As digital continues to innovate and evolve, so does digital marketing, as a result the amount of services on offer can at first glance be slight mind-blowing.
2022 may be a pivotal moment in digital marketing, given the rise of the metaverse, and the way that blockchain, NFTs and crypto have properly moved into the mainstream.
If that is already giving you palpitations, fear not, we’ll work through some of the top marketing services you should be considering in 2022. Plus, if you are looking for an agency to help you out it’s worth reading Everything You Need to Know About UK Digital Marketing Agencies on this link right here.
Let’s settle back and grab a cookie
Cookies. Love them, or loathe them, 2022/23 is going to be quite a big year for them.
It sent a shudder through the digital marketing community when Google announced that it would be ditching third-party cookies on its Chrome browsers in 2022 - they’ve delayed this to the end of 2023.
That means the end of the kind of tracking technology that brands love, but customers probably less so.
First-party cookies will still exist, but this is part of a wider move within the industry to create open standards for tracking users, but at the same time protecting their privacy. That’s of course providing it gets through legislative battles in the UK and Europe.
Third party cookies are not specifically related to the website you’re currently on - they may be ads that follow a user from one site to another.
All this means is that your digital marketing needs to be very aware of the changes, the legislation and how it will impact on your digital marketing. That’s particularly the case if you generate sales via third-party cookies.
In case you’re wondering, the death of the third party cookie doesn’t mean the end of GDPR consent pop-ups.
The importance of data
Data is huge and in 2022 companies are being reminded that it’s time to start owning your own data and audience.
Facebook, Twitter, TikTok followers are all very good, but remember, they aren’t your audience - they’re owned by the platform.
With the move away from third party cookies, 2022 is the year when you should start owning your first party data.
Ben Foster, The SEO Works
“A huge theme for the coming year will be data limitation - as consumers take greater control of their personal information, the resources available to digital marketers will naturally deplete. However, despite many worrying about the threat of this, we believe it to be an opportunity. An opportunity for brands to develop better relations with potential customers and build their 1st party databases,” The SEO Works’ Ben Foster.
So, think newsletters, email and CRM.
The Metaverse is here
The Metaverse is the virtual world, encompassing VR, AR and much more. You may remember Second Life back in 2003 promising the same kind of thing, but the metaverse has been supercharged by Facebook (now Meta) putting so much behind it, this is certainly going to remain one of the big trends.
Why should this be on your agenda? Well with Avatars, places to hang out, work, play and new ways to interact with brands, this will be a new way to engage with an audience and sell unique products.
Equally this is going to be a new way to gain insights and data from your community.
Adidas into the Metaverse
NFTs - Non-fungible tokens
Non-fungible tokens are unique digital assets, that exist on a blockchain and are almost certain to be part of a digital marketing conversation in 2022.
Some brands have embraced the technology - see Adidas and Bored Ape, plus Manchester United has just signed a sponsorship deal with Tezos.
However, it’s been a more difficult progression in some sectors. The gaming community, in particular has reacted badly to publishers selling NFTs. Team17 made an immediate reversal earlier this year, while EA also rowed back on plans to release them.
The argument is that they’re not environmentally friendly at the moment, due to their reliance on Ethereum, plus as one games publisher put it:
“We believe NFTs cannot be environmentally friendly, or useful, and really are just an overall f****ing grift.”
However, there appears to be a move to become more environmentally friendly and then further companies may see the positives in creating NFTs.
This is very much a case of knowing your audience and how they’ll react.
Influencer marketing
The importance of influencers continues to grow. According to The State of Influencer Marketing 2021 report it was worth $13.8bn in 2021.
Brands say they’re starting to dedicate a specific budget to influencer marketing and many measure the ROI from influencer campaigns.
Most brands use micro-influencers for Instagram and YouTube, but larger influencers are used on TikTok.
Don’t dismiss influencer marketing as just being for B2C, increasingly B2B are turning to influencers.
AI and ML
Technological advances mean that some of the pressure can be removed by using artificial intelligence and machine learning for digital marketing.
Content
The need for good content will probably never change. Whether it’s a newsletter, blog, web, social or in the metaverse. While it doesn’t need to always break new creative ground, it does need to be relevant.
It's Not all about the shiny and new
While it’s always nice to look at the bright, new shiny trends, digital marketing services should always be built on strong foundations.
That means ensure your site is working well, it’s fast, it’s optimised and the content is good.
To find out more, check out the some of the case studies.