Every year, National Positions reflects on not only what we learned over the previous 12 months, but also what is coming next. We compile all of our client wins, metrics, and successful strategies to uncover the common threads that will guide another year of profitable success for our clients.
We formulate these insights into our annual digital marketing trends ebook, which will be unveiled as 2022 kicks off!
This is a massive undertaking that takes considerable time to develop and ensure that we are providing the most valuable strategies that all businesses online can put into action. That being said, we thought giving our readers a preview of what is to come would be the perfect pre-New Year’s gift!
So let’s dive into a preview of what we see coming in 2022 and beyond.
1. Online Privacy Continues to Gain Momentum
From everyday shoppers to the tech giants of Silicon Valley, the consensus is that privacy and the protection of customers’ personal information are paramount. This shift means less actionable data for marketers to attract, target, and connect with customers online.
2. Custom Ad Optimization Platforms Emerge
With lack of third-party data, marketers are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to investing and allocating their marketing budget.
Transparency surrounding what messaging, on which channels, and in what sequence is actually delivering ROI is getting more difficult to unpack and understand.
It is getting harder to determine which touchpoints had the most significant impact on a customer’s decision to purchase.
The competition online is only growing more intense, and the use of first-party tracking and ad optimization platforms will give businesses the tools, data, and speed required to make strategic decisions faster and drive greater levels of profitability.
3. Personalization Goes Mainstream
Customers expect a personalized experience that caters to their specific needs, desires, and lifestyle. This personalization applies to their brand experience on desktop, mobile, advertising, etc.
The more personalized the experience, the higher the likelihood that you can lock in a customer for life.
If customers don’t get this personalized experience from one brand, they are more likely to turn to a competitor. It’s time to look at the entire customer journey and personalize from top to bottom.
4. Digital Marketing Grows in Complexity
While there are more channels to market on than ever before, these various platforms are becoming more complex.
Additionally, customer journeys are becoming more complicated as they move between channels (on more devices) that impact both online and offline purchasing activity.
It can be difficult to keep up with the myriad of changes, especially when, all too often, the data connecting these channels is either incomplete or simply inaccurate.
As customers’ expectations rise when it comes to both privacy and personalization, brands online will need to pivot their mindsets to meet them in the middle.
5. TikTok and Reels Continue to Command Attention
Video has been the major focus for the better part of a decade, but the adoption of short-form and bite-sized video content has dominated the social media landscape.
From both an organic and an advertising standpoint, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and even YouTube Shorts are prime placement for fresh brand content.
While the adoption of this content has been greatest with younger audiences, data shows that older demographics are catching up quickly.
6. SEO Is All About User Experience
Customers (and Google) care far more about the experience that websites provide than how much content the website possesses.
Yes, content matters—but the value a brand’s website provides matters just as much, if not more.
In short, it comes down to the “user experience.”
Customers not only need to find you online but also need to be able to navigate, click, swipe, and convert on your site with ease. Google’s latest updates all point to user experience being a top priority.
7. Ecommerce Domination Grows
The pandemic may have lit a match under ecommerce purchasing, but consumers have poured gasoline on that fire in 2021.
So, when it comes to scaling product sales, shifting, adding, or ramping up your ecommerce efforts is a goldmine you cannot ignore.
Additionally, this prolonged period of “ecommerce dependence” has now become an “ecommerce preference” (due to convenience and options) for customers as we move into 2022.
Amazon sales for many ecommerce companies are higher than on their own platforms. The simplicity of checkout and free delivery and returns makes Amazon the platform of choice for most Americans.
8. Machine Learning Expands Its Influence
In the coming year, your ability to not only collect but also leverage data to make more profitable strategic decisions is going to be critical to your success.
The fact is there are more metrics and correlative data points available to us than any human can effectively take in at any given time.
Brands that embrace machine learning technologies will have a strategic advantage in making more accurate optimizations and maximizing campaign ROI.
9. Conversion Optimization Becomes a Necessity
What would a 1% boost in sales conversions across your website, emails, and paid media efforts do for business revenues and profits?
The concept is simple—but the execution is not.
Businesses that make conversion rate optimization (CRO) part of their strategic arsenal are going to reap major rewards.
It doesn’t just add to your bottom line, CRO gives you a better understanding of your customers and the motivations that drive them to convert faster—valuable information that can be applied to all of your digital marketing strategies.
10. Your Data Needs to Come “First”
A common thread across many of our tips and trends for 2022 comes down to data.
And between Google’s upcoming elimination of website cookies, Apple’s iOS update disrupting paid media campaign data, and the aforementioned focus on consumer privacy—your data should be your top priority.
Every online business will need to adapt and focus on their own first-party data (like CRM contacts) and squeeze every drop of value from it.
This also means handling your first-party data as if your business success depends on it—because it just might.
More to Come!
So, are you excited for 2022 yet?! We hope that you are because there is an abundance of opportunity right around the corner.
Our upcoming ebook will include all of these trends along with the latest data indicators and actionable steps you can take to make the most out of every trend. Embracing change will be paramount to succeeding online in 2022, and we can’t wait to hear which one of these trends will drive the greatest impact for your business this coming year.
If you are ready to put any of these into action be sure to contact our team for a complimentary profit analysis so you know the best place to begin! Cheers to a profitable 2022!