It’s important to prepare for next year’s marketing trends to leverage your marketing plans and become a front runner in the market this 2022.
Digital innovative technology transforms marketing. The different digital solutions that help businesses promote their products and services include artificial intelligence (AI), natural programming language (NLP), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and digital marketing. With a vast range of strategies and tools available, marketing technology continues to grow and make APAC businesses successful in attaining their sales and marketing goals.
So, what are the marketing trends to help APAC businesses get ready for 2022?
More Hybrid Virtual Events
Because of the restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, hybrid virtual events have become a new trend in marketing. This trend will continue in 2022. Virtual events include live streaming, social media interactions, and other events conducted via the internet or online platforms.
Hybrid virtual events involve a combination of various digital solutions to mimic face-to-face or live marketing events such as store grand openings and big-ticket concert series. So, how do APAC leaders perceive hybrid virtual events?
Cathy Song Novelli, the senior vice president of Hubilo, a hybrid event technology platform, said that hybrid and virtual events stay and continue to help businesses after the pandemic. Businesses already hosted webinars before 2020. But nobody ever thought that pandemic would shut down businesses, forcing the shift from live events and conferences to a virtual or online infrastructure.
More Optimised and Factual Content
When it comes to content marketing, the latest trend is producing more optimised and factual content. Every business in any industry can leverage content marketing by aligning its press relations (PR), thought leadership, and search engine optimisation (SEO).
Without SEO, businesses cannot get ahead of today’s market competition, which is the reason the SEO software market grows exponentially. The market is predicted to grow by about US$740 million by 2024.
Businesses should keep up with the SEO trends to reach a broader audience and stand out from the competition. In addition, it aims to generate a higher return on investment (ROI) in marketing.
More Results-Driven Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing involves brand collaboration with online influencers, who are mostly seen active on social media, to promote their products or services. Brands work with influencers, such as local or micro-influencers, to boost brand recognition.
This marketing strategy will continue to stay in demand in 2022. Therefore, businesses should get ready to connect and work with influencers to capture the confidence and get the buy-in of prospective customers.
The Director of Brand Marketing of an eCommerce platform in India, Rapti Gupta of Instamojo, created a content-led brand voice, bringing in 40 lakh+ (4 million) visitors to Instamojo monthly. Instamojo targeted micro-influencers to spread awareness about their brand and store. The company handpicked influencers who created content to educate the people on how to sell digital products over the web cheaper, faster, and smarter.
Nonprofits as Business Opportunities
Participating in non-profit activities is a marketing trend for 2022. The pandemic has brought many realisations to consumers, prompting them to go back to basics and their core values. These values include helping people, preserving the environment, and maintaining clean and safe surroundings.
Supporting non-profits is a form of corporate responsibility. In a recent annual award, Citi was awarded the Best Bank for Corporate Responsibility, which recognises its commitment to foster diversity and inclusion.
In addition, the award recognises the bank’s effort in safeguarding Mother Earth by reducing the impact of operations on the environment. Citi also promotes social mobility and workforce development as well as initiatives and innovative strategies to strengthen and support local communities.
Finding Alternative Options to Third-Party Cookies
Marketers use cookies in tracking key metrics, such as web traffic and consumer data, that they use to create informed marketing decisions. Cookies help marketers improve their strategies by determining where their target audience search and shop online.
Because consumers demand greater privacy control and protections over their data, Google recently announced phasing out third-party cookies support. While this plan has been postponed to 2023, it’s important to get ready. The delay allows marketers to wean themselves from third-party cookie targeting strategies.
In a virtual roundtable of some of the top marketing leaders in the Asia Pacific region, they have discussed the alternative solutions to third-party cookies. These solutions include contextual targeting, first-party data, and universal identifiers.
Some good alternatives to third-party cookies include traditional marketing methods. For instance, contextual advertising targets where ads display online on relevant sites which depend on content matches instead of cookies, allowing marketers to use PPC ads with similar keywords to the web page.
Conclusion
Businesses in the APAC region should get ready for their marketing plans for 2022. With hybrid virtual events, optimised and factual content, non-profit participation, and finding an alternative solution to third-party cookies can help a business prepare for the bigger and more competitive marketing world next year.
