What are the digital marketing Trends for 2022?

#1 Social selling

The Covid-19 pandemic has driven consumers away from physical stores. In order to compensate for this lack of traffic, businesses were forced to fully digitize their sales process. This is how Social selling became a new trend.

Basically, it means selling a product on social networks. The whole process is pretty straightforward: customers see an ad on their feed for a product they might be interested in, they click on the item and get redirected to a checkout page. All they have to do is enter their contact information to finalize their purchase! There is no need to go to the physical store or to visit the seller's website. 

According to a study conducted by Research and Marketing, social selling is expected to generate $280.3 trillion in revenue by 2026. In the United States, social selling accounted for $51.2 trillion in 2021. On a related note, Facebook ad spending has increased by 56.2% in 2021 according to a survey by Social Bakers.

The rise of social selling is also driven by the increasing number of social network users. In April 2021, a report by We Are Social stated that 76% of the French population claims to connect to social networks on a daily basis.

#2 Short videos

Nowadays, consumers enjoy short and informal videos. The growth of short video-based social networks like TikTok supports this trend. According to a report by Oberlo, this one app was downloaded 850 million times in 2020. A report from The Business of Apps reports that TikTok has been downloaded 2 billion times since its launch for a revenue of about $1.9 billion.

Inspired by the success of TikTok, Instagram recently created a short video format called "Reels" that complements Stories... a format originally introduced by Snapchat. This type of content has become a powerful marketing asset for businesses as it allows them to build a strong relationship with their customers and prospects. Short videos can also be used to present the company's products in a more lively and fun way.

#3 Micro-influencers

A report from Influencer Marketing Hub shows that mega-influencers only have a 1.21% engagement rate. It seems that consumers have grown tired of seeing their feeds flooded with sponsored posts.  That's why more and more companies are turning to micro-influencers. According to a study by Later and Fohr, micro-influencers have an engagement rate of about 7%.

The success of micro-influencers comes from the authentic content they deliver to their audience. They are primarily enthusiasts who share genuine reviews about specific products. Turning to micro-influencers can also help reduce marketing expenses, as they are obviously less expensive than more established influencers. Moreover, micro influencers have a more targeted audience, which explains their high engagement rate.

#4 Live shopping

According to data from Influencer Marketing Hub, live shopping will be one of the top trends in digital marketing in 2022. This sales strategy is expected to generate $500 billion in revenue by 2023. So, what is live shopping?

Live shopping is where video livestreaming meets e-commerce and social media. Basically, an influencer tests a product in a live setting on Facebook or Instagram. Viewers can order the reviewed product through a link to a landing page that appears on the screen during the live. 

In France, several large companies are starting to use live shopping. Carrefour's first live shopping event was viewed by 300,000 consumers. Speaking about the remarkable progression of live shopping, Corentin Fabregue, digital strategy consultant at Castor & Pollux, said: "With 31% of French people having already bought a product via a social network and with platforms such as TikTok developing in-app shopping, it is likely that this medium will appeal to more and more advertisers”.

#5 Audio chat rooms

While the world was locked down, a new social network went viral: Clubhouse. This social network reinvented the concept of 100% audio chat rooms.  It allows a very large number of people to share their opinions, feedback and Insights on a given topic. The platform also presents a great opportunity for trainers and experts to share their knowledge with a targeted audience.

The hype around Clubhouse quickly died down, unfortunately. But that didn't stop other social networks from duplicating its concept. Both Facebook and Twitter now feature audio chat rooms. In 2022, audio podcasts will also become more popular. The French love this type of content as they spend an average of 2.8 hours a day listening to podcasts according to a Harris Media study. Almost 200 million podcasts are streamed every month in France!

2022 will undoubtedly bring more trends in digital marketing. This dynamic industry will continue to grow and create great job opportunities. The American Business School of Paris offers training courses to help you seize these exciting opportunities.