Just like that, we are approaching the end of the year, 2021 is on its last few laps. It’s only right we reflect on the key marketing trends, that we can no longer avoid. There have been, many viral digital moments, exciting campaigns, brand blunders, and digital stars that have dominated 2021. The majority of this year’s success and even failures are due to creators and brands optimising marketing trends or brand failure to acknowledge the importance of culture and digital nuances.
So let’s take a look at the trends we want all of our Life Of A Marketing Girls to know not to avoid going into 2022!
1. The Continuous Rise Of Influencer Marketing
Yup, influencer marketing isn’t going anywhere. The use of influencers within campaigns is vital to connect, inform and also convert potential customers to active customers. One-time customers to a loyal member and a customer to a loyal customer. The impact influencers add to a business and communication funnel is vital and cannot be ignored and avoided.
According to adlibweb.com ‘Consider the fact that in 2016, the influencer market was worth about $1.7 billion. By 2020, that number had climbed up to $9.7 billion. By as soon as the end of the year, that number is expected to hit almost $14 billion – pointing to a trend that is still picking up steam, much to the benefit of marketers everywhere.’
2. Mobile-first Era Is Upon Us
Mobile-first in marketing may sound like something we should already know, however, it’s not always taken into consideration when brands/companies are thinking of how to connect with their customer in the most seamless way.
In 2022 more companies will adopt a true mobile-first marketing strategy, which means creating and optimising campaigns to make sure they work well for smaller devices with touchscreen interfaces like smartphones and tablets. Additionally, brands will need to create a brand-centric application to make it easier for these users to interact with the collateral you’re putting out into the world.
3. User-Generated Content Is Key For Global Growth
Viral on TikTok, Meme culture, Viral tweets. These are all examples of UGC content we have seen over the past years turn creative social users into influencer stars. Brands have leveraged this type of content, to be at the forefront of customers’ minds and mouths. With platforms such as TikTok surpassing Youtube’s active users, the power of social ads is proof of how successful User Generated content is. The social sweet spot for brands is at the intersection between user-generated content and influencer marketing. One of the best ways to initiate this type of campaign would be to use an influencer to issue a “challenge” on a platform like TikTok.
Not only will this help save costs as it is free content (well, the brand should ALWAYS pay if they re-purpose and use the content) but more importantly it draws real audiences in real-time which builds a real sense of community for a brand or company. The long-term game is more rewarding for ROI at the end of the campaign. continuous