With the new year on the horizon, many of us will inevitably start making new year’s resolutions and looking to the year ahead.

Here at Social Chameleon, we, of course, like to look ahead with our digital marketing hats on too! Each year undoubtedly brings new technologies and behaviours that impact digital marketing trends.

Staying ahead of the game is essential if you want your marketing strategy to be a success, so we’ve put together an overview of our digital marketing trend predictions for 2022. So, sit back and strap yourselves in, as we take an exclusive journey into the future!

#1 Short and Sweet Videos

We all know how useful video can be as a marketing tool, but 2022 will see videos becoming shorter and snappier.

TikTok has changed the game for how we absorb and engage with video content and now more than ever users want fast paced and shorter bursts of content.

With Instagram launching their reels feature and YouTube putting an increased focus on “Shorts”, shorter videos that have an almost “DIY” instant-upload feel are set to be popular with users.

#2 Trust Building

Every business has a digital marketing strategy right now (or at least they should do) and whilst the internet is a big place with plenty of users to go round, overexposure can be overkill.

As users get more and more used to being presented with adverts, content marketing and digital campaigns, they’re getting savvier.

Digital marketing now requires you to build up trust with your audience, after all, why should they trust what your marketing campaign says? Basically, you need to put your money where your mouth is.

Not only this, but as businesses rely more and more on data-driven marketing, users need to know they can trust you enough to share their data with you.

#3 A Strong Story

If audiences are being exposed to more marketing than ever before, you need to make sure that yours stands out from the crowd.

Customers don’t want to just hear why you’re the best in the market, they want to know what you can offer them that will directly meet their needs.

Throughout 2022, storytelling will be an essential part of marketing, as audiences look to make more informed choices.

#4 Personalisation

Personalisation isn’t new, but in 2022 it’s going to be more important than ever before.

Rather than targeting bigger and broader audiences, marketing campaigns are shifting to target smaller, specific audiences with personalised ads and campaigns.

In 2022, digital marketing is all about taking the time to understand your audience, who they are, what they want and when they need it. If you can do this, then you can successfully personalise your digital marketing for the best results.

#5 Segmentation

Segmentation is a common marketing tactic. Put simply, it’s the process of dividing your audience up into groups based on their interests or certain key features.

Often used in email marketing, it can be a great way to target certain audience members with certain content.

In 2022, however, segmentation can be used to further build up a relationship and trust between you and your audience.

Many brands will run seasonal email campaigns for key calendar events such as Easter, Christmas and Mother’s Day.

Offering users the chance to opt-in or out to these specific campaigns and segmenting your audience is a great way to ensure you’re giving each individual member of your email list the content that’s right for them.

#6 Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is creeping into every aspect of our lives and digital marketing is no different.

Whilst there will always be the need for real humans behind marketing campaigns, AI robots can provide us with intel and insights that go beyond human capabilities.

Soon, AI will be able to accurately predict users’ next steps and future desires thanks to analysing a large pool of data covering intel, such as purchase history and online trends.

#7 Influencers and Creators

Influencer marketing is still going to be a major digital tool as we move into 2022, but now is the time to focus on a slightly different kind: a content creator.

Content creators don’t just showcase products or services to their audience, instead they experience the item, its ethos and background, in order to present their audience with a full-package piece of content.

Content creators can offer brands storytelling, advertising and high-quality, bespoke content all-in-one, not to mention exposure to their engaged and relevant audience.

#8 Time-Sensitive Content

Whilst it’s still important to curate a social media feed that’s cohesive and up-to-date, it’s the time-sensitive social media content that is likely to have the biggest impact in 2022.

By this, we mean the content that has an expiry date, like stories on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Accessible for 24 hours before they expire for good, stories have the ability to connect with users in a way that traditional, static posts can’t.

The trick with stories is to break down your content into multiple slides, making it easy to consume and engage with.

Whilst audiences may not engage with story content in the traditional way (likes, shares and comments) an engaging story campaign helps to place your brand in the subconscious of your target audience.

#9 Focus on LinkedIn

LinkedIn was once the forgotten platform when it came to social media. Not any more.

Around 44% of LinkedIn users are estimated to access the platform every single day and paid ad campaigns, when targeted correctly, can have a major impact on the site.

At its core, LinkedIn is a business networking platform – but that doesn’t mean you need to completely shift your focus to B2B to get the most out of it. Instead, build up a strong audience with engaging content and by forming relationships

#10 Speed it Up

Unfortunately for brands, the attention span of our online audiences are getting shorter.

With so much content available at our fingertips, we’re simply no longer willing to wait around for things to load.

Whilst we might have once been happy to sit back whilst the internet dialled up, now if a website takes more than 5 seconds to load, users are heading elsewhere.

Make the load speed of your website a priority in 2022 by checking things such as image optimisation and plugins.

How Social Chameleon Can Help

Here at Social Chameleon, it’s not only our job to keep on top of new digital marketing trends – we enjoy it too!

Our team of experts stay ahead of the game to make sure our clients are never left behind in the ever-changing digital landscape.

If you’d like some help putting together and delivering a winning digital marketing strategy in 2022, then contact us via contact@socialchameleon.com or by filling out the enquiry form on our contact page.