With the continuous development of digitization and technology, new products are also changing our lives. As a result of this transformation, marketing is also evolving, bringing digital marketing to different points. Thus, new trends emerge in digital marketing. So what are the trends that emerged in 2022 with the transformation of digital marketing?
2022 Digital Marketing Trends
During the pandemic period and afterwards, we witnessed many companies downsizing, and many of them closing down. One of the biggest reasons for this is the absence of digital marketing activities. When there are no digital marketing activities, it becomes challenging to increase brand awareness and promote products produced. Especially in a period where competition is so intense, digital marketing has become an essential need. This situation is also significant for the investments made in digital marketing.
According to the 2021 Gartner marketing budget report, although marketers are optimistic, marketing budgets decreased from 11% in 2020 to 6.4%. We can see these declines in businesses of different sizes. In contrast, it is foreseen that digital marketing, which is expected to become even more critical in the coming periods, will produce a variety of trends. These trends can be explained as follows.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing, which has gained a place in marketing in recent times, causes people to be influenced consciously or unconsciously. The reason for this is the rapid development of technologies. While this marketing reached a value of $9.7 billion globally in 2020, it is aimed to reach more people with AI-supported systems in 2022 with less cost.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is an important marketing to influence customers with effective content and establish a long-term connection with them. In content marketing, marketers help create a sense of trust in their target audience and increase brand awareness. The main goal is to create a steady target audience and increase website traffic and sales. For this purpose, various content such as social media content, website content, articles, blogs, and podcasts are prepared. It is aimed to increase the continuity of social media followers with these contents and search engine optimization (SEO). It is predicted that this field will become even more critical in the upcoming periods.
Hybrid Events
As physical events were restricted with the pandemic, virtual platforms have become even more prevalent. This has also led to activities moving to the virtual environment. Although the effects of the pandemic have decreased nowadays, it has not completely ended. This situation resulted in companies directing their meetings, launches, and many other events to hybrid events. This way, it is aimed to reach broader audiences with events. In the future, these hybrid events can be realized using technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
According to A.Seçkin Canan, who states that the most preferred marketing methods in 2022 are virtual and hybrid events, “Compared to face-to-face events, the opportunities offered by virtual events are adding value to many companies. One of the most visible elements of this situation is the ability to appeal to larger audiences with lower costs. For this reason, we think that the demand for virtual events and the popular hybrid events of the new era will increase even more in the coming years. As JakoMeet, by keeping our technological infrastructure up-to-date, we will continue to create a unique event space with our advantageous features while bringing the business world together.” he says.
Shopping through Social Media
The shopping world is gaining a new dimension day by day. This allows users to shop through social media. Because everyone is using social media nowadays. This leads to an increase in shopping through social media. Especially after the pandemic, shopping through platforms such as Facebook and Instagram is frequent. Users can easily make their purchases while following their favorite programs or individuals.
Chatbots
Chatbots are AI-based systems that allow users to communicate through messaging and perform various tasks. With chatbots, a new world is possible to talk about. Because they generally use dialog-based interfaces, while mobile applications and websites use graphic interfaces. Thus, you can buy a flight ticket or order something you want using a chatbot.
The popularity of digital assistants is also increasing today. It is predicted that consumers will perform 18% of their shopping through voice assistants. While these innovations facilitate shopping for visually impaired individuals, they also become important for those working in the field of digital marketing.
Meta Data Repository
Users use platforms with many different infrastructures. This makes data flow difficult. As a result, brands will need to collect more data to create meaningful outputs. The necessary thing here is the meta data repository. The meta data repository is actually a database. The meta data repository ensures the consistency of meta data. A well-designed meta data repository contains data beyond simple definitions. What we are talking about here is Metaverse, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), avatars, etc. In other words, it is a permanent environment where people work, spend time, and socialize. In such a case, it can be mentioned that many brands will be interested in virtual worlds and continue to take advantage of the benefits of experiences like Metaverse.
NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens)
One of the digital marketing trends that we encounter today is NFTs. In fact, the demand shown in both the celebrity world and the technology field contributes to NFT becoming a trend. Among the reasons why NFTs are important in marketing is that their ownership can be easily tracked, and there is no need for validation by a third party. In addition, it is seen that NFTs will have a considerable impact on the future of brands’ digital transformation. In this case, NFTs emerge as part of marketing strategies.
Cryptocurrency
We also see that cryptocurrencies such as Metaverse and NFTs are increasing. It is foreseen that cryptocurrencies, which are attracting the attention of marketers, can help brands attract new customers.
Cookies
One of the digital marketing trends that stands out in 2022 is cookies. Users encounter cookies on many platforms and content throughout the day. These cookies are gradually going to be phased out, it is stated. In fact, cookies will not be stored in browsers by 2023.
Marketing Automation
Automation is crucial for creating potential customers in B2B. Marketing automation is especially suitable for developing e-commerce. While this process provides a good return on investment for companies, it also contributes to growth.
In conclusion, when we look at the above-mentioned trends in terms of digital marketing, it is important to know which trends will be in the future. Because being familiar with these trends and preparing for them will contribute to the future of companies and gain an advantage in the competitive environment.
Resources
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Gartner. The State of Marketing (Erişim: 09.05.2022) https://www.gartner.com/en/marketing/research/annual-cmo-spend-survey-research
Netinbag.com. Meta Veri Deposu Nedir? (Erişim: 09.05.2022) https://www.netinbag.com/tr/internet/what-is-a-metadata-repository.html
WordStream. 10 Digital Marketing Trends for 2022, According to Experts (Erişim: 08.05.2022) https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2022/01/13/digital-marketing-trends-2022
Marketing Turkiye. İş dünyası ikiye bölündü sanal mı hibrit mi? (Erişim: 08.05.2022) https://www.marketingturkiye.com.tr/haberler/is-dunyasi-ikiye-bolundu-sanal-mi-hibrit-mi/
Gedik, Y. (2020) Pazarlamada Yeni Bir Pencere: Dijital Pazarlama. Beykent Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, İşletme Yönetimi Anabilim Dalı, İstanbul, Türkiye. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1176121
Deloitte. 2022 Küresel Pazarlama Trendleri. (Erişim: 10.05.2022) https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/tr/Documents/consulting/gmt/2022/Amac-ile-buyumek-2022-Kuresel-Pazarlama-Trendleri.pdf