The marketing industry moves at such a fast pace, it can be difficult at times to keep up with all of the newest trends. If you are a business owner, with limited time, you can be forgiven for letting one or two pass you by. The key is trying to decipher which trends are fleeting and which ones will be sticking around for the long haul.

Here is a quick look at the marketing trends of the past few years that have not only stuck around, but also evolved into fully fledged marketing tools, as well as the marketing trends for 2022 that are likely to become marketing norms. But first up, here are some ‘trends-to-tools’ you need to implement right away:

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing had a booming start, but the waters were always a little muddy in terms of how much return on investment this type of marketing actually generated. However, since it has grown in popularity, it has proved that choosing the right influencer can make a product go viral.

One of the reasons for its success is the influencers, and their being experts at using social media platforms as well as already having an existing and engaged audience. Business owners should no longer look at large follower counts as the driver for their collaboration choices but also factor in organic engagement such as comments, post saving and shares. You can check out our beginners guide here for an extra bit of help.

Video Content

Another marketing trend that is here to stay is video content. You may have seen this emerge with the increase of vlogger personalities through YouTube towards the end of the tens but the real shift in long stay video content happened in 2020 with the introduction of short form videos. Look to apps like TikTok and the Instagram Reels feature.

Early on, this was deemed a trend for the younger generations to use for entertainment but has since evolved into a useful tool for marketing and advertisements. Instagram has even gone so far as to say it is no longer a photo sharing app and will push video content and entertainment. We understand that some business owners might be reluctant to jump on the video content bandwagon, whether that is down to feeling foolish or just camera shy. The best thing is to try it in a way that works for you, we have some help on TikTok strategies as well as more info on Instagram reels that you can use!

Virtual Events

As you can imagine, virtual events became a popular trend due to the COVID-19 pandemic, yet there is no sign of their popularity slowing and they will continue to be a practical marketing tool for the foreseeable future. Reasons being, it opens opportunities for your company events to be accessible from anywhere in the world, while also being more cost effective, though you have the benefit of a global scale.

Though in person events are returning and will likely pick up more in 2022 that doesn’t mean you should shut down your zoom account anytime soon. Social platforms are also evolving to make virtual events more user friendly for businesses with lower budgets, for example Clubhouse.  Also another way to avoid being on camera if you feel a bit insecure about that sort of thing, but a great way to network with other business owners.

Shoppable Social Media

Using social media to make purchases has become the norm and it isn’t going anywhere soon. In fact we recently wrote about Pinterest’s move over to becoming a shoppable app. For businesses it may have seemed like shoppers would be reluctant to purchase through a social media app but according to AdEspresso users are readily engaging with shopping post and enjoy the aspect of shopping with having to leave the app.

Instagram have also recently removed the price from the tags on the post, which encourages users to click through to see better images of the product as well as how much it is. This is then noted by the Instagram algorithm, and they create shopping boards based on what you have previously viewed and offer suggested products. It is all incredibly clever and very much a marketers dream as it does all the hard work for you!

Marketing Trend Predictions for 2022

Now for some predicted marketing trends that are sure to take hold in 2022, and what we think we stay for the long run and become marketing norms for years to come.

• Experiential Marketing will return – With the easing of restrictions and return to in-person events we predict experiential marketing will make a big comeback.

• Prioritising Social Responsibility – Brands will look to incorporate social responsibility and brand activism into their marketing strategies. This is only going to increase and will impact shopper choices hugely.

• VR-AR– This has been creeping up and up for a while but the virtual and augmented reality markets are predicted to grow into the 100’s of billions in 2022 according to Fingent. It is particularly one to watch for the e-commerce industry.