Every business in the world is learning right now the importance of digital operations, from communicating to selling to business processes.

Adam Lashinshky, Fortune Magazine

Until there's a way to predict the future, the best that we can do is to grow from our successes and learn from our mistakes. In the world of marketing, that means observing and analyzing past trends so that we may glean better ways of marketing in the future.

Events since Q4 2019 have been tumultuous, and businesses have had to adapt fast. Then 2021 proved that the only thing business owners can expect is the unexpected. With that in mind, here are some takeaways from 2021 that we can apply to our marketing campaigns in 2022 and beyond.

Digital-First Business

Being a digitally-oriented business is going to be even more crucial for success in 2022 and beyond than it was in previous years. Businesses that haven’t yet accommodated the influx of digital immigrants are effectively stunting their growth. According to estimates, the pandemic accelerated digital communication roadmaps by an average of six years with 68% of companies acknowledging that the pandemic moved their plans to go digital along “a great deal.”

Nowhere is this more apparent than in our buying habits. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a slow yet steady trend in which more and more people were making purchases online. Specifically, 5.8 percent of purchases made in 2013 were made online. By 2019, that figure increased to 11.1 percent, showing an average annual increase of under 1 percent.

Then the coronavirus hit, restricting our access to brick-and-mortar stores and forcing more people to adopt a digital-first life. Sure enough, we saw the biggest jump in online commerce in the aftermath of the pandemic with 14.2 percent of purchases made in 2020 being made online. This was 28 percent higher than the year before and more than 3x the typical year-over-year increase we had previously been seeing.

Similarly, the post-pandemic world has pushed many more people into remote work. Zoom, like Google and Photoshop, has become a household name as videoconferencing has assumed a central position in our personal and professionals lives, making virtual meetings and livestream events safer, more convenient, and even more cost-effective. 

In short, digital is the de-facto medium as well as what customers expect.

Consumer Privacy

Legislators have recognized importance of digital marketing by taking steps to protect constituents (and their privacy) from abuse. The EU’s 2016 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) blazed the trail, requiring websites to allow visitors to opt out of tracking cookies. Of course, this is beneficial to privacy-minded users, but it created a problem for data sellers who had previously collected this data with or without users’ permission.

Smaller entities have jumped on board as well. Just recently in March 2022, Utah joined California, Virginia, and Colorado in passing a comprehensive online privacy omnibus. The Utah bill zeroes in on third parties that gather extensive data from vast numbers of users. This data has been extremely desirable (and, by extension, highly valuable) to companies looking to improve their marketing efforts by using comprehensive audience data to inform their marketing campaigns. With the new legislation, companies seeking this user data must be ready to follow the new regulations.

There are several other states ready to pass similar legislation, so businesses must be ready to adopt new forms of data-collection methods on their websites and online marketplaces.

Short, Snappy Landing Pages

While this may put many of their existing pages at a disadvantage, this trend toward shorter, more focused pages that require less time and other resources could actually deliver a significant boost to your KPIs. In particular, a shorter landing page means the user can more quickly progress to the next page, putting him or her closer to the point of conversion. Because as Unbounce says, “Landing pages are a funnel, not a bucket.” With dozens of other businesses vying for leads’ attention, having specialized landing pages to convey information means you're more likely to hold the reader's attention.

Anticipating Needs

Markets change quickly and in unpredictable ways. The ability to predict change and adapt at a moment’s notice is increasingly vital to marketing in 2022 and beyond.

No one wants to receive advertisements for a product that's outdated and no longer relevant. When you can predict changes in the market, you can anticipate customers’ needs. A business that demonstrates the ability to intuit what a customer wants, whether with personalized email marketing or targeted advertising, will be more appealing.

Between pandemic layoffs, racial tensions, the drive for inclusivity, a contentious political climate, rampant inflation, and fears over a looming war, prospects are nervous about the future. Anticipating their future needs and concerns builds trust and rapport with prospects and customers. Especially as inflation increases, leads who get the impression that their wallet is the only thing you care about are going to tune you out.

Machine Learning

Machine learning and new developments in AI have had major implications for marketing, particular when it comes to personalized marketing, targeting, and behavior prediction.

Consider this hypothetical example: Instead of a single generic landing page, you could employ a separate and highly-optimized pitch for each customer who visits a particular landing page. Because the complex algorithms behind AI give business owners the ability to cast a wide net and target specific demographics at the same time. 

Improvements in machine learning are streamlining content creation as well. Although full websites aren't possible (yet), AI and machine learning can apply basic principles with simple, straightforward language to generate content for landing pages and blog posts. Instead of writing content from scratch, you can have experienced copy editors do a final review and punch-up on the generated content before publication.

To be clear, we're still very much on the cusp of the AI revolution. But new discoveries and programming innovations happen every day, so it pays to stay on top of the latest trends.

New Media

Younger generations tend to ignore advertising, even the ads that attempt to speak their language. As a result, advertisers have turned to influencers to better reach younger target demographics. 

Influencer earnings swelled in 2021, confirming a definite trend. Since influencers promote sponsored messages where their audiences live—e.g. YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok—the influencers have more access to and have built trust with their audiences, making the audiences more receptive to branded content. This has resulted in a type of new media in which content is authentic yet sponsored by brand partners.

Audiences benefit from influencers' brand partnerships as well. Notably, the branded content offers audiences the opportunity to observe product demonstrations or to learn other critical details via messages that are much more potent than if presented in the brand's ads. With influencer content feeling more like a recommendation from a friend, the audience is more likely to convert. 

Navigate the Future of Marketing with Alan + Company

Building trust in the early stages of the brand-buyer relationship isn't easy, but Alan + Company can be your guide. As a leading boutique marketing agency, we apply a variety of marketing strategies and techniques to take your business to the next level.

While agility and flexibility are more important than ever, the key is to figure out what works for you and then commit to applying it. That's where we come in. Ready to take your company to the next level? Contact us today.