By pbump@hubspot.com (Pamela Bump)

The marketing world moves at the speed of light.

And, in 2021, we saw just how quickly the marketing industry can evolve.

In the last year, marketers embraced digital transformation more than ever as they adapted to constantly changing virtual and hybrid business landscapes during COVID-19 pandemic.

Then, as countries cautiously reopened — and more consumers left the house — some businesses saw slumps in the virtual engagement and online traffic they’d recently relied on.

As a marketer at any experience level, keeping up with these changes isn’t always easy. But, to succeed in the fast-paced marketing world — and maintain a sense of relevance with your audience — it’s vital to stay ahead of them.

Marketing trends allow you to:

• Keep up with the way consumers shop and research your products and services (and those of your competitors’)
• Stay up to date with changes in consumer behavior and priorities
• Ensure you’re ahead of the curve in terms of knowing who your target audience is and what they need from your business
• Listen and respond to changes in the market to help you save money
• Stay relevant in your target marketplace and among your competitors (now and in the long run)

To help businesses build cutting-edge and competitive marketing strategies in 2022, the HubSpot Blog surveyed more than 1000 global marketing professionals from both B2B and B2C brands — while also talking to a handful of industry experts — to create this bookmarkable guide of marketing trends to watch in the next year.

Below are some of the key strategies, trends, and tactics brands will invest in or expand on in 2022.

1. Influencer marketing will evolve from trend to common marketing tactic.

When we asked global marketing professionals which trends they planned to invest in for 2022, 34% said influencer marketing, putting it at the top of the list — above other trends like mobile web design and short-form video marketing.

While 57% of marketing professionals that currently leverage influencer marketing say it’s effective, 46% of them plan to increase their investments in 2022. Additionally,11% say it’s the top ROI-generating trend they’ve tested.

How and why has influencer marketing gone from an intriguing trend to a commonly-used marketing tactic? Well, influencers are often masters of the platforms they use and the field or topic they talk about. They already have an audience that is engaged, interested in their content, and influenced by the information they provide.

When marketers collaborate with influencers and industry thought leaders in their industry, they can expand brand awareness and gain fans from the influencer’s own audience.

Can’t afford to hire a celebrity influencer with millions of followers? That’s okay. In fact, more than 56% of marketers who invest in influencer marketing work with micro influceners.

Micro-influencers are social media promoters with a smaller following (typically, thousands to tens of thousands of followers). Although they have …read more

Source:: HubSpot Blog

Author: Aaron