Marketing Trends to Watch in 2022
An obscure skyscraper in Austin has taken the real estate world by storm.
Not because of where it is, or it’s design. But because of who snatched up the big chunk of office space in the structure: Facebook.
The tech giant had one goal in mind when it swooped in: to plug its newest revolution into the digital world — The Metaverse. Billed as a virtual reality universe where users can interact in a virtual space, it is just one giant ball in an avalanche of marketing trends that seek to capitalize on the virtual revolution.
Virtual reality — and the benefits it bestows on personalization — looks to spring out of the wastes of covid and take flight. But it’s just one Marketing trend, among many.
Top 5 Marketing Trends in 2022 To Look Out For
Referral Marketing
With the advent of the couch consumer, the marketing world has had to adapt to a world without brick and mortar sales. So has the consumer.
Our customer base has become more paranoid than ever, and chances are they will ditch the traditional customer journey arc of walking into a physical store, and instead rely upon word of mouth. So enters the era of Amazon product reviews. Not that product reviews are a new trend, but rather they continue to have a stronger influence as we saw digital adoption for everyday shopping continue to escalate throughout the pandemic.
In today’s world, product recommendations are becoming more vital than ever. And if you want your business to thrive, then you will have to build upon a steady foundation of referrals and happy customers.
AI Marketing
The age of the chatbot is still evolving. While it’s not Terminator level of intelligence, the technology is there to handle basic customer queries that would otherwise be answered by a flesh and bone employee.
While we don’t have to worry about a Skynet takeover, chatbots have started to become standard across all industries, with AI set to become a 360 billion dollar industry in 2028. And with better recognition of sentence patterns, the technology continues to learn how to best tackle customer inquiries.
So if you want to cut down on overhead costs and get a better ROI, then AI should be your best friend. But there’s another emerging marketing trend you need to befriend . . .
VR and AR Marketing
How many of us have played around with those obnoxious Snapchat filters. We would fail a polygraph if your hands stayed put. The images of those millions of puppy-eared millennials gave businesses a pause to think — is there a way to apply this to our marketing strategy?
Many companies, across varying industries, have answered that question with a resounding yes. Imagine this —
You are that paranoid covid resident fearing that every air particle is laced with certain death. You certainly would not venture out to a Nordstrom shoe store to risk your demise, would you? Well, with the advent of VR and augmented reality, companies are bringing their store to you. IKEA allows you to transport virtual furniture directly into your living room so that you can try out the product in your own house.
Do you want to try a different color? No problem, simply change the filter setting. The same goes for size, dimensions, you name it! This helps build trust and engagement, which are key factors in every sales funnel. Want to know what Coca-Cola did?
With AR, you can have their polar bear dancing in your room. It may sound like a chilly blast of cheekiness, but it goes a long mile in the sense of brand engagement.
And letting customers plug in their fancies and interests into your spankin’ new AR software allows you to do the most vital thing to every marketing campaign:
Make a true connection.
Customer Personalization Effects on ROI
Personalization is a monstrous tool in any business’s marketing strategy, where you can live and die by your effective use of it. But when used to its maximum potential, it can boost your return on investment (ROI) to monster levels.
Just how much?
According to e-tailing group: 500%!
But finding that data is tricky, with budget issues rearing their ugly heads. In other instances, it’s simply a lack of time. If you need pointers on how to measure the ROI of your social media efforts, check out some tips here.
Now, with the rise of a war between increased tracking and privacy, cookies are starting to be a thing of the past. But, it has opened up other opportunities.
Since 2011, the amount of Martech companies has ballooned to over 7000, gifting marketers the use of software that allows businesses the ability to track and gather data on their customers. Facebook has done this through tracking browser history, and Netflix follows a similar model. It’s the kind of personalization that goes unnoticed, which is also the best kind, when it helps us marketers to improve and deliver a seamless experience.
And Facebook aims to up their personalization game with one revolutionary tool.
The Metaverse And Personalization
With the Metaverse, Facebook looks to bring personalization into millions of virtual worlds, opening up doors for businesses everywhere. Just think of the business implications.
Imagine the ability of a business to now read the type of space a customer has created, all the way down to how they are dressed. With consumers barring themselves behind closed doors, this gifts businesses the chance to step in front of their customers.
This can be taken one step further.
Much like IKEA transporting their products into your living room, you can now walk into a virtual store and try on products. Perfect for the B2B marketing space, you can now let potential clients try out your services, building brand trust and engagement. So, throw off the chains of concrete pillars, and start investing in the whims of virtual worlds.
Consumer trends are shifting, and if your business doesn’t move with them then you run the risk of being left behind.
