For years, digital promotion techniques have been regarded as the best way to attract customers, but what does the future of digital marketing hold?
Unlike other promotion techniques, the practice of advertising through digital channels is not static.
New devices and faster internet connections are constantly changing the way ads are presented. Not to mention the fact that consumer behavior and preferences also change constantly, which means that the digital promotion industry needs to adapt accordingly.
With the above in mind, creating projections for the future is not always straightforward, especially if you’re new to this type of marketing.
In this article, we will go over the elements and variables that influence the growth of online marketing.
We’ll also share 15 top digital trends that will shape the future of online promotion strategies in 2022 and beyond.
- More helpful reading: https://www.fannit.com/blog/benefits-of-digital-marketing/
What Elements Influence the Future of Digital Marketing?
Digital channels are in a state of constant flux because the technology that powers them is always advancing.
However, new technology is not the only thing that small businesses need to keep in mind when creating their marketing goals and strategies.
Business owners need to evaluate multiple platforms and develop a modern marketing plan designed for a certain demographic within every channel.
Moreover, small businesses and leading brands need to understand how these technological advancements change the way their audiences behave.
The introduction of virtual reality, smart speakers, and apps powered by machine learning have changed the way people perform web searches.
This has also resulted in better opportunities for companies.
But, you need to have a profound understanding of these new technologies and how you can build ad campaigns that truly transmit your value proposition.
15 Trends that Will Shape the Future of Digital Marketing
Now that we have a better understanding of the elements that shape the industry, let’s go over 15 future digital marketing trends that will shape the landscape in the next few years.
1. Gen Zers Reach Adulthood
Although it may take some time to identify each one, there is no denying the importance of categorizing audiences by generation.
In 2019 the Pew Research Center declared 1996 as the cut off year for the Millennial generation. This means that everyone from this generation is well into adulthood, making this an extremely profitable segment in most industries.
However, the oldest members of the following generation are also entering adulthood and these users have very different browsing habits.
Known as Generation Z, the members of this segment are currently responsible for 63% of all online searches in the US.
Which, in turn, means that businesses need to be prepared for increased traffic volumes as well as other adjustments based on these users’ behavior.
2. Digital Marketing Will Become the Norm
As we mentioned earlier, online promotion strategies are regarded by many as the most profitable form of marketing.
But, even though a large portion of brands are already leveraging this technique, not all companies understand the value of digital ads.
You can expect that to change in 2022.
Consumers have increased the volume of goods they purchase online, transforming the internet into the most obvious place to promote goods and products.
Search engines and social media platforms have become the best way to reach customers.
What’s more, more users are turning to these channels to help them find the best providers, which means that these platforms are still growing.
- More helpful reading: https://www.fannit.com/blog/traditional-marketing-vs-digital-marketing/
3. Growth of SEO and Analytics
Organic promotion strategies like SEO give companies a major competitive edge because they are cost-effective and can attract large volumes of users.
With this in mind, platforms like Google adjust their search results algorithms constantly based on the latest data.
Therefore, you can expect SEO to morph in order to provide better results to users.
This can mean a variety of things for business owners, but the main one is that they have to monitor their metrics and keep an eye out for any major updates.
Not only this, but companies also have to invest into featured snippets and other techniques that help them garner positive attention.
Remember that analytics tools are, in part, responsible for the success of SEO strategies.
For this reason, you should also look out for improvements to tracking platforms like Google Analytics, namely, the phasing of cookies and the introduction of cookieless monitoring systems.
4. Improved Personalization Through AI
Personalization is everything in digital promotion, regardless of whether you’re building a B2B or B2C campaign.
Despite the fact that automated personalization has come a long way in the last decade, this practice still requires a significant amount of human input.
Fortunately, artificial intelligence, or AI, is looking more and more like a sure-fire way to achieve truly automated content personalization.
Keep in mind that content personalization doesn’t necessarily require an AI tool that changes the materials being presented.
Instead, the modern AI tools are being designed to help companies identify the best content for each one of their segments and ensure that these users receive the most relevant pieces.
5. The Implementation of AR
AI is extremely exciting, but it’s not the only type of new tech that’s influencing the world of marketing.
Augmented reality, also known as AR, enhances the way people view the real world while also giving businesses the ability to connect with their prospects at a whole new level.
Keep in mind that the implementation of an AR strategy will depend on the adoption of smart devices that have this feature available.
Not only this, but you also need to ensure that your visual content is designed for this channel and that your content is optimized for voice commands.
- More helpful reading: https://www.fannit.com/blog/digital-marketing-tips/
6. Content Optimized for Voice Searches (or Voice Search Optimization)
What does it mean to have voice optimized content?
Before answering that question, we need to understand how new tech is affecting consumer search patterns and how this affects written content.
Traditional text content is designed to mimic the way users conduct searches through Google and other platforms: through writing.
But, users are using more voice-enabled devices than ever before (like Google Home or any Google Assistant-enabled device), which has increased the number of voice searches being conducted.
