As we settle in to 2022, digital marketing firms are preparing themselves for a new year of challenges and opportunities. 

Here are some of the key trends to watch out for this year:

1 – Video marketing

Video marketing strategy has become an increasingly popular way to reach consumers, as evidenced by the growth of platforms like YouTube and Snapchat. 

In fact, a recent study by Animoto found that 93% of marketers plan to increase their use of video content in the coming year. 

Google also favors and often rewards websites and pages that include video as part of the presentation. The reason is simple: video offers a more rewarding experience to the end user who more often wants to have questions answered or info discovered through a short, informative video clip rather than read a few thousand words in a blog.

That quality engagement and ease of info dissemination is precisely what Google likes to see. 

As more marketers turn to video, it will become even more important to create high-quality content that your target audience is interested in watching.

In addition, platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have been adding new video features that make it easier to share and watch videos online.

For example, Facebook now allows you to embed videos directly into your posts, and Twitter has a built-in video player that makes it easy to watch videos on the platform. 

By taking advantage of these new features, you can reach a larger audience with your marketing messages.

2 – The deeper immersion of Artificial Intelligence

And because of the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) will be required to manage the influx of data.

The IoT will continue its growth as more devices come online and need connectivity to function – everything from smart products to medical equipment is now part of this trend.

This means that businesses and brands must master how they can connect all their devices through the internet.

The average person has about eight connected devices already but is only utilizing a fraction of their capabilities at this point, so companies must figure out how they can tap into them for  marketing purposes.

AI and ML will become even more important in managing all this data. They are the technologies that can help make sense of all the different data points streaming in and turning them into insights that businesses can use to improve their digital marketing strategies. 

As such, those businesses who are not using AI and ML in 2022 will be at a disadvantage.

3 – Chatbots will continue to grow in popularity

Chatbots have been around for a few years now but they are only becoming more popular as people get used to using them. 

They are perfect for providing customer service as they can answer common questions quickly and easily. 

In 2022, chatbots will become even more sophisticated, able to answer complex questions and provide more detailed answers.

4 – Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) will become more popular

The use of AR and VR within a digital marketing strategy is always changing and evolving, but 2022 will likely hold some dramatic changes.

Businesses and brands must not only plan for the future of digital marketing but be prepared to take advantage of it. They will also become more integrated into other platforms such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

5 – Influencers will affect Ecommerce sales

The rise of influencers has dominated the social media landscape for years now, according to the Avita Group marketing team, a leading digital marketing agency in Los Angeles. 

The meteoric rise of digital celebrities like “Millionaire Mentor” and fashion mogul Gary Vaynerchuk point to the importance that influencers will play in online retail sales.

Nevertheless, it is important for marketers to keep an eye on  the constantly-evolving trends in the influencer marketing space.

Some of the latest trends in influencer marketing include:

– Using micro-influencers: These days, brands are increasingly using micro-influencers, or influencers with a smaller but more engaged following, to promote their products and services. The reason for this is that micro-influencers are seen as more authentic and trustworthy by consumers than celebrities or mega-influencers.

– Influencer marketing on Snapchat: Snapchat is an increasingly popular platform for influencer marketing, as its unique features (such as its “stories” feature) make it well-suited for promoting products and services .

– Sponsored content (or “native advertising”) is becoming an increasingly important part of influencer marketing. This is where brands pay influencers to create content that promotes their products or services.

The bottom line is that influencer marketing is a powerful tool that marketers should be using today and tomorrow.

6 – Understanding Algorithms

In order to keep up with the latest trends in digital marketing, it is important to first understand how algorithms work. 

Algorithms are formulas that are used by search engines to rank web pages. In order to optimize your website for search engine ranking, you need to familiarize yourself with the most common algorithms and their respective weights.

For example, if you want to rank higher for SEO-related searches, it is important to pay attention to the Panda and Penguin algorithms. The more daily visits your website receives on average, the better your rankings will be. 

