December is the time for celebration, reflection, and prediction for change. In the world of marketing and communications, this is a time where you can use reflection and prediction hand-in-hand to invent new, robust strategies to generate better results, healthier KPIs, and happier clients. 

So… where do you start? Marketers begin by exploring what experts in the field are reading and sharing in months leading up to the new year – ‘tis the season for trends after all!

Discover some of the most talked-about and shared marketing trends for 2022 below:

1. Fresh Content Ideas Every Marketer Should Consider In 2022 (Content Marketing Institute)

A new year means new content ideas! If single-photo organic social and wordy blog posts are starting to bore you, chances are your audience has felt that way for a while. But fear not, Content Marketing Institute has eight new content ideas to shake up your marketing techniques in 2022, including guestographics, storyboards, carousel posts, screencast videos, and more! Incorporating fresh new content concepts into your marketing efforts can re-establish excitement within your audience and lead to overall higher engagement levels and better conversion rates.

CMI says, “Carousel posts on social media are becoming a more attractive content type for marketers. On Instagram, they earn higher average engagement rates (1.92%) than single photos (1.74%) and videos (1.45%). Creators who used all 10 carousel slides available experienced average engagement rates as high as 2%.” 

2. Conversational Marketing (Marketing Insider Group)

Gone are the days of formalized customer service interactions and dedicating time for call scripts, store visits, and emails. Today, customers have grown accustomed to chat windows, bot streamlined calls, and quick-step forms to get through the service process as fast as possible. Marketing Insider Group explains how customer service representative interactions resemble “those you might have with a friend, and are casual and human-centered.”

The truth is, this is what customers want. Ultimately they are there to have a solution to their problem and answers to their questions, so a representative that is willing to acknowledge this need and assist the customer as quickly as possible without the formalized process getting in the way are considered modern-day heroes.

In 2022, we will continue to see conversational marketing as a means to an end. Consider incorporating “less formal communication channels,” to the extent that your brand guidelines allow, into your marketing strategies for the upcoming year. 

3. The Proliferation Of Content Across Voice, Video, And Visuals Via Mobile & Social Focusing Purely On Content Volume Is A Mistake (Search Engine Journal)

It’s almost 2022, and the abundance of voice, video, and visual content across the web and on mobile and social platforms can be overwhelming. But look at it this way: the options you have to promote your brand and find the best communication channels for your audience are endless. 

When it comes down to it, it’s all about your audience and how you can best entice them to engage with your product. Search Engine Journal recommends that in this new year, “you challenge yourself and your teams to think about the ways your stories and information are being presented. Could that article be a more compelling video? Would releasing an audio version help expand your audience?” 

There are hundreds of ways to market your product, testing out different options on your audience and measuring the results in how you’ll get there. See below for SEJ’s top three tips for exploring new promotion techniques in the new year:

Tips:

• “For each new piece of content you’re planning, consider the supplemental content assets you could use to engage your audience and expand your reach.”
• “Invest in the tools and talent you’ll need to branch out into new content types.”
• “If you aren’t sure which content formats or platforms are resonating with your audience, ask them! If you’re only looking at your own analytics data, you only know what already works and will never realize these untapped opportunities.”