With social media becoming one of our main modes of communication, consumers are demanding brand marketing to be more and more personalized too. Also, with the introduction of automation and machine learning technologies to digital marketing, digital marketers have got the ability to alleviate some of their routine activities and streamline their interactions with consumers, without loss of their unique brand voices.
With updates and changing algorithms, it is getting harder to reach your intended audience on social media via digital marketing. Creating and sustaining your digital presence is not going to be as easy as you expected.
It would be best if you plan your actionable social media and digital marketing activities for 2022 strategically.
No doubt, hyperpersonal communication and an increased reliance on automating processes are going to be the two most important things for digital marketing in 2022.
But it’s not only these two. There is a lot happening in the world of Digital Marketing. Let’s see what 2018 holds for business organizations to be prepared for increasing their “Digital Presence” in 2018.
1. Unfiltered and authentic moments are more in demand :
Recent trends in social media show that consumers are reacting more to the unfiltered content the perfectly designed content. The reason is the feel of authenticity.
Consumers are seeking more authentic moments with brands on platforms like Instagram Stories and Snapchat.
No doubt, sleek, professional photo are still having their appeal, though, these generic stock images are not helping brands in convincing customers about the authenticity; resulting in the demand for more unfiltered content.
Consumers are preferring to know more about the story behind the scene. They want to know how brands operate, and they want to connect on a personal level to the brands they follow.
So, if you are someone who is sharing unfiltered photos and videos, without much use of filters and editing, can expect to receive more likes, shares, and clicks on their content. And, if you are not, its time to give your digital marketing strategy a tweak.
2. Storytelling is getting more attention:
Content marketing is very important when it comes to digital marketing, though it’s an old news now. With cutthroat competition for digital attention, organizations are turning to professional storytellers and journalists to write their key material.
Also, with a decline in traditional media outlets, journalists are also looking for content marketing jobs. Well, this is a win-win situation for both. Getting journalists as content writers will not only be helpful in creating brand personality and build trust with storytelling but will also be helpful in solidifying authority with well-researched content.
Well, I guess, it’s time to recruit some non-traditional talent for digital marketing strategy in 2018.
3. Automation on rising:
It is expected that by mid-2022, 40% of the business content for social media and digital marketing will be machine generated. 57% of marketers already use AI says a research and is projected to grow by 53% in the next couple of years.
Chatbots are in use now to interact with customers and to provide quick customer service. Millennials have already adopted this new technology, with 60% claiming they’ve already interacted with a bot when dealing with a brand. Chatbots can help automate processes, reducing workload for teams and allowing marketers to dedicate more time to creative projects like content creation.
The New York Times admitted recently to using bots to help coordinate posts across their several pages. These bots may even do a better job of predicting engagement than their human counterparts, so expect to see them making a big impact on marketing in 2018.
4. Words of influencers will have more value than an endorsement by celebrities:
With influencer marketing being ubiquitous, it will be important for brands to work with influencers who are more appropriate for their brands.
Consumers, now are not much interested in seeing a random celebrity endorsing a product. Consumers wish to see real leaders in the respective industry talking about the product or service, sharing their opinion about it.
So, its good to have and maintain close relationships with key industry influencers in your industry, spending some quality time researching for the influencers who your audience trusts and follows before saying ‘Hi’ to him/her.
5. A rise in competition for video views :
Every social media platform is now consumed with videos already. And 2018 will be no different. In 2017, 90% of all content shared by social media users includes video. It is predicted that up to 80% of online content will be video by 2020.
Here is a tip, focus on first 3 seconds of your video to keep viewers attention, considering its the time that you will have until a viewer keeps scrolling. Also, optimize your video content for viewing with sound on or off as most social networks automatically keep videos silent unless you click on them. The experience should be good for all viewers, whether they listen or not. Last but not the least, find a good reason for making a video in the first place because if your audience doesn’t see any value, they will simply scrolling.
6. Rise in content marketing with a personal touch :
70% of people said they’d prefer learning about a product or a business through an article, video or infographic than any commercial. In the new year, be prepared to give all your content a personal and authentic touch. Also, take a more hands-off approach to social media by automating the tasks as much as possible. As a result, this will save valuable time for marketers to think and plan digital marketing and offline marketing strategies too.
Marketing teams that can find the proper balance between automating their processes and giving followers the inside-look in the year 2018.
7. Rise in use of Live Video and Viewership
Live video on social media platforms has been there in the world of digital presence since the last couple of years. Though the previous year saw an exponential growth in its use and viewership and we can expect the same in the next year.
80% of users said they’d rather watch a live video than read a blog post. According to Facebook, the live video gets 3x more views than simple texts, image or prerecorded video posts.
8. Increase in mobile video viewers:
Mobile screens are the new home for videos now. People prefer browsing, watching and sharing videos on their smartphones now.
Mobile video viewership is expected to grow by 25%.
So, if you have not optimized your business website and videos for mobile, it’s the time now.
9. Voice Searches Will be the new way to use search engines:
With the ease of voice search and its reach across smartphones, smart speakers, laptops, tablets, desktop computers, people can use voice search anywhere. By 2022, it is being expected that 50% percent of all searches will likely be voice searches.
So, how will you optimize your website content for voice search?
Here is a tip – Use of long tail keywords and conversational keywords in the content of your website and blogs.
10. Changing the definition of Television and TV advertisement:
Netflix, Hulu, Hotstar, Amazon PrimYouTubeube are the new televisions now. The debut has been good and there is a lot more to come in 2022.
So, how will it impact TV ads?
Its simple, with the migration of viewers to digital TV, it will be a smart move if advertisers migrate too. Recent trend shows that now business owners are preferring social media and video ads more than TV ads.
11. Increase in overall Customer Experience Marketing:
Customer experience is the sum of all experiences the customer has with a brand. It includes finding it in local search, in-store experience, website experience, social media ads and experience of other users.
68% of marketers say their business is increasingly focusing on customer experience in marketing. The reason is, it helps to create brand loyalty among customers. And, its likely to be more popular in 2018.
12. Generation Z is in focus now
Generation Z can now start taking some of the heat as its more valuable to most organizations than millennials. Says a recent study conducted by Goldman Sachs.
In 2018, lots of businesses will want to start focusing on Generation Z marketing, so you might as well get started now because the generation spans almost 20 years. Gen Zers are just beginning to enter the labour force and will have increased buying power for some time.
Conclusion:
A number of new social media trends that will impact users and brands alike are strengthening and accelerating. It is likely that video streaming and virtual reality will go mainstream. Additionally, brands will turn to newer social platforms like Instagram and Snapchat as Gen Zers increasingly spend their time there. Lastly, Twitter and Facebook will most likely adjust their policies to protect their brands from political criticism and to provide users with better online experiences.
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Post By –
Alok Upadhayay for Digital Presence Today
I concur with everything written in your article Alok! When you have a good, working product or service that you’re ready to diligently offer, spend as much time as needed to build a creative digital marketing strategy. This article will help, particularly startup to keep their digital strategy updated, after lots and lots of researches and blogs, they would at this point realize that digital marketing their business is the most ideal approach to take your business to new heights.