In order to track these data points, use a tool like Google Analytics to check how much traffic your site gets from search engines and which keywords your traffic is coming from.

“It’s also important to stay on top of the ever-changing algorithms that Google constantly updates,” advises Brad Weber, CEO of Avita Group, an agency specializing in digital marketing in Calabasas, California.

7 – Creating SEO-friendly links

According to SearchEngineWatch, there are three main types of links: nofollow, dofollow, and editorial.

Nofollow links don’t provide any search engine optimization benefits. They are commonly used by sites to prevent blog comment spam or affiliate link schemes. These links are identified by the “rel=”nofollow” attribute.

Dofollow links provide benefits to your search engine marketing campaign because they pass “link juice” to the target web page. However, Google has stated that it does not use nofollow links in its algorithm. 

Editorial links are ones that are created by content writers or editors for editorial purposes. They are identified by the “rel=”canonical” and “nofollow” attributes. Google does not rank web pages that utilize too many editorial links.

8 – Optimizing for mobile

Mobile devices are now accounting for more than half of all global web traffic, according to recent reports by Cisco. The rise in mobile device usage has brought about new challenges, as well as opportunities for marketers.

Google has been investing heavily in enhancing AdWords campaigns with mobile-friendly features, and offers a number of features to help you optimize your website for mobile visitors. To do so:

• Create – Be sure to create custom display ads that look great across devices.
• Serve –  Show the right ad to the right person at the right time.
• Measure – Understand how people are interacting with your ads and website on mobile devices.

In addition, you can use Google Analytics to track mobile engagement metrics such as screen resolution, device type, and app usage. By understanding how people are using your website and advertising on mobile devices,  you can adapt your campaigns to ensure that you’re reaching your target audience.

9 – Voice search will continue to grow in popularity

With the growth of devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, voice search is becoming the wave not only of the future, but the present.

As more people use voice assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant, and Cortana, the use of voice search will continue to grow. 

In fact, it is estimated that one-third of all searches in the United States are now done through voice. This means that businesses must adapt their SEO strategies to account for this trend. They must make sure their websites are optimized for voice search and that their content is formatted in a way that makes it easy to be found by these devices.

There are several ways to make your voice more powerful.

First, use strong verbs. 

Verbs are what give your words power, so choose verbs that convey strength and action. For example, instead of saying, “I walked,” say “I marched.” Instead of saying, “He talked,” say, “He shouted.”

Another way to make your voice more powerful is to use adjectives and adverbs sparingly. When you overload your sentences with modifiers, it waters down the impact of your words. Choose a few strong adjectives and adverbs to emphasize the points you want to make, and let the rest of your words flow naturally.

Finally, use concrete images and examples to illustrate your points. Vague generalities may make your argument sound more intellectual, but they don’t actually communicate anything to your listener. Be specific in your language, and paint a picture with your words. This will help your listener understand what you’re trying to say, and it will also make your voice sound more powerful.

By using these techniques, you can make your voice more powerful and persuasive. Use them wisely, and you’ll be able to influence others with ease.

10 – Targeting and personalization

With the increasing use of ad blockers, it’s more important than ever to target your ads as effectively as possible. One way to do this is through personalization, which refers to the customization of content based on  individual user preferences.

This can be done through the use of cookies, which track a user’s browsing history and allow you to serve them relevant ads.

Another way to personalize your content is by using demographic information such as age, gender, and interests.

By targeting your ads to specific demographics, you can ensure that you’re reaching the right people with your message. 

Facebook is a great resource for targeting specific demographics, as it allows you to target users based on their interests, location, and even purchasing behavior.

Of course, if you don’t have the time to stay on top of all the new digital marketing trends, you’d be advised to partner with a digital marketing firm to write an action plan of how to take your digital marketing strategies to the next level.

Avita Group is a digital media company in Los Angeles that has helped hundreds of businesses across a variety of industries improve their digital marketing ideas, increase web traffic and lead conversions.