11 Digital Marketing and Social Media Trends to Focus on in 2024

The ability of any business, big or small, to keep up with marketing trends can make or break its online presence. It can also turn into a defining factor in its success.

In the last two years, businesses have embraced change more than ever as the world has adapted to a constantly evolving digital landscape and hybrid working conditions amid the pandemic. Keeping up with these changes isn’t always easy. But staying updated on the latest marketing trends can and should fuel your strategy and make you stand out from the crowd.

With brand-customer expectations more demanding than ever, we’re seeing changes in how businesses approach and adapt to these marketing changes.

We are here to help you understand the trends of 2022 and prepare you to take advantage of them.

1. Provide Educational Content, Not Hard Sales 

The average person is exposed to between 6,000 and 10,000 advertisements daily. It’s no wonder research shows that consumers have become immune to hard-selling strategies. As a result, marketing efforts require an entirely new approach. 2022 is the year of educational content.

This year, give your audience something they value, like an informative video about the industry you’re in. Show your customers—as regularly as you would push sales—that you’re an expert in your business’ niche. You’ll provide value for your audience and establish credibility and trust with potential consumers.

Trust is the best foundation on which to build a long-lasting relationship with your existing and future customers. Focus on enlightening and familiarizing your customers with why you know best and why your product or services will help them. Give your audience valuable information about your field and show them how your business can make their lives easier.

More and more brands have started to realize the power of education against hard sales. We can now see more following this lead as we enter 2022. Focus your attention on developing ways to provide information and educate your audience. You can do so by implementing a wide variety of tactics.

Our Recommendation:

Focus on customer testimonials as well as informative and valuable content your customers can view through your websites, social media channels, and email communications. In addition to this, you can create samples or live demos, helping your customers watch and experience your products and services.

How Promo can help: 

With Promo, businesses have the opportunity to create informative and educational videos in a matter of minutes. Our ready-made template library is updated regularly. It includes informative listicles, customer testimonial templates, and product slideshows that are just waiting to be customized to educate your audience. Alternatively, you can create your own videos using Promo’s 110 million+ video assets that are fit for every industry.

2. Inclusive Marketing Is a Must 

Consumers, especially younger generations, anticipate more from marketers and companies than just details about the latest sale. These consumers are examining whether or not a brand supports inclusion and diversity both publicly and within the organization. This focus has become increasingly important to brands as well. Inclusive marketing seeks the likenesses of potential shoppers beyond their social labels. As the consumer population becomes more diverse, brands should authentically reflect various experiences and backgrounds in their marketing messaging.

This marketing aims to speak to a larger audience of potential customers. It does this by looking past preconceived ideas of race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, or differences in ability, among other things.

Inclusive marketing was a hot topic in 2021, and as we enter 2022, it is clear that inclusive marketing is part of the future. A total of 94% of the Gen Z generation expects companies to take a stand on social issues, and 90% say they are inclined to purchase products that they consider beneficial to society. A big part of that is fostering a genuine, holistic effort to create diverse and inclusive marketing campaigns.

What does that mean for you in 2022? Creating authentically inclusive marketing ads involves using more diverse imagery and messaging.

According to Salesforce, the six principles of inclusive marketing are:

• Start with tone
• Be intentional with language
• Ensure representation
• Consider context
• Avoid appropriation
• Counter-stereotype

Our Recommendation:

As we enter the new year, it’s time to revisit your marketing efforts. Have you been inclusive enough in your campaigns? Is there room for improvement? Are you taking into consideration the six principles of inclusive marketing?

How Promo can help: 

With over 110 million stock assets powered by Getty Images and iStock at your disposal, Promo’s video library has all the footage you need to create authentic, inclusive videos.

3. Employee Retention Through Content and Communication

You already know the significance of communicating regularly with your target audience on social media platforms. But how much emphasis have you been putting on communicating with your employees and team members? The Great Resignation has been a painful issue for business owners everywhere in the past year, without an emphasis on internal marketing and better communication with employees, 2022 will not look any better.

More and more companies now understand that investing in workers is the only way to succeed in the long term. As companies seek to re-engage and motivate their workers, internal communication and heightening employee engagement with their workplace have become crucial. Known as internal marketing, this is a method of communicating the company’s vision, products, and services to employees within the organization. As mentioned previously, keeping employees happy and engaged is just as important as external marketing efforts.

Focusing on internal communication videos in 2022 will help you capture your employees’ attention, boost engagement, and provide the tools they need to cooperate effectively. While video creation used to be time-consuming and expensive, with an online video maker like Promo.com’s, it has become easier than ever to create high-quality videos. Choose a ready-made internal comm template or make one from scratch. When you’re done, quickly send it directly to your team members in a matter of minutes.

Our Recommendation:

From regularly sharing company news, introducing new staff, sending birthday shoutouts or creating internal product demos and showcasing company culture, adopting a more dynamic and engaging way of communicating with employees keeps the workforce engaged and motivated.

