New year, new marketing trend? Almost.
Some developments and trends have been emerging for a while – for example, video content. Video formats have been growing in popularity for years, but by 2022, they’ve become a fixed part of any serious marketing strategy.
Then, there are sudden hype trends. Some disappear as quickly as they arrived (like Clubhouse), while others stick around (like TikTok). And very few hypes evolve into long-term trends. The Clubhouse craze, for instance, sparked the trend toward audiovisual content and podcasts.
Does this mean you have to follow every hype? No. Not every trend is worth pursuing. The most important thing is always evaluating whether it benefits your marketing strategy and target audience. There are plenty of predictions for marketing trends this year. As marketers, it’s crucial to understand which ones are worth your attention and which ones you can ignore. Here are five marketing trends you should keep an eye on in 2022:
Inclusive Marketing
Let’s be honest: this isn’t just a trend. It’s a shift. A transformation. Inclusive marketing should – and must – be taken seriously by companies.
Inclusive marketing aims to ensure everyone feels seen and understood. Products should be marketed in a way that resonates with diverse groups of people, so no one feels excluded based on their skin color, religion, sexuality, (social) background, weight, or any other reason. Inclusive marketing stands for diversity. But it also supports accessibility, ensuring that people with disabilities can easily access a company and its necessary information sources. Advertising has been increasingly diverse in recent years, with more representation than just white, slim women. However, this representation is still disproportionate. By sticking to one image, companies not only appear narrow-minded, reinforcing stereotypes, but they also exclude a large portion of the buying population who do not feel addressed by the existing ads. From a business perspective, this means a loss of potential customers, market share, and revenue. In 2022, companies should focus much more on inclusive marketing.
Noisless Niches
For years, we’ve heard that success comes from focusing on niches, and while there’s truth to that, in 2022, “noisless niches” are the way to go. You know a niche but what the heck are noisless niches?
Noisless niches are those that you wouldn’t know about unless you were part of them. Maybe you’ve heard of BookTok, Studygram, or PlannerGirl? These are examples of quiet niches. The #BookTok hashtag is used on TikTok to share books loved by reading enthusiasts. Now, some bookstores are jumping on the bandwagon, placing the books that have been popularized by BookTok front and center – and it’s working.
Noisless niches are so effective because they bring together people who think similarly, share similar hobbies, and have similar interests. These groups offer a sense of belonging and trust. Communities like these are active across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and even more obscure forums, Telegram, or Discord channels. And why are quiet niches great for marketing? Due to their focused topics, you can reduce wasted reach. Furthermore, interaction rates in quiet niches are often much higher, and competition is lower.
If you want to learn more about quiet niches, check out this article.
Snackable Content
When we scroll through social media, we’re bombarded with information. While Instagram captions have become longer over the years, attention spans have gotten shorter. According to Facebook, a post is viewed for only 1.7 seconds on mobile!
Experts believe this short attention span is key to TikTok’s success: the short videos are easy to consume. They’re snackable. Therefore, 2022 will see a stronger focus on snackable content. The key is breaking down information into bite-sized pieces – each offering value, being interesting, and relevant to the audience – but also being short, attention-grabbing, and to the point. Snackable content is perfect for content recycling and various gamification strategies.
Gamification in Marketing
Gamification is not only “snackable” but also a marketing trend in its own right. In 2022, marketers and consumers alike are placing more value on making advertising content interactive. Ads should be fun and engage the audience.
Gamification integrates playful elements into advertising to encourage user interaction. This makes marketing campaigns not only more attractive to the target audience but also boosts customer attention and helps the campaign stick in their minds longer. Through gamified elements, even complex learning materials and product information can be conveyed effectively.
A great example of gamification in marketing is Red Bull. The energy drink company hosted a sales contest, dividing employees into teams. The team that accumulated the most points within the action period won exclusive prizes. Points could be earned by acquiring new distributors or ad placements in supermarkets or by answering quiz questions about Red Bull’s products and company. Thanks to the playful approach, not only was employee motivation high, but they also learned more about their own company.
Bonus points are up for grabs in 2022 if you display these playful elements using Virtual Reality.
User Generated Content
According to “Stackla,” only 19% of users find content created by companies to be authentic. This underscores the effectiveness of our next trend: in 2022, more advertisers will focus on user-generated content. This includes posts and content directly created by your audience. UGC is perceived as more credible because the recommendation to purchase comes directly from a satisfied customer.
Around 80% of users consider user-generated content when making purchasing decisions. Therefore, UGC is authentic, trustworthy, and creates more credibility. Additionally, companies benefit from the extended reach, as the post first appears on the customer’s private profile. Plus, it saves time and resources on content creation.
These are our top five marketing trends for 2022. Which one will you incorporate into your marketing strategy this year? Let us know in the comments!
