The New Year is officially upon us! With that, comes a new year of KPIs, direct response campaigns, and making the most out of your team’s budget. You’ve probably got a few tried-and-true marketing strategies to help you out of the gate, but the marketing trends that worked like gangbusters in 2021 may not in 2022.

So let’s kick off the New Year with some exciting new ones. What’s big in the world of marketing this year? Which trends should you be watching, and how can they help your business?

We’re going to walk you through a quick list of 5 marketing trends to watch in 2022. Read, consider, and take your marketing campaigns to new heights!

5 Marketing Trends to Watch in 2022

1. Facebook & Meta Matters

Facebook remains a topic of hot debate in the digital marketing space, and you should expect that to continue well into 2022. Although many businesses continue to see their numbers slump in their organic social, Facebook Ads remain a powerful tool for connecting with new consumers. Even if Apple has other ideas.

However, with the company’s rebrand to Meta, they’ve made a bold bet on the future of online spaces with the “Metaverse.” With a tech company going all-in on the future of digital interactions, and indeed, marketing, it’s best not to write them off in the long term.

2. Livestreaming

Live content viewing is up. How much? Depending on where you look, about 250%. What makes livestreaming such a valuable opportunity is the sense of authenticity and “realness” that comes with it. From Twitch streaming video games to trailer reactions and even daily news, more and more viewers (particularly younger ones) are tuning into their favorite streamers.

Depending on your brand, this could provide an interesting opportunity to display your product, talk about industry or niche issues, or connect with a newer, younger demographic.

For example, a review site could supplement a weekly roundup of new products with a Monday livestream with early reactions, unboxings, and more. This kind of content doesn’t just have to live on Facebook Live or Twitch; you can chop it up into social content and keep the party going on your feeds.

3. Voice Search in SEO

Customers are increasingly turning to voice search to get the answers they need. As of 2019, about 48% of consumers were using voice and virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa to quickly search for products or find out information without ever typing into a search bar. And if you want to up your SEO game in 2022, you might try optimizing your content for this kind of search.

What’s the difference? Well, compared to text SEO, voice search tends to utilize long-tail keywords (longer than three words) and questions. Generally, this content better reflects how people use voice search.

Rather than typing:

Manage remote team

They’re more likely saying something like:

How do I lead a successful remote team?

Adding long-tail questions, and answering these queries, will help bolster your content for voice search in 2022 and beyond.

4. Experiences

If 2020 and 2021 were years to reach people at home, 2022 may be the perfect year to entice people with live, in-person (and Covid-safe) events. In a busy advertising atmosphere, it’s never a bad idea to go back to the original marketing strategy: word-of-mouth.

A cool experience not only is passed along via text, but it earns social attention as people post cool photo ops to their Instagram Stories or Twitter. Consider how you can connect your brand to your customers in an exciting way. How can you make your product or service tangible, real, and unique?

Here’s a free idea for any car dealerships out there: Set up a green screen around the latest model, then Photoshop them into an adventurous background of choice. Not only will this photo be Instagram-worthy, but it will help them (and their friends) visualize themselves in the vehicle—and remember where to get their own.

5. Influencer Marketing

We’ve covered the subject of influencer marketing before, but in 2022, it’s deserving of a revisit (or two). Especially with the increasing popularity of TikTok and Instagram, it’s time to stop writing off the value of influencers.

It’s not just the market for these partnerships—it’s also the infrastructure. Now, there are numerous platforms you can utilize to connect with, manage, and track your influencer marketing campaigns.

Of course, the value of influencers to your specific business or industry is another consideration entirely. Is your business primarily B2B or B2C? Does your industry have a clear niche of influencers you might be able to connect with? Do you offer products or services nationally, or just locally? Answer these questions to determine whether you should add influencers to your strategy in 2022.

How Trendy Is Your 2022 Marketing Plan?

Employing the latest marketing trends isn’t about being flashy or trying out the latest thing. But understanding where consumers and technology is heading in the months to come can help you harness the moment to connect with your audience like never before.

Hopefully, some of these exciting trends will help you make 2022 a successful year with some serious ROI. Which one are you most excited about?