While the algorithm for voice and text-based searches is pretty similar, the actual sentences and phrases used on both channels are completely different.
So, if you want to be one of the first to attract users conducting voice searches, then you need to adapt your writing and include phrases that are commonly spoken, rather than written.
7. Integrated Omnichannel Strategies
Digital marketers have been discussing the importance of a unified and integrated promotion strategy.
But, we believe that the need for this element will become obvious to many businesses in 2022, and here’s why.
In addition to consumers buying more goods online, another major trend over the last 24 months has been the implementation of sales-oriented features.
For example, Google’s shoppable ads feature is not available to more companies that want to create paid ad campaigns.
Not only this, but increased security and the emergence of digital wallets have resulted in a higher number of purchases through mobile devices, which highlights the need for an omnichannel approach.
8. Heightened Consumer Awareness
There’s a strong chance that you’ll need a large target audience in order to see results from your content marketing, programmatic advertising, and other strategies.
The good news is that there are more consumers online today than ever before, which gives companies the ability to target virtually any demographic through the internet.
By heightened consumer awareness, we are referring to the fact that the internet has become an integral part of society.
More and more consumers understand that Google and similar platforms provide results based on quality and relevance.
These consumers, in turn, are more likely to rely on these platforms and feed other emerging trends.
- More helpful reading: https://www.fannit.com/blog/how-to-do-digital-marketing/
9. Advanced Social Media Features
Social media channels have been at the forefront of emerging trends for years and 2022 is no exception.
Companies can expect social platforms to keep adding features like reels, business profiles, and the ability to integrate shopping carts.
It’s true that these new features also bring a learning curve, but the companies that take the time to learn how to use these properly will have a slight edge over the competition.
10. Increased Attention to Micro-Influencers
Micro-influencers are online personalities that have anywhere between 500 and 5000 followers.
The idea behind working with micro-influencers is that these professionals can deliver personalized content that can’t be mimicked by companies or bigger influencers.
This strategy has been so effective that it’s bound to grow in 2022, especially with this type of influencer emerging in every field.
11. Video Continues Its Accession
Video marketing has been one of the top digital marketing trends for a while and this tendency is bound to continue its ascension in 2022.
YouTube is now officially the world’s biggest search platform, which means that companies need to invest resources into developing video content for their audiences.
It’s important to understand that the video content you produce needs to be entertaining, but also get your marketing messages across.
This type of promotion works very well with micro-influencer marketing and content marketing, so make sure you integrate video content into your strategy on all fronts.
12. Objective Clarity Above All Else
One of the biggest and most unforeseen issues that companies face today is the lack of clarity in their online promotion strategies.
Engagement and leads are both essential, but if your strategy is not designed to get you sales and build your funnel, there’s a large possibility that you won’t achieve your goals.
Instead, you need to build a comprehensive blueprint that’s flexible enough to be adjusted based on the results you get.
- More helpful reading: https://www.fannit.com/blog/digital-marketing-strategy/
13. SIO
We’ve covered advanced SEO in this piece, but it’s also important to keep an eye on its distant cousin, SIO.
SIO stands for search intent optimization, which basically means that your content needs to match what users are looking for.
Think about it this way: if a user is looking for informational content, the last thing they want to see is an offer for a product.
Instead, you should divide your funnel into different segments, determine which ones require what type of content, and then develop materials that move users down the different stages.
14. The Importance of A/B Testing
A/B testing is the process of launching two or more variables of the same content, splitting the traffic, and determining which variables provide the best results.
Also known as split testing, this practice is a standard in paid ad strategies.
Now, companies have access to digital marketing tools that allow them to conduct this type of testing at all scales. We expect to see a rise in this tactic because it’s one of the best ways to ensure that all marketing channels are optimized for conversions.
15. The Need for a Solid Marketing Stack (and Knowledge to Use It)
Resources like video content and augmented reality strategies represent a major investment into a company’s marketing stack.
This is the reason why having a great pack of resources for your marketing channels is essential for the success of your current and future campaigns.
There are dozens upon dozens of alternatives, so you need to survey the digital marketing landscape and make sure that you choose the best tools.
Alternatively, you can also work with a team of digital marketers that has experience developing marketing strategies for a target audience similar to your own.
- More helpful reading: https://www.fannit.com/blog/marketing-tools/
How to Future-Proof Your Online Promotion Strategy
From voice search to augmented reality, there are many different variables that will shape the digital marketing landscape over the next few years.
Therefore, you need to ensure that your web marketing strategy is built with these elements in mind.
It’s possible to develop a voice search strategy and other marketing plans internally, but this can put a huge amount of pressure on your team.
As an alternative, you can always work with a web agency that focuses on helping business owners grow their companies.
Want to Prepare Your Campaigns for Future Changes? Contact Fannit Today
Are you looking for an agency to help ensure the success of your strategy? Get in touch with our team of digital promotion specialists and we’ll be glad to help.
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