It’s hard to believe that we’re less than two months away from a new year. And it’s even harder to believe that we’re still very much in the throes of an ever-changing environment from covid and the continued supply chain crisis. It’s challenging to know what direction to go in when it comes to marketing your business. But that’s what we’re here for – to help people with their digital marketing be it insight, advice, or working as part of your team! To help you with your marketing plans for next year, here are the trends that we see as being the most important to focus on in 2022.

1. Short-form Video

If you’re a marketer, you already know that video content is one of the most influential forms of marketing out there. But through covid, short-form has continued to increase in popularity. Again, this shouldn’t be a surprise that in a world that is inundated with ads and messaging 24/7 that we prefer shorter form content.

Short-form videos range in length due to each social platform having different requirements. For example, on Twitter, you can upload a video up to 2-minutes and 20-seconds long but on Instagram reels, it can only be up to 30-seconds. I would suggest video content anywhere in the 60-second to 2-minute range depending on what social platform you’re using with the exception being for YouTube whose ideal video length is 10-minutes. Regardless of the platform’s time length recommendations, it’s important to be creating short, digestible content for your audience.

2. Audio Content

This can mean a couple of different things. It can be the app Clubhouse or the new Twitter Spaces as an avenue for you or your brand to push out audio content. This also includes Podcasts which have taken a huge popularity increase in the last two years. Audio content is a great way to reach your audience in a form that is easy for them to consume.

As a whole, we are busy beings and multi-tasking is something I think is safe to say that most of us do. The ability to listen to an audio version of something instead of having to actually sit and give your full attention to a video or a webinar is valuable to people. It’s also a great way to easily push out content without having to get dressed up, put together a PowerPoint, or bust out the ring light!

3. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing (or advocate marketing) isn’t going anywhere anytime soon! We both value and trust solid reviews when we’re in the market for something new. It’s not any different when it comes to the B2B space. Working with brand advocates or influencers is a great way to show both brand recognition and reach outside of your own audience following. It’s also a great way to gain credibility and trust with potential new customers.

You of course want to have loyal customers that keep coming back and if you’re a quality brand, that shouldn’t be an issue but how are you reaching new people and continuing to stay top of mind in your industry? Whether that’s media partners that regularly promote your brand to their audience or select individuals that use your products and love them, having people in your corner that aren’t affiliated with your company is important. I wrote about The Power of Advocate Marketing last year, so definitely check it out to learn more!

4. In-bound Marketing Strategies

What are you doing to attract your target audience? Gone are the days that we can rely solely on outside salespeople to call on new clients and your only form of marketing being tradeshows. We talk about content a lot when it comes to marketing because we truly believe that it should be the core of your digital marketing strategy. Whether someone’s googling “how-to” videos or quick tips, having quality resources available online is the best way to just sit back and let people come to you.

We use the internet as a tool to help us – maybe we want to increase our knowledge around something or we’re having an issue and are looking for ways to fix it. Whatever the reason, having the right content at the right time is of the utmost importance when it comes to attracting new business. And having that content online is the easiest way for people to find it.

In the digital world we’re living in, we have to stay relevant as marketers for our businesses to continue to grow. As the newer generations move into the buying positions, we have to be able to reach them where they’re at, and staying on top of marketing trends is the best way to figure out how to be reaching them. Consumers are going to do just that – consume. We have to have the skills needed to give them the resources, the products, the knowledge that they’re looking for.

As always, we are here to help. As a digital services company, we have the skills to support you in all of your digital marketing needs so reach out to us today or feel free to leave a comment below!