The 3 Basic Levels of IT Support
Published 29th December, 2021
Image Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/digital-marketing-seo-google-1725340/
The marketing world has had its fair share of ups and downs in 2021. Some marketing strategies have proved to be no more than a flash in the pan. Others, however, are here to stay. As you plan your marketing strategy for 2022, it’s worth knowing which marketing trends to embrace wholeheartedly and which ones to avoid.
Innovation is at the heart of every marketing trend, strategy, and campaign. Every marketer’s dream is to bring something unique and of value to the table. This never-ending quest for the next new flashy innovation keeps marketers on their toes. But it’s also the reason behind some of the most successful marketing trends we have seen in the past year and the years before it.
As we all know, the market notoriously craves new and fresh ideas all the time. Customers get bored with marketing campaigns that copy from each other or look like yesterday’s news. And while this past year has had its moments of marketing glory, there were also moments of controversy. The Peloton ad campaign is a good example of marketing doing what it's not supposed to do.
Rising Trends
If a person has a question about software, hardware, or running things on the cloud, the user will start with self-help. This may include Artificial intelligence (AI) has been gaining momentum in the marketing world over the past few years. Pandemic or not, AI has a way of reaching people wherever they are and tailoring ads according to their specific needs and tastes. Whether the customer is working from home or back in the office, whether they are running a content startup or an Etsy shop, AI can create the appropriate advertising profile. Based on modularized content and accurate data, each personalized ad will be crafted to speak to the customer and discover and address their individual proclivities.
The Metaverse has been another buzzword, making the rounds for the last couple of years. It simply refers to richer user experiences either augmented or virtual and sometimes both. Many marketing experts predict that the Metaverse is the future of the internet. Customers crave these experiences and marketing will have to make them the basis of their marketing strategies from here on out.
Another trend that flourished recently is influencers. It’s hard to imagine marketing these days without social media influencers playing a role in it. Some of these influencers have millions of followers who hang on every word they say and every product they promote. From the way this trend is going, it’s safe to say that influencers will continue to earn big bucks and increase the sales charts of many companies, no matter what consumer products or services they offer. Even the business-to-business niche (B2B) is increasingly turning to influencers to help peddle their goods.
Although the past couple of years have been tumultuous because of the pandemic, they also highlighted the importance of establishing a strong company culture. More so, as many of the staff were, and still are, remote workers. So while the focus of marketing in 2021 was on retaining employees and minimizing turnover, there’s every reason to expect this trend to continue well into the new year. This company culture should revolve around strengthening the staff’s connection to the company through one-on-one meetings. If anything, recognition is the new buzzword in company culture and it will continue to be so as long people keep working from home.
Fading Trends
Other marketing trends couldn’t stand the test of time and have proved to be a liability. One of those trends is the notorious brand and product marketing separation concept. If anything, the idea of marketing the product without the brand, or vice versa, seems flawed at best. However, in recent years, this concept was all the rage in corporate offices and marketing agencies. This separation is based on the archaic premise that marketing is no more than an ad, a couple of catchy slogans, and a logo. Luckily, this trend is fading away as marketers embrace the concept of creating experiences, not just ads, to target the customer.
Another marketing trend that will soon phase out is the purchase funnel and its metrics. It has been around for decades and marketing has treated it as a sacrosanct concept. But these days consumers make their purchases practically from anywhere and whenever they feel like it. Marketing will need to put the purchase funnel behind its back and adapt quickly to these new realities. It should target every interaction between the user and the brand as a potential shopping opportunity.
As consumers become savvy to the tricks of marketing, trends like overstuffing content with keywords will soon be out the door. It used to be the go-to marketing ploy that cost next to nothing but ensured that the brand or product got some considerable eyeballs. But customers, these days, simply avoid content where such blatant keyword stuffing is the goal. Instead, they keep scrolling until they find genuine content that answers their questions or provides the information they search for.
Marketing trends come and go as the tastes of consumers change. Some of those trends were mere fads, while others will stay around for years to come. Influencers, AI, and the Metaverse are some of the top trends that offer a lot of promise to the world of marketing as they target the customer with tailored content and rich experiences. At the same time, some trends, such as the purchase funnel, marketing brands, and products separately, and overstuffing content with keywords, are all fading out of the marketing scene.