It’s 2022! New York Times’ Brian Chen, lead consumer technology writer says The Tech That Will Invade Our Lives in 2022 are virtual reality or the metaverse, smart homes, connected health and electric cars.

Technology is fast-moving forward, and so is marketing. Marketing has changed rapidly over the years, and it continues to change. The way we do marketing before may be vastly different from the marketing we see today. As marketing pros, we must be exceptionally sensitive to changes, social-cultural factors, economy and technology.

Looking back at 1983, the birth of the internet and few years later the term Digital Marketing was first used in the 1990s. Defining Digital marketing, it is any form of marketing products or services delivered through digital channels. Channels such as websites, social media, search engines, email, mobile apps, web apps, or any digital channel. What’s in store for digital marketing in 2022?

Mobile-First Campaigns

In 2010, Sprint & HTC Unveiled the first 4G Android Phone in the US, the HTC EVO 4G. I can vividly remember offering this new phone, as an upgrade to eligible existing sprint customers & new lines of service, selling value over its price, it was my first job, a Telesales rep, I was then a fresh grad from a state university holding an engineering degree.

Google began using mobile-first indexing in 2018, which means that Google now considers a website’s mobile version to be its primary version.

In 2022, according to Statista, there are 6.648 Billion number of smartphone users in the world, that is 83.96% of the world’s population. Clearly, mobile smartphones have become the go-to platforms for search, online browsing, social networking and even shopping and this is why marketers around the globe should rethink digital strategies to reach customers where they are. Customers on mobile can be engaged real time specially on social media and communication apps.

The Power of Social Media

Social media is our window to the world, accessible through our mobile phones, and a click away from our fingertips. Social media will continue to play an important role in attracting customers in 2022.

Looking back, the first social media site is sixdegrees.com, launched in 1997, and then Friendster in March 2003, LinkedIn in May 2003, Myspace in August 2003 and Facebook in February 2004, with 2.74 Billion Active Users in 2021, making it the most widely used social media in the world. But Tiktok is making noise in the game.

While for B2B organic social marketing, personally I would say LinkedIn is still the best, to distribute your content, reach new customers and grow your network organically. However, it takes authenticity and quality of content in order to attract and drive customer actions. Let our customers be entertained while they learn from us through social media.

Search Engine, be there, be found

If there would be one name that digital marketers should know about search engine, it’s “Archie”, the first search engine developed in 1990, then in 1994 Yahoo was launched, followed by a couple more search engines years after, like Alexa, HotBot and LookSmart in 1996, and the leading search engine today, Google which was launched in 1997.

Be there when your customers are looking for products or services that you offer. Be there to introduce yourself when your customers do not know you yet. Be found and show them how you, your products or your services can be of help to your customers.

There is a motive behind every search query, and SEO is no longer just a keyword game, since Google’s algorithms change and continuously being improved, search intent is the key to rankability.

Email is not going to disappear

Email has remained one of the most effective channels for ecommerce marketers, according to HubSpot despite the fact that the digital marketing landscape evolves substantially every year.

Looking back, Email’s origin can be traced in 1965, but it was not yet the same email as we know it today. “MAILBOX”, a program found on the computers at MIT where you can only leave an electronic message for another user on the same computer. In 1971, electronic mail was developed to send messages within an organization’s network. Following the growth of the internet in the 1980’s, email hosting sites started and officially in 1993, electronic mail was introduced as email. And years after, AOL, Hotmail and Yahoo changed the internet and email landscape.

Today, the measurement of engagement in email goes beyond open rates, conversion and list growth are things worth analyzing. More personalized and interactive emails entice and encourage customers and prospects to act.

Against all Ads

In was in 1994 when banner ads had a debut, and The First-Ever Banner Ad on the Web was an advertisement purchased by AT&T on HotWired.com with a 44% click through rate.

In 2022, ads may be more challenging because of new privacy regulations, limiting the AIs that suggests ads optimizations to give better targeting insights. Marketers should revisit ads strategies and asses this impact specially on the budget allocation and ROA. Account-Based Marketing or ABM strategy should be considered, as account-based advertising is a proactive approach compared to traditional advertising which are reactive.

Content is still King

Regardless of the channels and strategy we choose, high-quality content is the key. Consider Google’s concept of E-A-T, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. While EAT is commonly associated with SEO, it is equally important to our content specially if you aim to be a thought leader in your industry.

To achieve Expertise, figure out what your audience wants, and overdeliver, by explaining your advanced knowledge and skills on a certain issue in a way that is interesting to your audience.

When customers begin to associate a topic or product with your brand, you gain Authority. Having your content acknowledged or linked to in other blogs shows Google that you know what you’re talking about, increasing your chances of ranking higher. Another excellent strategy to establish authority is consistency.

Being trustworthy, you are a true authority figure who readers turn to for reliable information. Positive online reviews, a secure website, terms and conditions pages, and policies can all help your customers gain trust in you.

My Take

While the trends are good guides to look at to find out what is out there for us to explore and learn, it would be better too if we start from within. Let us understand our goals, understand and build our own brand, understand our customers and understand how we can delight our customers so we can keep them and make them talk great about us. In life, business, marketing, or digital marketing, it’s not one size fits all, it’s about having a strong foundation, knowing what and how to explore, improve what’s working and let go of those that are not. To be successful marketers, we have to adopt to change, build a strong data-driven integrated marketing strategy, continuously learn and improve our strategy.