Time hasn’t moved at a normal pace since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which is why it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that we’re more than halfway through 2021. To avoid getting caught out by the constant pace of change, it’s a good idea to start looking ahead to the new year and planning your marketing strategy accordingly.
2022 will bring with it new ways of standing out and connecting with consumers. It will also bring an end to third-party cookies. This means that brands of all types will have to rethink their approach to marketing as digital spaces simultaneously become more important and more difficult for marketers to leverage.
Here are some of the top six marketing trends you’ll need to adopt now if you want to stay ahead of the game when the new year comes around.
1. Invest in storytelling
People are bored of hearing how good your product is — it’s not like your brand is the only one shouting about being the best on the market. So, as we move into 2022, it’s important to look to storytelling as a way of generating and converting leads.
Storytelling is a powerful tool and it can be used to show your customers what you can offer them, your mission statement, and why your brand is best suited to their needs. Do that well enough and you’ll soon see engagement start to spike.
2. Connect with your audiences
Telling a story is no good if no one’s around to hear it, so you need to make sure you’re connecting directly with your target markets. Unfortunately, though, reams of posts are sent out on social media every minute, making it difficult to stand out from the crowd.
Looking ahead, it’s all about creating content that you know your audience wants to see. Give your customers a reason to stop scrolling and engage with your posts by taking what you know about them and showing them what they want to see.
3. Personalise their experiences
This concept of tailoring your content for ideal audiences can be taken a step further with personalisation. Personalising the online experience makes 80% of consumers more likely to make a purchase. By putting mailing lists, bespoke recommendations and more to good use, marketers can easily stimulate sales.
4. Put education first
Your ideal audiences are bombarded all day long with content that is trying to sell, sell, sell. To stand out and catch people’s attention in such an oversaturated market, you have to offer value. So, create content that educates your consumers and solves a problem you know they have. This will show them that you’re a leader in your field and willing to go the extra mile.
5. Interact and engage
Social media posts and listicles have reigned supreme in the digital marketing space for a while now. Unfortunately, though, people are getting bored of constantly seeing the same sort of content. As such, interactive content such as quizzes and live Q&As is on the rise, which 93% of marketers find to be an effective way of building better customer relationships.
However, you should never post content for the sake of it, even if it is interactive. If your followers keep seeing quizzes on your Instagram story that have no bearing on your brand, chances are you’ll start to become more of a nuisance than anything else.
6. Make the most of technology
The new digital age is moving fast and it can be difficult to keep up at times. Wherever possible, though, marketers must embrace technology as a way of better managing their workflows.
Automation and data capture programs in particular can speed up day-to-day manual processes that take time away from investing directly in the consumer. In addition, marketers should consider incorporating AI, VR, and smart tech as a way of offering more before these technologies become commonplace.
As we speed towards 2022, marketers need to understand that there’s been a shift. Genuine connection and interaction are now the names of the game, giving brands the ability to build stronger, longer-lasting bonds with the people they serve. This can be achieved through a variety of means, including faster digital adoption and a renewed emphasis on storytelling.
By contributing writer: Luke Fitzpatrick – freelance business journalist (published in Forbes, Entrepreneur & Tech In Asia) & guest lecturer at the University of Sydney, lecturing in cross-cultural management and the pre-MBA program.
