2022 Digital Marketing Trends

Ilia Jones | December 2021

trends-2022

Another year gone and with it, new trends emerge in the digital marketing world. It’s no surprise that trends are shifting, but after a year that seemed to stand still, it can be tough to adjust. Keep these trends in mind for a smooth transition to digital marketing in 2022. 

Hybrid Events Take Center Stage

Although most nonprofits were forced to go virtual this year, many who have invested in those virtual events were able to reap significant rewards. Some of the new event strategies were even already in motion before the pandemic and covid simply accelerated their adoption. 

As we barrel into 2022, virtual events are not going away. Instead, they’re morphing into a hybrid mix of in-person and virtual. Nonprofits are learning how to balance and support both virtual and in-person attendees for a successful hybrid event that brings in even more guests than before.

The key to providing an excellent virtual experience for guests tuning in online is to set up an online space where virtual attendees can watch the program, bid on auction items, donate, submit questions to the panel, or perform any other interactive activity that in-person attendees can. Make sure they are able to watch your event with high-quality sound and video and give them a space to connect like a chat or social media group.

Live events are coming back, that is certain. But they’ll look a little different than pre-pandemic events. With so many nonprofits experiencing the benefits of virtual events, attendees having very different levels of comfort with live events, and the possibility of other widespread illnesses in our future, the hybrid event model is here to stay.

User Experience is Paramount

Every piece of digital content will be algorithm-driven in 2022. And the algorithm will favor quality content. Marketers will need to shift their attention away from the quick tricks of SEO and towards producing quality and highly engaging content that will keep visitors on their site and prove to be valuable to Google and other Search Engines. 

Integrate user experience in everything you do online from on-page SEO tactics to video production. An excellent user experience will prove much more effective than ever before. 

Every single one of your digital marketing initiatives is becoming driven by an algorithm. From your social media posts to SEO and even paid Google and social ads. And the algorithms that drive these initiatives are all optimized for user experience. So while user experience was important to keep visitors on your page and engaged with your content, it’s now vital to just get your content to show up on your audiences’ newsfeed or search engine result pages. 

Data Will Drive Marketing Decisions

In 2022, we’ll see more sophisticated reporting and marketers integrating multiple data sources to guide their marketing initiatives. Gone are the days of making marketing decisions without first looking at the numbers. 

There are almost 500 connectors in Google Data Studio, up from 300 in 2020. Most of the connectors have been submitted by Community Partners indicating that there’s a vibrant community continuing to make DataStudio better and more valuable for marketers. As a consequence of this, marketers will need to pay more attention to data quality and overall hygiene. 

SEO Initiatives Will Focus on “Position Zero”

Historically, organic SEO tactics aimed to reach number one in search engine result pages (SERPS). As we move into 2022, it becomes more obvious that people are using search engines differently. The now coveted spot on SERPS is referred to as position zero. It’s the featured snippet that directly answers a search query. 

This spot is like gold for marketers because it is placed above the top-ranking search result and it’s displayed differently than a typical search result. The featured snippet is enhanced by Google for the purpose of drawing user attention on the SERP. 

Gaining a featured snippet vastly improves on-page stats and it establishes thought-leadership and brand expertise. Remember when we said that user experience is key? Yeah, that’s still true and will help you here as well. If your content is providing a positive user experience and Google deems it as valuable, you’ll be well on your way to securing position zero. If you’re not sure how to swipe up these coveted SERP spots, let us help! 

We know that the landscape of digital marketing changes quickly and it can be a bit of a scramble to keep up. But keep in mind that content is still queen and if she’s well-produced and optimized, you’re on track to your digital marketing goals. 

For more insights into digital marketing for the new year, contact us! We’re happy to help. 

Talk to a Digital Strategist

Questions about your project? We can help.