You will be surprised to know that even the most creative and talented marketers have struggled greatly because of the negative effects of pandemic on businesses all around the world. Some businesses have give in to the pressure while others are still recovering from the effects of lockdown. However, it is important to note that some businesses, in spite of experiencing so much turbulence, have managed to remain successful. These businesses adopted change rapidly, stayed flexible, and used creative ideas to keep themselves afloat. Many businesses are even hopeful about the future and expect performance to get back to normal within some years.
Now, what the future holds is something we all cannot precisely predict. However, one thing is quite clear, which is that the pandemic has brought some significant shifts in business and marketing. Digital space has become the chief priority for businesses in terms of marketing. As a matter of fact, out of all the marketing channel budgets, digital marketing now accounts for 80 percent. In 2022, that percentage is expected to go up even more. If businesses do not mold their marketing strategies according to the current trends, they stand the risk of falling behind their competitors, who are making necessary changes in their operations to remain relevant.
In this post, Faisal Abidi of RNF Technologies, co-founder of an IT company that assists businesses with mobile/web app development, gaming app solutions, and online marketing, will tell you some key digital marketing trends. If you follow them in 2022, you will stay one step ahead of your competitors, form strong connections with your customers, and enjoy better leads and sales. What are those trends? Let’s find out.
Maintain Real Human Connection
Even if the world has become highly digital in today’s times, businesses should not forget that connecting with their target audience should always be their chief priority. Not just throwing ads at them but really forming a connection with customers is what businesses need to focus more on. And as we all know, COVID-19 restrictions have forced people to remain at home and maintain social distance. Even though restrictions have come down greatly in recent months, most people are working from home and still hesitant to socialize. The only thing that is connecting people with one another is technology. So, as a business, your top priority this year should be to form a real, strong human connection with your customers. To do that, it is important to think about your values and mission first. To develop deeper connections with your customers, you will have to make sure your marketing efforts are human-centric.
Make Marketing Efforts Personalized
Another trend that is going to become popular this year and the coming years is personalization. Many businesses make the mistake of directing their advertising and marketing campaigns toward the masses instead of target individuals. If you focus on targeting individuals, you will surely notice better leads, sales, and conversions. It is a mistake on the part of businesses to assume that customers do not really care about the interaction they have with them. You will be surprised to know that around 92 percent of consumers have said that the interaction they have with a brand matters to them. Several surveys have discovered that personalized emails offer better open rates that emails that are designed for the masses. Another benefit of personalization in marketing efforts is, customers become loyal to your business as they appreciate your efforts to connect with them. If you take a look at all the successful companies at the moment in your industry, you will notice that most of them put enormous efforts into making their marketing efforts personalized.
Become A Leader In Your Area
As we mentioned above, the pandemic has caused great trouble not just for the businesses but for ordinary people as well. The way we used to live our lives has changed quite a bit and amid this change, people are struggling to find genuine guidance, direction, and advice. Most people search online for solutions to their problems. They are looking for a leader or an authority that can help them with their queries. This is an opportunity for you to become a reliable thought leader in the market. You need to first develop yourself as a trustworthy expert in your industry. Once you have done that, you need to then empathize with your clients or customers. You need to make them feel that you care about them, which you can do by providing them valuable educational content, connecting with them on a personal level, and constantly evolving. Try your best to follow Google’s E-A-T criteria, which stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. If you follow this criteria, you will rank highly in popular search engines.
Focus On Video Marketing
Video consumption is going up with each passing year. People are using their mobile devices to consume a lot of video content. Around 78 percent of people watch videos online weekly while 55 percent watch videos every day. And what’s surprising is, 54 percent of mobile and internet users want more video content in the future. You should make video marketing one of your key marketing strategies as 95 percent of the message delivered through a video remains in the mind of consumers. Nearly every marketer is using video marketing and 88 percent of them want to devote more time and every toward their video marketing efforts. One of the main reasons why video marketing is popular is, it helps you establish a strong human connection with your audience. Although other content marketing forms are necessary and effective, they cannot, however, match the level of personal touch that video marketing offers. So, make video marketing a priority this year to truly connect with your target audience.
Apart from the above-mentioned trends, some other digital marketing trends to follow this year include optimizing for search intent, developing innovative partnerships, making marketing agile, and investing more time on brand storytelling. If you follow these trends as advised by Faisal Abidi of RNF Technologies, you will definitely enjoy better leads, conversion, and sales. The goal should be to remain flexible and adapt your marketing efforts according to the trends in the market.