4. Know the Trending Platforms

Keeping up with social media platforms’ trends and tools is a challenging game to play. There are always new features being introduced, whether it be a new Instagram Story trend or a completely new sharing platform like YouTube Shorts.

It is easy to get lost in all of the features that leading social media platforms constantly roll out. But there are a couple of key platforms you’ll want to keep in mind heading into 2022. Shoppable Instagram posts, YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn, and TikTok are the frontrunners.

Managing social media pages is a full-time job in and of itself. Even if you do not have the time or resources to juggle all the major platforms. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t concentrate on developing a solid social media presence on one or two platforms.

If you feel the need to post across all platforms, integrations and features make sharing one post on all platforms easy. So, if you want your business to have social profiles in multiple places, go right ahead. If your business’ main platform is Facebook, make your content line up with Facebook audiences and algorithms to gain a strong FB following—but post on all your social media pages to stay active and relevant. Don’t worry about building a huge following everywhere at once.

Enter 2022 understanding that the more time and energy you put into one or two platforms, the more you’ll be able to unlock their full potential.

Our Recommendation: 

Instead of trying to build a following on every platform, choose the ones that are most conducive to your business and master those. Decide what type of content and platform are best for what you’re selling and who you’re selling to.

5. Snackable Content Takes the Lead

While long-form video content has a place and purpose, short-form content has taken the lead and snackable video content has become the hottest ticket for social media growth. Thanks to TikTok, short-form videos made a jump in popularity in 2020 and 2021.

It doesn’t seem like things are slowing down for this type of content, and it appears that the marketing technique will become even more dominant in helping brands share content in 2022. As the average human attention span gets shorter, the need for bite-sized content increases. Short-form videos give businesses the freedom to create relatable content without losing appeal. These videos accomplish everything long-form content does, from providing helpful information and boosting interaction to demonstrating a compelling call to action and driving hard sales.

One thing that sets short-form videos apart from regular video content is trend culture. Short-form videos encourage brands to join in on social media challenges, trends, and product teasers or share more user-generated content. These 60-second to two-minute videos give creators an innovative way to showcase their content and adapt and align social media trends with their brand.

Our Recommendation:

With the right software, bite-sized videos are easy to create, which means there’s no reason you shouldn’t utilize the power of short-form video this upcoming year. Using video makers like Promo will allow you to find your unique point of view and stand out among your competitors.

6. Building First-Party Data Ahead of Cookie Removal 

Consumers are demanding more privacy protection from big companies. As a result, companies are making sweeping changes – including the recent announcement by Google that in 2023 third party-cookies will no longer be available. In 2022, businesses and social media advertisers are going to have to transition towards building first-party data in 2022. This is to ensure they don’t miss out on key marketing opportunities in the future.

For years, businesses have been using third-party cookies to track website visitors. They’ve used them primarily to collect data that helps target ads to the right audiences. While Safari and Firefox browsers already block cookies, Google is now also pushing toward phasing out third-party cookies on Chrome browsers around 2023. Google isn’t the only big name making substantial changes to its privacy policy. In 2021, Apple also revealed a long-awaited privacy feature for iOS. iPhone and iPad users can now opt-out of tracking apps that monitor user behavior and share data with third parties.

There are new solutions currently in the works. In order not to rely solely on the solutions that are currently being built, building your own first-party data, information a company collects and owns directly from its customers, will become key. Owning your own customer data can help improve execution and ROI (return on investment).

Once you have the data, you can use it in many ways. One of the leading implementations of first-party data is personalization in your marketing. You can facilitate suitable campaigns and customize messaging by knowing your customers’ preferences.

While Google is phasing out third-party cookies, it won’t change policies around how companies collect or use data collected directly from Google-owned products such as ads and analytics. This means businesses can still remarket to audiences using Google’s first-party data within its tools.

Our Recommendation:

For small businesses, the best ways to collect first-party data effectively and with consent are through email subscriptions, social media channels, website landing pages, and e-books, or other forms of valuable resources.

7. Video Marketing is Still Growing

We hate to toot our own horn, but all major marketing publications have already pegged video marketing as one of the most significant marketing trends for 2022. As you may have noticed throughout this article, video content ties into almost every aspect of digital marketing. 

The power of video doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Over the past five years, video consumption has risen by 800%. As a result, video marketing has become increasingly important to marketing strategies. According to research done by Lemonlight, 94% of respondents said that watching video has helped them complete a purchase decision at least once. 

While it may seem like a lot to take on, giving your video content strategy a boost will become easier with time. 

Our Recommendation:

Keep your target audience in mind when creating videos to ensure engagement, loyalty and ultimately boost sales. Remember that using Promo, the power of video creation is in your hands. All you need to do is create. 

