How Is Digital Marketing Transforming in 2022?

By Minna Salmesvuo | January 24, 2022

2022 is now believed to be one of the most innovative years for the Digital Marketing Industry. Businesses are looking forward to the new digital transformation era and opportunities to help them grow.

Competition is a driving force in the digital world, and it’s challenging to keep up with all the moving parts of digital marketing. The last few years inside a pandemic have pushed many companies to grow their digital presence, and those that failed to adapt to the latest digital advancements may not survive.

If you want your company to succeed, you should keep up with the latest technologies, algorithms and techniques from SEO to PPC, platforms and tools for enhancing your online presence.

This post will discuss the 7 findings that will help you understand how Digital Marketing will transform in 2022.

Metaverse – A Virtual Web
AI-Powered Optimisation
Programmatic Advertising Hooks into New Data Sets
Hybrid Events as the “New Normal”
“Shoppable” Content
Zero-Click Searches
Mobile Optimisation Will Be Even More Critical.

Metaverse – A Virtual Web

Brands have always had the difficult task of emotionally and viscerally connecting with their audiences. Recently, Facebook has changed its name to Meta and is investing much money into the Metaverse, which relates to virtual and augmented reality experiences. It is indeed a big bet on the web’s future, and AR/VR will soon find a permanent place in digital marketing strategies, allowing customers or their digital avatars to enter the Metaverse – a virtual space of magical experiences – to strengthen relationships and convert.

AI-Powered Optimisation

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been used in the digital marketing industry for a long time. However, I believe that in 2022 businesses will incorporate AI-powered features into their Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), social media marketing, and other digital marketing strategies. AI tools allow enterprises to analyse thousands of matrices to produce detailed demand and growth forecasting interpretations. Furthermore, AI-powered tools can be used by health care, finance and other industries to develop digital strategies to attract and retain customers.

Programmatic Advertising Hooks into New Data Sets

Using AI to automate ad buying is recognised as programmatic advertising. The strength of programmatic advertising comes from its ability to optimise at a scale that surpasses a human. Companies get a more reliable and cost-effective solution to their needs when people are removed from the ad buying process.

The cookie is at the heart of almost everything we know and love about today’s programmatic advertising infrastructure. It includes tracking, retargeting, and frequency capping, among other things. Most manual search-driven advertising campaigns (even those using professional tools) consider three or four factors: the time of day, keyword research, and location.

Hybrid Events as the “New Normal”

Almost every industry was affected by the pandemic. Even though businesses are finally reopening, there’s a good chance that things will never return to normal.

I believe that the way we work, socialise, shop, and live has progressed for the better. One change that has become the new normal is the shift to hybrid events. While the pandemic did not initiate the hybrid event culture, it forced businesses to adopt it quickly, considering remote work and social isolation.

Hybrid events combine in-person and virtual components for a more sustainable and inclusive experience. Companies host events to allow attendees to strategise, inspire innovation and creativity, and create an environment where people can connect. Unfortunately, while in-person events enable businesses to achieve these goals, they can also be more expensive and have a negative impact on the environment.

Hybrid events, on the other hand, may be more environmentally friendly. Furthermore, these events may be more accessible to people with disabilities, making them ideal for accommodating a larger crowd. The pandemic, I believe, increased awareness of the need for sustainable practises. As a result, customers may prefer businesses that use the hybrid model in the coming years.

“Shoppable” Content

The shopping landscape has shifted. According to Google, in 2020, global e-commerce sales increased by nearly 30%, and new ways to make online content more “shoppable” have emerged. People can now buy products directly from social media posts, watch their favourite shows on connected TVs and while watching YouTube content.

Storytelling is crucial for creating content that people want to buy. The ABCD framework should be used to develop influential shoppable creatives:

Attention: Use an immersive story to entice and keep people interested.
Branding: Start branding early, often, and in a big way.
Connection: Help people think and feel about something.
Direction: Instruct them to act.

Zero-Click Searches

What exactly is a zero-click search? When you have a query, you ask Google and then click on the article that best answers your question or provides you with the information you require.

However, you may also find the answer in a paragraph near the top of the results page.

These boxes, known as ‘Position Zero’ on the search engine results page, frequently include an image and all the information you were searching for in an easily distinguishable box. You don’t need to click on an article because you already know the answer.

Being the subject of a zero-click search suggests that you’ve made it halfway and that people are interested in what you have to say. The next step is to entice them to your website to learn more about what you have to offer. Consider how you can update your page titles to indicate what visitors will find when they arrive at your site.

Mobile Optimisation Will Be Even More Critical

It’s no surprise that people are spending more and more time on their smartphones and tablets. Mobile devices, including tablets, account for more than half of all annual online website traffic.

As the purchasing power of millennials and Gen Z grows, mobile-optimised digital experiences will become even more important to consider as a business owner marketing to these fast-paced, highly connected generations.

According to HubSpot:

In 2022, 33% of global marketers will invest in mobile web design, with 84% planning to invest the same or more.
Mobile optimisation is considered a good investment by 64% of SEO marketers.

Mobile experiences are essential not only for e-commerce websites, but also in other key marketing strategies. For example, 56% of email marketers are focused on providing subscribers with mobile email experiences.

So, there you have it, our top 7 most important digital marketing transformation insights to implement for your business this year.

Change is an inevitable part of the job for anyone working in digital marketing, and our team at Social Media Tribe focuses on the latest tools and technologies to achieve the best outcomes for our clients. To gain an advantage over your competitors, you must keep looking ahead and strive to embrace new technologies, tools and strategies.