9 Marketing Trends You Need to Jump on in 2022 The dramatic growth of digital platforms offers new strategies to play with to grow your presence online.

Social media is constantly evolving, and keeping up with the trends is difficult. People who deliberately made marketing plans for 2021 had to accommodate many shifts to make through. As an industry expert, I helped many influencers and businesses to formulate strategies to enhance engagement and growth. A plan must focus on long-term goals and be subdivided into short-term welfare.

So, as we proceed to a new year, what marketing trends will pervade in 2022?

1. Personalization, a way to win a place in the heart

When a choice is given, a customer chooses a product that shares a relationship with them. Ads and campaigns that evoke a particular emotion or hook consumers to the content are more likely to succeed in this game.

One of the most recent technologies that enable advanced personalization is Deepfakes. It uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to generate visual and audio content that can be leveraged for marketing. Even though it's infamous for its exploitation, this technology can do wonders with the right strategies.

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Moreover, one can always use personalized emails or messages to communicate with potential consumers. When united with data collections, AI can generate great insights through social media, aiding you with product designing and user's choice.

2. Using video-based content, live streaming, and more

People spend most of their time at home instead of attending live events or product launches. The key to marketing is focusing on influencers with a loyal audience. When surveyed, 80% of the people like to engage with live videos instead of pre-recorded ones. This allows them to engage with the influencers, talk about the product, and shop while watching the live streams.

Since most of the targeted audience is millennials or the Gen-Z, you can tap into the 'FOMO' and use it advantageously to familiarize them with the product. Instagram and Facebook saw a hike in users' engagement with the live videos; TikTok's advances in live video features can also become a sensation in 2022. Brands should also utilize OTT platforms to generate more live video content, for instance, using Amazon live to organize promotional events.

3. Discuss what matters; sustainability, goodwill, and more

As people acknowledge different perspectives regarding sustainability, goodwill, climate change, body-shaming, and many other issues, they are also scrutinizing the brands and businesses to choose the good in all standards. It's hard for the consumer to connect with brands that are irresponsible towards humankind or the environment. Many brands have started designing cruelty-free products that resonate strongly with consumers' choices.

4. Content that takes no effort

While brands are recommended to put their best in strategizing content, they should make sure that their audience is consuming it effortlessly. I would never prefer anything with a fancy word or an incomplete message.

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More than 55% of Americans listen to podcasts while traveling or commuting. Also, using visuals and avoiding paragraphs of information can allow users to consume information within 10-15 sec. Though Gen-Z doesn't completely occupy the working population, it certainly dominates social media. Targeting them with graphic designs and pictorials can lead you to success.

5. UGC at your disposal

User-generated content is a compelling way to build your brand's social credibility. What's more, it is relatively inexpensive and easy to maintain. Think about this for a moment:

Every time you post something you're selling, try to include what customers say about the product. This will make your readers want to purchase the item even more because they can see people reacting positively to it on social media.

Some benefits of UGC are listed below:

• Boosts sales
• Increases brand loyalty and recognition
• It makes your social media posts more appealing
• It helps you win over influencers and partners

6. Using keywords to drive traffic

It would be best to start by making sure that your webpage is relevant and targeted to the keywords you want to rank for. This will ensure that you get visitors from search engines.

You should also check your current website ranking for the targeted keywords. If you don't rank in the top 10 of Google, then the chances of getting ranked significantly are almost impossible.

An excellent way to find out what it takes to rank better is to use your competitor's webpage as a measuring stick. You can use the same or similar keywords and see how they are used in their webpage. This will tell you if they are targeting those keywords effectively or not.

7. VR and AR

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are essentially the same things but with different technology. It isn't easy to separate the two because they can be used for one another's purposes. VR usually consists of simulations or digital worlds that you can see and get immersed in, while AR uses digital information overlaying physical information to make a virtual environment that you can interact with. A well-known example is Meta, which will become a successor of social media.

8. Privacy issues need to be solved

Many controversies regarding privacy control and security have proven terrible news for companies. Keeping the same in mind, companies, and businesses should focus on preserving the customer's privacy. In this context, the development and implementation of a system for the customer is an excellent way to keep them safe in this era.

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Many reputable companies are working towards developing systems to ensure customer privacy. The main objective of these systems is to keep the customers secure while they provide their personal information to the company or business concerned. This will allow consumers to use services without speculating on data leaks or identity theft. Companies are now looking for the best systems that will ensure their customers' complete security and privacy.

9. Representation is the key

Representation in the advertising industry is more critical than ever. Yet it's still an issue that needs to be improved. Promoting inclusivity will ensure that the audience you're targeting isn't missed.

What is Inclusivity in Influencer Marketing?

As influencers become increasingly popular within the influencer marketing industry, it's essential to recognize that specific segments of society are being left out. Whether it be for being a person of color or not living in the city, brands still need to appeal to specific groups of people. Representation in influencer marketing is the importance of catering to the needs of your target market. The more inclusivity you have, the more appealing your brand is.