videos that are 90 seconds or less are watched to completion.

For marketers, you’d be silly not to focus your attention on how your brand can capitalise on the short-video trend. Especially with short-video platforms such as TikTok making it easier than ever before to go viral. And so if last year like many of us, you scoffed at the idea of the “all-dancing, all-singing” app being a crucial ingredient in your marketing strategy, this year, it’s time to admit defeat and acknowledge all its potential power!

 

Trend #3: Brands and social responsibility

Next up in our list of 2022 marketing trends to watch out for is the need for brands to prioritise social responsibility. With the current state of our planet, social responsibility and transparency are growing more and more important to the modern consumer.

The population – and particularly the younger generation – are demanding companies do more to help save our planet and are becoming more aware of the impact that their own purchases has on concerning issues such global warming. As a result, the “conscious consumerist” is choosing to move away from those brands they deem not to be responsible and move towards those who are showing themselves to be taking it seriously.

This is showcased in a study looking into corporate social responsibility (CSR). It found that 77 percent of consumers surveyed reported being motivated to purchase from companies committed to making the world a better place. Furthermore, 73 percent of investors state that efforts to improve the environment and society contribute to their investment decisions.

For brands then, the key takeaway here is first, to ensure you are putting in practice to become more socially responsible, and second, to communicate this in your marketing content. Those that do so should expect to realise significant rewards as a result. 

 

Trend #4: Branded audio content becomes louder

The past few years have seen the resurgence of the podcast, with brands and individuals from comedy and spirituality to technology and mental health building huge followings on the back of the audio content they’re producing. In the US alone, 41 percent of the total U.S. population over the age of twelve, or an estimated 116 million Americans, can now be considered monthly podcast listeners, up from 37 percent the year before.

It’s not just the podcast space capitalising on the consumer thirst for audio content. The summer of 2021 saw audio chatroom app, Clubhouse, enter the scene, with marketers everywhere scrambling for an exclusive invitation to find out just what the fuss was all about. In a short amount of time, the platform gained millions of users, with other platforms rushing to work on their own version of an audio chatroom after seeing its popularity.

Twitter launched its own version “Twitter Spaces” in May this year, which allows brands and individuals to create public “Spaces” with the ability for anyone to join, listen, and speak. If you hadn’t heard of Twitter Spaces before, then you may very well have heard of it this week when #SingYourDialect quite literally broke the internet.

Started by a small account with the handle @jacobbmc2,  Sing Your Dialect’s simple idea completely took over Twitter for the night and had the likes of premiership footballers, rugby players, TV personalities and the former President of the United States tuning in to see what was happening. At its peak, it had 50,000 listeners including Rylan, Declan Rice and Barack Obama

With this form of content evidently proving to be popular with consumers, brands must pay attention to how it can be leveraged in marketing.

According to HubSpot’s aforementioned “State of Marketing”  survey, 53 percent of marketing professionals surveyed reported “podcasts or other types of audio content” to be effective when it comes to driving brand awareness and increasing engagement. Yet, only 1 percent of those surveyed say it yields ROI. However, 80 percent still plan to continue to invest the same amount of budget or more into audio content and podcasts next year. 

And so, while the ROI of audio content may not yet be as established as other forms of content marketing, its effectiveness at increasing brand awareness and engagement is a surefire reason to take note of this trend.

 

Trend #5: Living in a mobile-first era

In contrast to the pre-smartphone era, when mobile phones were primarily used for making calls, sending a basic text, and endless hours of fun playing Snake, today’s consumers have a totally different relationship with mobile devices.

Not only does this pocket-sized piece of technology allow us to stay connected better than ever before, but today it has so many more use cases, from making payments, allowing us to shop from all over the world, to even unlocking our cars. 

This prolific use along with us humans increasing dependence on mobile highlights the ever-important notion that mobile should be at the forefront of all marketing efforts.

2022 will be the year in which brands will adopt mobile-first marketing strategies in order to cater to the highly-connected generation. This will include creating campaigns with smaller devices and touchscreen interfaces at the forefront of the mind, from social media content to email newsletter campaigns, ensuring your audience has the very best experience with your brand. In 2022 and beyond, optimising for mobile can no longer be an afterthought. For those brands wanting to stand out from the competition, your efforts must focus on mobile-first marketing.

So, there you have it — our top five marketing trends to start preparing for ahead of the new year. Just like the seasons, the marketing space is full of change. For those brands wanting to make a real impact and gain an edge over competitors in 2022 and beyond, it’s absolutely crucial to continuously look ahead and embrace new tools, technologies and strategies.