By Autumn Miller, Marketing Specialist
After surviving the pandemic for the last two years, more people have been living in the online world than the outside. It seems there is a new app or a new trend to keep up with every single day. While some major brands are going full throttle into the Metaverse, we also see the on-going implementation of personalized marketing approaches along with high-quality visual content. Check out these marketing trends we suspect will have a BIG impact in 2022.
The Humanizing of Brands
Due to digital marketing living in the online world vs. in person, most brands struggle with being more personal with their audience through a screen. Brands often look to automating engagement and all you ever see is “Love this post!” or “Check DMs for a special message.” These cold, automated responses in folks’ inboxes or comments aren’t what people really want to engage with. “No matter the content, people expect realness and authenticity from the companies they choose to engage with” (Dyakovskaya, studioID). If you can successfully engage with your audience online, you’ll come off as feeling more like a human interaction vs. a business one. Hire a company if the task of managing personalized engagement with your audience is too difficult. We suspect Social Engagement Support will be very popular moving forward.
The Metaverse
While businesses are moving to becoming more humans, humans are evolving to becoming more digital. While it may seem like we’re living in “Ready Player One” world with the launch of The Metaverse, gaming universes, cryptocurrency, and so many other types of virtual/augmented reality platforms have been on the rise for a few years now. It’s time for marketers to get themselves in the mix as well. OBI Creative Mary Ann O’Brien suggests that if marketing in the Metaverse isn’t already part of your content strategy for 2022, it needs to be (Forbes). As younger audiences age, it’s going to be more important to focus your marketing efforts on the platforms they are actively using. Facebook reported its highest volume of users lost in the last year. Statistically, Gen Z is less likely to want to use Facebook. We suspect the focus on and creation of the Metaverse was a result of this challenge for Meta (formerly Facebook). In 2022, the Metaverse is predicted to be the most active it has ever been. Need help diving into the Metaverse, crypto, or NFTs for your business? Consider partnering with a company like Sage Marketing (soon to be launching our own NFTs and currently helping clients move into the Metaverse).
Upgrade Your Visual Content
Creating high-level content goes beyond simple graphics or posting a picture to Instagram or Meta. Now we’re able to share mini-movies with our audiences and really showcase all you have to offer. “Visual content has the power to cement your brand’s identity in consumers’ minds for a longer period compared to text” (Batchelor, The Drum). People are going to remember your brand a lot more if they can connect it with a funny meme or a trending video on TikTok that they saw featuring the brand.
Upgrading your visual content in 2022 will be a bit different than it has been in past years. The ‘90s aesthetic has made its return with all of the bright colors, butterfly clips, and nostalgia (YUS, queen). You can move your brand forward while taking a step back in time. Nostalgia Marketing is here to stay! Add that Y2K touch of exaggerated fonts and shapes that pop to your content! Maximalism is the new minimalism.
Ultimately, people want to put their money into brands they can trust and truly dig. People will trust a brand more if they have a real human connection along with rad content. Don’t be afraid to explore different platforms and strategies. What works on one, won’t work on another.
If you’re looking for NFT Marketing/Branding, Social Engagement Support, or General Social Media Management, reach out to Sage Marketing today.
