2022 Marketing Trends that Boost Growth

Making smart marketing choices starts with having reliable information from Witmer Group.

Sifting through the overflow of information that has cascaded your way since the start of the year is a big task in itself. Industry news, competitive analysis, and market research can all make it difficult to determine what your main marketing focus should be.

While there are many marketing trends for 2022 that are newsworthy, here are five that rise to the top in relevance and trending.

1. Short-form videos are hits.

Short-form video is popular, effective, and growing, with HubSpot surveys showing 31% of marketers currently implementing short-form video and 29% planning to do so for the first time in 2022.

More than half of marketers (51%) who leverage short-form video plan to increase their investment in 2022. With the highest ROI of any social media marketing strategy, short-form video is gaining traction quickly, with the trend of increasing investment more widespread than ever.

How is short-form more popular than long-form content? Properly produced, short-form content is quick, yet concise, supporting the fast-pace that web users prefer. Even if short-form video doesn't have all the information a person needs to convert, it usually allows marketers to pinpoint the most important facts to encourage viewers to want to know more.

2. Influencers are rewarding partners.

Influencer marketing holds the largest ROI. It is the biggest trend that keeps gaining momentum in 2022. At least 46% of marketers who leverage influencers will increase their investments in 2022.

It might surprise you to learn that high-level macro-influencers are not always the most effective or accessible. Many marketers are opting to hire more affordable, but still highly-engaging nano or micro-influencers. They can be more relatable and trustworthy, often leading to persuasive and effective product or brand endorsements. Here’s a valuable checklist that can help you locate reliable micro-influencers.

3. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram are key, but keep an eye on TikTok.

LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram platforms have the highest ROI for B2B businesses. Only about 40% of B2B social media marketers leverage TikTok right now, with a larger percentage of those planning to increase their 2022 investment. Meanwhile, 40- to 50% of marketers who use Facebook and Instagram will increase those platform investments in the next year.

HubSpot’s survey found that 24% of marketers say Facebook returns the biggest ROI, while 19.5% point to Instagram and 12.1% to TikTok.

4. Audio is better for engagement not ROI.

Audio trends are not expected to be decreasing in 2022, as last year showed audio platforms like Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces, and Spotify (for podcasting) proved how viral audio content can be successful, branded or not.

Only one in three content marketers uses podcasts or other audio content at this time; however, 53% of them say it’s the most effective media format they use.

Investment in podcasts or other audio content, as well as investments in audio chat rooms is expected to grow in 2022, despite showing low ROI.

5. Hybrid strategies for work environments are here to stay.

While employees may not be rushing back to the office in droves, many businesses and marketers are opting for hybrid work environments. Currently, about half of global marketers are hybrid employees, while only 28% are fully remote.

The important thing is to build strategies that work best for a widely distributed workforce, as some employees will work from home or a remote location either part-time or full-time; others will be enthusiastic to get back to the office environment.

Stay informed about marketing trends and all things related to digital marketing with Witmer Group. For more details or additional information contact us anytime.