As we write this a new variant is sweeping the UK and the rest of the world as we all wait on tenterhooks to see how this year’s Christmas plans will pan out. Sound familiar?
Whilst much of 2021 resembled groundhog day of every Covid stricken moment we experienced in 2020, the official end of the ‘stay at home’ rule in March 2021 and the continuing easing of lockdown restrictions ever since meant a light at the end of the tunnel for both individuals and businesses alike.
With life slowly getting back on track, if not with a few bumps in the road, businesses up and down the country are finally taking steps towards recovery, but what does this mean for their marketing plans? And more specifically was 2021 a better year for digital marketing than 2020?
Thanks to the nation’s love of talking tech, we predicted big things for voice search during 2020 and this has exploded during 2021. Voice search options were in high demand throughout 2021 as more and more people continued to work remotely and spend time at home.
With this, optimising for voice search became a priority for businesses operating on the net. This is set to remain a priority throughout 2022 and beyond as smart devices become more sophisticated.
Although yet to take off when we penned our review post at the end of 2020, image based or visual search was developed heavily during 2021, with the biggest search engines urging browsers to ‘see it, search it’.
With the latest advancements, you can now do more with images. Visual search now enables browsers to identify landmarks and animals from images, search for similar by uploading an image, pinpoint locations, and even shop for what they see.
The use of on-SERP SEO, the process of tuning content for better optimisation in the organic search results, was huge for businesses during 2020. This continued into 2021 as businesses developed their digital marketing offering.
As well as being easier to find thanks to on-SERP SEO, content became easier to understand, with a targeted, succinct approach taken to content writing and other digital marketing must-dos. This trend could explain the rise of video and influencer marketing across many UK industry sectors.
The process of sharing their messaging became even simpler for businesses, with video and influencer marketing strategies enabling them to converse with an already engaged audience. Thanks to the popularity of short form video marketing platforms (like TikTok), this trend is set to continue long into 2022.
2021 certainly exceeded expectations when it came to digital marketing. With our roadmap out of – and far away from - lockdown continuing at a steady pace, the power of digital marketing, the trends mentioned above and the advancements yet to emerge is forecasted to be even greater during 2022.
As more people rely on the net for everything they need, brands have to do more to stand out. It’s no longer enough to use your social media profiles to announce a new product launch or use your blog roll to peddle a service, you have to offer more value to stay the apple of your audience’s eye.
With this in mind, 2022 will see interactive content, personalisation and inclusivity take starring roles in the digital marketing campaigns of tomorrow.
For help shaping your digital marketing campaigns for 2022, contact our team today.