Digital marketing is an industry that never stands still. There are trends that come and go with some making long-lasting impressions, whilst others only linger for a month or so. It can be difficult to know what to spend your time on to stay ahead of the competition. Rethinking and developing your tactics on a regular basis requires a keen eye and a good knowledge of past trends and current changes.
In this article, we want to share some of our expertise on the key digital marketing trends that have recently emerged and are likely to stick around. This provides the ideal opportunity to catch up with your strategy and stay ahead of the never-ending trends of digital marketing.
When talking about relevant digital marketing trends for 2022 and beyond, video marketing is certainly one to keep your eye on. Marketers are predicting that video is still only rising in popularity. It is suggested that there is plenty of success to be generated from this medium over the next 5-10 years. Whether this is something you’ve already implemented or is intimidating to introduce within your strategy, here are some ways to engage with consumers through video:
If you are committed to generating engaging content for your target market, it is important to take account of where they might be in the customer journey. Just like when you create social media content or blog posts, you need to create content for consumers that are either just getting to know your business or are about to click purchase.
Creating videos that cater to consumers no matter what stage of the journey they are in will be the most effective way to capture everyone’s attention. Start brainstorming video ideas like brand introductions and lifestyle videos that will create a connection with your audience. As well as product demos, instructional videos and customer testimonials that will tip consumers in their purchase decisions.
If you’re concerned about the time-consuming feat of creating visually appealing and engaging videos, think about harnessing short-form. As a result of busy consumers that want fast and entertaining content, 30-60 second videos have boomed in popularity. Platforms and features such as Tiktok and Instagram reels are currently dominating social media in terms of user engagement. Tiktok alone currently has 800 million active users worldwide. Creating content that this audience will consume and interact with offers a brand new target audience.
Reaching the top of Youtube’s search results isn’t the only goal you can achieve with video optimisation. Google has increasingly encouraged SEO experts to optimise their video content to rank higher within the Google search results pages. When searching for how-to videos or question directed queries, you may discover that video results are displayed as featured snippets amongst the results pages.
Using structured data, publishing a transcript alongside your video and optimising for carefully selected keywords in your description and title is a great way to encourage Google to increase your rankings. It has also been discussed that user engagement is a significant factor contributing to your position within search results. If you can boost your views, likes, comments and shares, search engines can see that users have found your content entertaining or useful for its intended purpose.
As we continually move across to the digital age, Artificial Intelligence has flourished at the forefront of digital marketing. Plenty of companies have demonstrated their engagement with the novel enhancements that AI has to offer. With Google and Meta being the two notable giants in the digital marketing arena, taking notes on their AI implementation can be beneficial for companies that are looking to boost their online presence.
The inherent nature of Google’s search algorithm was altered with the introduction of Rankbrain in October 2015. This update to Google’s core ranking algorithm introduced machine learning into the selection of search results. Its purpose is to understand the user’s true search intent and provide the most appropriate results, thus offering a far more convenient and efficient user experience. For content marketers, this shifted the focus from keyword-oriented content to meaningful and relevant content that meets specific user intent. With the successful implementation of AI within Google’s examination of user intent, perhaps marketers should also follow suit.
There are several tools that have been developed which claim to fulfil this exact purpose. AI content writing tools such as ‘Jasper’ have been developed by SEO experts to generate original and creative content that search engines love. Alternatively, there are also AI-based tools that will optimise your content for you. They assess existing high ranking search results to provide recommendations for your headings, related keywords, word counts and plenty of other SEO ranking factors. If you’re looking for a cutting edge advancement to optimise your productivity, AI could be your answer.
It is also important to consider the alternate argument for AI-focused content. With search engines placing so much emphasis on creating the optimal experience for users, it is questionable whether machine-written content meets the expectations that are required to rank highly. Whilst it may enhance efficiency, there are limitations in the emotion and brand messaging that AI is able to portray. Before fully implementing AI optimised content into your marketing strategy, we recommend A/B testing your content to check how search engines and users engage with it.
Personalised marketing is more than just addressing your customers and clients by their name. Fully personalising your marketing involves understanding what is important to your audience and knowing when they are ready to make a purchase. Using data from website and social media engagement, you can cater your digital marketing efforts to capture their attention.
