5 Marketing Trends to Watch in 2022
It is undeniable that marketing is a fast-paced industry. As marketers, many of us just about feeling like we have caught up with the latest trends as a new and exciting marketing tactic or method becomes popular. Keeping your finger on the pulse can be hard work. In this article, we are going to run you through 5 of the most exciting marketing trends to watch for in 2022. Some of these are new and exciting ideas, others are the development of more established techniques that already play a major role in modern marketers day-to-day. So read on and get a headstart on what to expect in the marketing space in 2022.
#1 Authenticity Through Influencer Marketing
For several years influencer marketing had been hailed as the next big trend – an exciting new tool that early adopters can use to get ahead of the game. This is no longer the case. Working with influencers has now become an established part of many marketing strategies. From giant, multinational brands to tiny start-ups, every B2C niche has an element of influencer marketing happening at some level.
So why is it on our trends to watch for 2022?
Although now well established, influencer marketing is still arguably in its infancy in terms of how the tool is used and applied. It is still set for massive growth, with a predicted increase in worth from $9.7bn in 2020 to a $15bn in 2022. As we move into the next stage of development, authenticity is going to play an incredibly important role in influencer marketing. This will apply both on a brand campaign level and a regulatory level.
As consumers become more aware of influencer marketing and the potential inauthenticity of recommendations and sponsored content, savvy brands will begin to seek out influencers who share their core values and communicate authentically with their target audiences. From a regulatory point of view, we are likely to see the continued tightening of rules to ensure transparency when influencers are working with brands to promote products and services.
#2 Podcasting Continues to Grow
Podcasts are an interesting marketing phenomenon.
This type of media has been around for many years, reportedly originally developed as a concept as early as 2004. However, it is only in recent years, probably due to the wider availability of mobile streaming devices, that has led to a huge growth in their popularity.
As we move into 2022, we are likely to see increasing opportunities for brands that invest in podcasting. We are continuing to see upwards trends for podcasts in terms of both the number of people listening and the amount of time they listen for.
Brands can tap into this positive growth in two ways. Firstly, they can sponsor or advertise on podcasts that are active within their niche to reach their target audience. Secondly, they can create their own podcasts within their niche to both reach their target audience and to position themselves as an authority in that space.
#3 Ecommerce Growth
Ecommerce has seen massive growth over the past few years, reportedly growing from accounting for just 21.8% of all UK retail in 2019 to a huge 37.5% in 2020 – this is primarily down to the pandemic and people’s inability to get out to traditional retail stores.
Although many predict that in 2022 we will not see huge growth in the e-commerce space (just 0.3%), the fact this percentage is predicted not to come down, even as the restrictions surrounding the pandemic are relaxed, shows that e-commerce is going to continue to become a large and established part of the retail space.
This trend should make marketers consider how and where their energy and budget is focused in the coming years as the opportunity to gain a larger percentage of a growing e-commerce market presents itself.
#4 Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Marketers have been talking about the potential of AI and its application to marketing for years. However, it is only now that we are truly starting to see the benefits of AI within the marketing space. Arguably, we are still getting to grips with how AI can be used throughout marketing and we are likely to see much development in this space in years reaching beyond 2022. However, there are some ways that we are already seeing marketing benefit from this tool.
For example, automation has been a powerful marketing tool for many years, but it certainly has its downsides in terms of personalisation. We are now seeing how AI can be paired with automation and conversational marketing in order to tailor messaging in a way that truly ‘speaks the language’ of customers.
#5 Growth of Micro and Nano Influencer
Of course, you are going to find more than one trend relating to influencer marketing in this article. Our first trend focused on how many brands will be seeking out authenticity throughout their influencer marketing campaigns. Arguably, high levels of authenticity are one of the major benefits of working with micro and nano influencers and why we are likely to see more businesses working with these types of influencers in 2022.
Influencer marketing isn’t the reserve of huge brands working with big influencers. Micro and nano influences allow brands of all sizes to reach their audience through influencers in a compelling way. This type of influencer marketing is beneficial for several reasons such as their ability to interact authentically with a higher percentage of their audience. As influencers become more in demand, micro and nano influencers offer smaller businesses with smaller budgets a fantastic opportunity to benefit from influencer marketing.
Marketing Trends: 2022
The last few years have been an exciting and challenging time for businesses. It is a rare occurrence in history that brands have needed to adapt to new challenges so quickly as those faced during the pandemic. There are certainly a number of great opportunities for growth coming in 2022 and beyond. By understanding the latest trends in marketing you will position yourself to take advantage of these opportunities.