8. Social Responsibility and Brand Values Influence Consumer Desicions 

The pandemic, along with social, economical, and political changes has changed the way consumers interact with companies. It’s also raised the expectations they have from businesses both big and small. 

Now more than ever, there is an expectation from companies to address social, community, and environmental issues in their content. In fact in 2019  70% of consumers stated that they want to know that the businesses they support have a social conscience, and that number has grown since. 

Known as corporate social responsibility, this form of engagement is not something reserved for big companies and corporations. Small businesses can and should do what they can to leave a mark in their community. Demonstrating social responsibility and highlighting brand values builds trust in the community. It also increases brand awareness, engagement, and brand loyalty while doing something for the greater good. 

Of course, the resources small businesses have to take on social issues may not be the same as large corporations have, but that does not mean the impact cannot be the same.

Our Recommendation:

As we step into 2022, here are a few examples of how you can integrate social responsibility into your content plan:

1. 1. Be tuned in to your community needs. More than ever, people are looking to support local small businesses that share their values. This way they know their money is making a difference and helping their community. 
   2. Run a give-back campaign 
   3. Create and share content about social issues you care about

How Promo can help:

To drive engagement and action, you can create a listicle video with Promo teaching your audiences about ways their donations will help the community. Create videos enlightening them on social issues they are not aware of. Create testimonials of those who have been impacted by acts of service.  Promote donations and encourage your audience to give by creating social media videos on Promo inspiring your audiences to make a difference. Focus your conversations by using hashtags, outros that motivate action, and inspiring footage.

9. Better Personalization Will Become Crucial

Personalized marketing is the practice of using data to make advertising and product experiences feel unique to each customer. Some of the benefits of personalization include a more meaningful customer experience, increased customer loyalty, and a better ROI. Research done by McKinsey found that companies who excel at personalization generate 40% more revenue from their efforts than those who don’t.

So, how do you succeed in better personalization? Try custom emails, targeted discounts, less generic advertising, and more. One major game-changer in personalization is custom video messages. Creating videos with custom messaging is a quick and easy approach to driving customer engagement.

Our Recommendation:

Focus on building relationships with current and prospective customers by creating meaningful engagement through videos that show customers’ names.

10. Customer Service Takes Center Stage 

With 73% of consumers saying that they’d stop buying from a business after three or fewer lousy customer experiences, you should know how important it is to keep up your game.

Though “customer complaints” are what first come to mind when hearing “customer service,” it isn’t just about that. Customer service also deals with the customer experience, from keeping them engaged to utilizing social media channels.

There is not a shadow of a doubt that customer service should be one of your top priorities in 2022. Good customer service inspires brand loyalty and helps create a positive business image. You may already know that customer service is something worth investing in. But we’re going to give you a new twist on things.

2022 will be the year that sees an increase in the use of social media for customer service. While social media has traditionally been a place for people to connect and share, it is now so much more than that. Social media has become a platform for product discovery and marketing and is now becoming a customer service channel. Many brands have realized the power of social media in delivering customer support and service.

This shift happened gradually as brands noticed that customers started reaching out to them on social media. One thing led to the next, and these brands started responding to customer messages, directing customers to the proper channels.

Our Recommendation:

Harness your social media platforms for customer service! Social media has become an increasingly powerful customer service channel for brands to actually fully recognize it as one. Create FAQ videos to help your business transition to customer service on social media channels. Hold open discussions inviting followers and customers to ask questions about your brand. You should also post Instagram Stories that drive curiosity and engagement. Most of all, make sure to let your followers know they can always reach you through direct messaging. Then. check your inbox on a daily basis to provide answers.

11. Mobile-First Marketing Should Be a Priority 

There’s no limit to what you can do with your phone. From one-click purchases to engaging and connecting with people worldwide, the possibilities of what can be done with a mobile phone have transformed our lives. Mobile devices are where information goes viral and social interactions happen. For businesses in 2022, this means shifting towards a mobile-first mindset.

The largest living generation in the United States, Millennials, are the workforce’s foundation and the primary consumers. The majority of Millennials have been digitally connected since childhood. They have become dependent on their phones for their needs—and they’ve grown accustomed to using their phones for virtually everything. The relationship Millennials have with their phones affects their consumer habits. It affects how they consider buying from and interacting with brands.

To create a mobile marketing strategy for your brand, ensure that your content can be seen accurately on a mobile device. The key to mobile-first marketing is creating a design for mobile devices that can scale to fit the smaller screen size.

Our Recommendation:

Ensure that the content you post on your social media sites this year is adjusted accordingly. Depending on where you plan to post, you should optimize your content to create a user-friendly viewing experience.

Ready to Grow Your Business in 2022?

So there you have it—the guide to the top digital marketing trends we expect to see in 2022. While these shifts may take some time to get used to, implementing these trends is the best way to drive engagement and growth and guarantee customer trust and loyalty.

We’re here to help you achieve your goals every step of the way!