Corporate giants like Amazon, Netflix and Youtube excel at providing their users with the content they want at exactly the right time. They do this by utilising previous interaction and engagement data and analysing recommendations for their users. Netflix has reported that up to 80% of their views come from recommended content that has been generated from each unique user’s data. By captivating your audience or encouraging them to make further purchases, you could greatly increase your return on investment.
Creating relevant and engaging experiences for your customers alters their perception of your brand. This allows users to develop authentic connections that ultimately influence their purchasing decisions. Here are some effective examples that you could consider implementing within your digital marketing strategy:
If you have an online e-commerce store, consider offering discounts or freebies when a user visits your site for the first time. This will entice them towards your brand and encourage quick conversions.
Before completing your customer’s purchase, offer product recommendations based on the items within their basket. This is an effective way to encourage last-minute purchases. Similar or related products that meet their preferences or needs are highly likely to convert.
If your customers typically abandon their shopping cart, generating a pop-up before they leave the website might grab their attention. Offer exclusive discounts or free shipping to encourage customers to complete their purchases.
With 46% of Google searches focused on searching for local information, you could be hiding your business from essential traffic for your local business. Tools such as Google My Business are essential for local companies that want to highlight their brand to users within their area. Whilst you can create a business profile that Google will gather and apply information to, there are a whole host of benefits that can boost your local SEO efforts.
The first and most effective step to enhance your Local SEO strategy is to create a Google My Business account. If you’ve already created a business listing this will give you additional control over the content that is viewed by users. This allows you to make changes and optimisations that will benefit your Local SEO efforts.
For example, you can refine your content to ensure that you are providing targeting information about your business that is focused on specific keywords. You can gain insights into your audience engagement and their interactions with the listing. By responding to reviews or answering questions with useful and friendly information, you’ll provide a better customer experience for individuals searching for local businesses.
Much like the algorithms that Google uses to rank search results and paid advertisements, investing time into your Google My Business account will also improve your rankings, enhancing your visibility to potential customers.
Virtual and augmented reality offers businesses an innovative and interesting way to engage customers with their products and services. Typical methods of digital marketing have become commonplace and less exciting to interact with. Whether it’s pop up ads, email marketing or social media posts, consumers aren’t necessarily seeking out these experiences. Alternatively, users are actively engaging with VR and AR. No matter the product or service you provide, there are fun and effective ways to create a marketing campaign with virtual and augmented reality.
Augmented reality bridges the gap between the virtual world and the real one. Using visual, auditory and other sensory filters, users can interact with their mobile devices to experience a technologically enhanced version of our current reality. Various companies have had great success in promoting apparel through AR filters that show the user wearing the item of clothing or accessory. Furniture companies have also provided customers with the ability to view a piece of furniture within their home, just by using their smartphone camera. AR allows users to envision their life with the product in it. This allows your customers to generate a meaningful connection with the item, encouraging them to make purchases.
In light of the global pandemic, companies are revelling in the opportunity to take consumer engagement and advertisement into the virtual world. From the comfort of their own home or at any kind of event, you can transport consumers into another reality with the use of VR. With so many marketing opportunities, brands have the ability to curate a creative experience for their customers. Designing a VR experience that perfectly complements your product or experience is a fantastic opportunity to excite your customers.
VR and AR technology can be utilised in so many effective and interesting ways. You can encourage users to visualise their life with your product, offer a taster of what’s to come and craft sensory and emotional connections with your business. Using an enhanced or virtual reality provides a landscape that is completely immersive and tuned for the product that you want to market to consumers. Think creatively and offer users a once in a lifetime experience that draws them into your brand or product.
Some of these trends were once fantastical ideas that many marketers believed would never catch on. In the past, if you suggested investing your time and resources in short-form video or artificial intelligence, you may have been brushed aside for more permanent tactics.
However, now is the time to commit to the trends that are at the forefront of digital marketing. It isn’t worth wondering whether it’ll be months or years before the next change occurs whilst there are millions of users that are interested and engaged by things like personalised content and environmental awareness.
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